Category Manager 6 month FTC
Sodexo · UK
Our estimate of how close this job is to decisions about what protein a business sources, specifies, buys and serves. How we score
Why this role matters
How close this job is to real sourcing and menu decisions.
Sodexo serves over 100 million consumers a day through on-site food services, so category decisions here ripple through enormous volumes of meals. The advert names meat and poultry, dairy, and other protein categories among the desirable experience areas, and this role drives sourcing strategy, supplier relationships, and responsible sourcing initiatives across whatever categories you're assigned. If you land animal-protein categories, you'd have real say over supplier requirements and commercial terms that determine how that meat, poultry or dairy is sourced and to what standard, a lever most people never get near. Even if the categories assigned skew elsewhere, the role builds genuine category management and procurement credibility inside one of the world's largest foodservice operators, a strong platform for moving into roles with more reach over food standards later.
Where this role can take you
What this job teaches you, and the jobs it can lead to.
What you'd build
- Category sourcing strategy development
- Supplier negotiation and relationship management
- Cross-functional stakeholder influencing
- Procurement governance and compliance
- Food supply chain category exposure
Where it can lead
- Senior Category Manager
- Head of Procurement
- Protein Category Manager
More senior category and procurement roles typically set supplier requirements and sourcing criteria for whole product groups, giving direct say over the standards animal-derived categories must meet.
About the role
Sodexo is hiring a Food Category Manager on a 6-month fixed-term contract, based hybrid/remote, to lead the development and delivery of category sourcing strategies across the UK & Ireland. The role is responsible for driving commercial performance, delivering sustainable value, managing supplier relationships, and implementing sourcing strategies that support both regional and global business objectives, working closely with stakeholders across Supply Management, Finance, Supplier Relationship Management, and global procurement teams. Core responsibilities include developing and implementing category sourcing strategies, delivering cost savings and improved supplier performance, negotiating regional agreements and commercial terms, managing supplier relationships and driving innovation, leading a pipeline of category projects, collaborating with global procurement teams to align local and global strategies, driving responsible sourcing and sustainability initiatives, ensuring compliance with procurement policies and governance/due diligence processes, balancing UK and Republic of Ireland market requirements, and building stakeholder relationships to influence decision-making. Essential requirements are 3-5 years' experience in Category Management, Procurement, or Strategic Buying; proven contract negotiation and supplier relationship management experience; strong commercial awareness and financial acumen; excellent stakeholder engagement, influencing and communication skills; experience in a matrix or multinational organisation; and being degree educated and working towards CIPS, ISM, or an equivalent qualification. Desirable criteria include Food & Beverage procurement and category management experience, knowledge of food supply chains, supplier markets, product specifications and food safety standards, and experience across categories including grocery, dairy, fresh and frozen food, meat and poultry, bakery, soft drinks and hot beverages. The role is permanent in the advert's job type field despite being listed as a 6-month FTC, and the salary is stated as competitive. Benefits include 20+ Sodexo benefits such as a retirement plan, retail discounts, gym discount, and a 24/7 employee assistance programme. Sodexo describes itself as a Disability Confident Leader employer operating in 55 countries.
This is an extract. Read the full advert on the employer's site.
Key terms to include in your CV and cover letter
What this employer is asking for, in their words. Applications are often screened by software looking for exact phrases, so if these describe your experience, use their wording.
- category management
- strategic sourcing
- supplier relationship management
- commercial negotiation
- contract negotiation
- cost savings delivery
- stakeholder engagement
- procurement governance
- due diligence
- CIPS
- financial acumen
- responsible sourcing
- food supply chain knowledge
- product specifications
- food safety standards
- matrix organisation experience
How to position yourself
The language that works with hiring managers for this kind of job.
Lean into cost savings, supplier performance, and risk mitigation framing, since the advert explicitly asks for commercial value delivery and compliance with due diligence processes - this is the language that will get you shortlisted. Build or highlight CIPS progress (named as desirable) and any exposure to food supply chains, supplier markets or food safety standards, since the advert flags these as differentiators for food-specific category roles.
You apply directly with the employer. We just link you to their advert, and we don't see anything you send them.