DIRECTOR, CATEGORY DEVELOPMENT - SMALLWARES & EQUIPMENT

Job Summary

Foodbuy is looking for a Director, Category Development - smallwares and equipment to join their dynamic team. The primary duty of this position is a leadership position to drive development and implementation of the day-to-day execution of assigned categories and business plans to provide flexibility, responsive, and innovative strategies for growth.  This role leads a team to develop category strategy or category member strategy in partnership with some of the largest suppliers in the industry to deliver financial results across a broad range of channels and clients by applying procurement expertise including negotiation, budgeting, and forecasting, aligning customer needs with program opportunities, fostering supplier relationships, and engaging in cross-functional resources to deliver strategies for growth. The role is based in Charlotte, NC and is expected to come into the office Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday each week.

Responsibilities:
•    Achieve annual financial targets and take ownership for budget setting, ongoing management, and monthly re-forecasting of income at a detailed supplier level for team.
•    Develop an end-to-end category strategy, mapping out the current landscape and defining an improvement plan for the near, mid, and long-term to stimulate interest from and engagement with stakeholders.
•    Deliver procurement activities, including enabling the business to self-serve Post Contract Management (PCM), KPI & SLA development and tracking, stakeholder engagement, communications, risk, and Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) including business reviews and scorecards.
•    Develop and maintain senior stakeholder business relationship to build and win internal and external support for the benefit of the business. 
•    Engage leaders to gain insights and perspective.
•    Personally develops, leads, and manages larger sub-categories.
•    Proactively execute cost reduction initiatives and create new value for customers with differing needs.
•    Maintain a robust understanding of markets and commodity dynamics and present opportunities to derive new commercial advantage and mitigate risks.
•    Collaborate with Distribution to maximize availability of products and propose the most effective route to market.
•    Leverage market insights and data to ensure competitive market pricing/cost/value/innovation.
•    Create, prioritize, and plan a pipeline of opportunities to deliver the saving objectives.
•    Work effectively in a rapidly changing environment, spearheading new tools and processes to bring pragmatic solutions.
•    Drive continuous improvement through contract optimization, joint business planning, business adoption, and technology enhancements.

Requirements:

•    Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required; MBA preferred.
•    Minimum of 7 years’ experience in procurement or category development & 5 years’ experience leading a team of direct reports 
•    Superior presentation and influencing skills with an ability to liaise at all levels.
•    Exceptional customer service and client relationship management 
•    A leader in cross-functional collaboration; leveraging category management, sourcing, distribution, and consumer insights to build unrivalled client value.
•    Proven record in developing strategic business plans and managing cross-functional projects.
•    Strong business acumen and analytical mind
•    Ability to negotiate and build relationships at senior levels.
•    High proficiency level with MS Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
•    Travel up to 20% annually.