Head of Category Management - Food

Job Title: Head of Category – Food
Location: Frankfurt, Germany

About Our Client: We are partnering with a global leader in support services, operating in approximately 35 countries and employing over 550,000 individuals worldwide. Our client is renowned for its commitment to quality and innovation, providing a wide range of services across core sectors such as Business & Industry, Healthcare & Senior Living, Education, Sports & Leisure, and Defence. With a strong brand portfolio, they are dedicated to delivering exceptional value and driving sustainable growth.

Role Overview: Our client is seeking a dynamic and experienced Head of Category – Food to join their procurement leadership team in Germany. Reporting to the Procurement Director, this high-profile role involves leading and coaching a team of high-performing category managers to drive excellence in food procurement. This role plays a critical part in developing and executing category strategies, ensuring supplier performance, and delivering commercial value while supporting business sustainability objectives. Operating within the business-wide purchasing framework, the role will ensure that category management strategies align with business priorities, focusing on cost efficiency, supply chain resilience, risk management, and supplier innovation. This position requires a leader who can inspire, challenge, and develop a best-in-class category management function within Germany. Additionally, this role has responsibility for the supply chain and performance management of our wholesaler and logistics partners.

Key Responsibilities:

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing team of category managers, ensuring clear direction, accountability, and growth opportunities.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement across the category management function.
• Act as a mentor and coach, empowering the team to enhance their strategic procurement capabilities.
• Build great relationships with clients, stakeholders, and the internal team, collaborating to help identify future opportunities for value creation.
• Establish best-in-class category management processes and governance, ensuring alignment with the wider procurement and business strategy.
• Lead a small team dedicated to supply chain and wholesaler/logistics partner performance management, ensuring optimal service levels and efficiency.
• Collaborate with the wider Procurement Leadership team to build, lead, and execute on our 3 Year Procurement Strategy.

Candidate Profile:
The ideal candidate will have proven leadership experience in Category Management within Food Procurement & Supply Chain (Retail, Foodservice, or FMCG), be able to demonstrate their ability to build, lead, and develop high-performing teams; have strong expertise in category strategy development, supplier negotiations, and contract management; and have excellent commercial acumen with experience in cost optimization and value creation. In addition, strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and align across multiple business functions; have solid experience in supply chain risk management, wholesaler relationships, and logistics partner performance management. A fluent German and English speaker is essential.

Why Join Our Client?
This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of procurement, drive efficiency, and maintain a market-leading position. The base salary offered for this role is €115,000 – €125,000, plus bonus and benefits. If you are ready to make a significant impact, we want to hear from you.

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