Category Manager - Catering

Category Manager - Bradford

Competitive salary | Private Medical | Pension | Life Assurance | 30 days' total holiday including bank holidays | Onsite parking

Are you an experienced Category Manager, Buyer or Commercial professional looking for an opportunity to take real ownership of category strategy, supplier relationships and commercial performance?

Join a large, successful, family-owned multinational business where you'll play a key role in shaping product ranges, driving sales and profit, and delivering value for customers across the food service and wholesale market.

The opportunity

As Category Manager, you'll have end-to-end responsibility for developing and delivering category plans that maximise sales, margin and cash profit. You'll work closely with suppliers and internal stakeholders to create compelling ranges, competitive pricing and effective promotional strategies.

You'll also have the opportunity to influence suppliers, negotiate commercial income and shape the future of your categories, while mentoring and developing Category Assistants within your team.

You'll be responsible for:

Developing and delivering category strategies and plans
Owning ranging, pricing and promotional activity
Maximising sales, margin and commercial profitability
Building strong, long-term supplier relationships and Joint Business Plans
Negotiating supplier funding for media, promotions and strategic initiatives
Analysing market, category and promotional performance to identify opportunities
Managing range development, gap analysis and the overall customer proposition
Developing the right balance of branded and own-brand products
Planning seasonal promotions and major commercial initiatives
Maximising product availability across your categories
Working collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders
Mentoring and developing Category Assistants
Driving continuous improvement and delivering commercially successful outcomes

What you'll bring

We're looking for a commercially driven professional with significant experience in FMCG wholesale, food service, buying, sales or category management.

You'll ideally bring:

Proven experience developing and delivering category strategies and promotional plans
Strong commercial judgement and analytical skills
Excellent negotiation and influencing ability
Confidence, tenacity and determination when pursuing commercial opportunities
Experience building effective supplier and stakeholder relationships
Strong numerical and data-analysis skills
A proactive, problem-solving approach
A genuine commitment to continuous improvement

Why join?

This is more than a traditional Category Manager role. You'll have genuine commercial ownership and influence, working with major suppliers and playing a key role in decisions that directly impact sales, margin, range and customer value.

You'll join an established and growing international organisation with a strong family-owned heritage, a diverse portfolio of businesses and operations spanning the UK and internationally.

You'll benefit from a collaborative environment where commercial ideas are encouraged, development is supported and your contribution can make a visible difference.

Benefits include:
Competitive salary, pension, private medical cover, life assurance, 30 days' total holiday including bank holidays, and onsite parking

WR Logistics are a leading recruitment partner for the logistics and supply chain industry, recruiting across the UK, Europe, and the USA for permanent opportunities.

WR Logistics is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy