Global Senior Category manager - Food

Sodexo is seeking a Senior Global Category Manager – Retail (Food) to lead and maximize value across our global retail portfolio. This role is responsible for driving commercial growth, procurement excellence, supplier partnerships, and category governance to achieve sustainable business results.

Working with key stakeholders and suppliers worldwide, you will create value through revenue growth, margin improvement, cost optimization, innovation, sustainability initiatives, supply continuity, and risk mitigation. The successful candidate combines strong commercial acumen with strategic sourcing expertise to build high‑performing supplier relationships and ensure resilient, responsible category management on a global scale.

This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of Sodexo's retail food category and make a significant impact across our international business.

• Develop global category strategies that drive sales growth, margin expansion, operational efficiency, and local implementation.
• Leverage Sodexo's scale while balancing local market needs, client requirements, and regional priorities.
• Deliver measurable savings, cost reduction, inflation avoidance, and supplier productivity.
• Use demand management, specification optimization, and scale benefits to improve profitability without compromising quality or service.

• Define and execute sourcing strategies aligned with global category priorities and regional business needs.
• Lead category governance, supplier segmentation, contractual frameworks, compliance, and commercial decision processes.

• Drive initiatives that increase retail sales, profitability, and category performance.
• Partner with Marketing, Brand, Operations, and Finance to convert supplier investment, data, and innovation into commercial outcomes.

• Lead key global supplier relationships across growth, cost competitiveness, innovation, sustainability, quality, service continuity, and risk.
• Negotiate agreements and joint business plans that deliver profitability, savings, investment, innovation, and supply resilience.
• Manage risk across supply resilience, supplier financial health, geopolitical exposure, commodity volatility, and market disruption.
• Ensure regulatory, contractual, quality, sustainability, and ESG compliance, with mitigation plans to protect supply and performance.

• Act as the global connector between Supply Management, Retail Operations, Marketing, Finance, and regional teams.
• Build business cases, mobilize stakeholders, and scale best practices across regions.

• Growth KPIs: revenue growth, gross margin improvement, supplier-funded initiatives, innovation, and category adoption.
• Procurement KPIs: savings, inflation avoidance, supplier performance, compliance, sustainability, and risk reduction.

The ideal candidate combines a strategic procurement mindset, retail experience, and business development skills.

• 10+ years' experience in Category Management, Strategic Sourcing, Procurement, Commercial Management, Retail, or FMCG.
• Proven delivery of revenue growth, margin improvement, savings, cost optimization, and inflation mitigation.
• Experience leading supplier negotiations, contractual frameworks, procurement transformation, and international category management.
• Strong influencing, stakeholder management, sourcing, and supplier governance skills in a matrix environment.

Competitive salary depending on experience; hybrid model with a Stevenage office once a week and 30% travel.

• 20+ Sodexo benefits including a retirement plan, discounts to over 1,900 brands, gym discounts, and a 24/7 employee assistance programme offering independent support for emotional, legal, and financial matters.