Head of Merchandising

Brakes are now recruiting for a Head of Merchandising who will drive overall CSE category growth, be accountable for buying bakery and support the Category Merchandising Director as overall deputy for the Chip Butty Takeaway Team. Overall responsibility for category growth through unlocking cost of goods “better than market” benefit, whilst supporting the development of the overall category plan to deliver volume, sales and margin growth, balancing the performance of quality, service and price.

We are offering a hybrid working contract for this role. The successful candidate will be within a commutable distance to the Ashford, Kent office to attend site twice per week and be flexible with regular travel to meet with suppliers, customers and colleagues.

Key Accountabilities & Responsibilities:

• Lead a team of high performing merchandising professionals to deliver on key priorities and outcomes.
• Support the development of the overall category strategy and the in-year plan to deliver volume, sales and margin growth, whilst having a balanced perspective on quality, service & price.
• Lead and promote the “better buying” workstream of the category plan, negotiating the lowest (better than market) cost prices, sourcing relevant products from the most appropriate suppliers, developing supplier partnerships, improving availability and contingency planning, considering both existing and potential new suppliers, including SME’s.
• Supporting range development including award winning innovation, collaborating with trusted supplier partners to develop sustainable and profitable relationships, with a clear understanding for how to develop both added value and innovative products for Sysco own brands, and vendor branded control and skill to maximise income and growth.
• Link the “better buying” workstream to both the “better selling” activation workstream and the ranging fundamentals of The Sysco 6 Stage Category Management process, managing the end-to-end P&L through product mix and selling prices to maximise margin. Understand the needs of our diverse customer base from large corporate to small independent foodservice businesses.
• Accountability for Brakes (local) spend, but also responsible to link with Sysco GB and International partners (plus EU Merchandising Hub and Constellation buying alliance) to develop Sysco’s Global Sysco Global to drive maximum Sysco International results.

About You:

To be successful in this role you will have proven leadership experience either through projects or managing cross functional teams and delivering through others and extensive senior level buying experience in a fast-moving food product category, ideally in retail, foodservice of FMCG environment, with international scope and different tendering models. You’ll live and breathe Customer First, with an innovative and agile approach to identify new ideas and methods and enjoy working collaboratively with a dedicated focus on driving and delivering results. You will be resilient and work well with ambiguity and building future solutions and you will embrace an inclusive working environment and be committed to acting with integrity and honesty in everything you do. We are looking for someone who has a clear understanding of and previous experience of working with Category Management and extensive negotiation & professional buying / category training. You will have strong commercial acumen and a proven commercial leader with experience running large buying / P&L areas is essential and illustrate solid experience in developing strategies which deliver sustained profitable growth, through buying and category growth perspectives. This role requires someone with strong external stakeholder management skills with supplier partners, demonstrating the balance of tactical & strategic relationships to maximise category profitability and growth. This is a great role for someone who is ambitious for further career development within Merchandising and an exciting, progressive Global organisation.

What we offer:

• A competitive salary
• Company car or car allowance of £8,000 per annum
• Family private medical healthcare cover
• Pension scheme
• Generous holiday allowance of 25 days, with option to purchase additional holidays + bank holidays
• Huge discounts on all sorts of lovely food and award-winning products through our staff shop
• Discounts on Cinema tickets, shopping and earn cashback on purchases through Sodexo.
• Recognition awards and Incentives
• Real career opportunities - being part of Sysco, the world’s leading foodservice business, opens up a world of possibility

Additional Information

At Brakes everyone is welcome. We don’t want you to ‘fit our culture’ we want you to help define it and we actively celebrate the unique talents of each and every colleague. We don’t just look at your CV, we’re more focused on who you are and your potential. As part of our values, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone has a voice, is appreciated and has the same opportunities. We work hard to ensure that everyone feels part of our business, as we care for one another and connect the world through food and trusted partnerships. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that everyone belongs and thrives at Brakes and we recognise that Brakes can only thrive when everyone feels they belong. We'll do everything we can to support you during your application. If you need us to make any adjustments to our recruitment process, speak to our resourcing team who will be happy to support you.