Category Manager - Packaging & Beverages

About The Role

- Location: Woking - Department: Restaurant Support Centre - Hours: full time - Closing Date: 06 May 2026

Welcome to Yum

Home of some of the world’s most iconic restaurant brands – including KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. With over 60,000 restaurants across more than 155 countries, we’re the largest restaurant company in the world. But what really makes Yum! special is our people. We’re a business built on bold ideas, collaboration and growth, where individuals are empowered to bring their authentic selves, challenge thinking and help shape the future of our brands.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Procurement Manager is responsible for leading procurement activities across the Pan European Region for all 3 core brands (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell), ensuring value delivery, supplier performance, and risk mitigation. This role blends strategic thinking with operational execution, requiring strong stakeholder engagement and data-driven decision-making.

WHAT WILL YOU SPEND YOUR TIME DOING

• Monitor supplier performance and conduct reviews against KPIs and SLAs.
• Maintain and optimise supplier relationships
• Ensure compliance with procurement policies and procedures.
• Drive and create the overall strategy for the category
• Lead or support strategic sourcing initiatives and transformation programmes.
• Lead and play a critical role in managing the tendering process to ensure transparency, competitiveness, and value for money
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders on cost-saving, sustainability and innovative projects.
• Drive procurement input into new product development or service launches.
• Partner with Global procurement teams, influencing global category plans and decisions.
• Analyse spend data to identify cost reduction opportunities.
• Develop dashboards and reports to track procurement performance.
• Use market intelligence and benchmarking to inform sourcing strategies.
• Assess and mitigate supplier risks including financial, operational, and geopolitical.
• Maintain supplier risk contingency plans where applicable.
• Work with legal and compliance teams to ensure regulatory adherence.
• Negotiate, draft, and manage supplier contracts, in partnership with legal.
• Ensure contract lifecycle management and renewal tracking.
• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders across departments.
• Act as a trusted advisor to business units on procurement matters.
• Facilitate supplier engagement workshops, QBR’s and feedback sessions. Maintaining and ensuring strong relationships are upheld between procurement and the supplier base.

WHAT WE LOVE FROM YOU

EXPERIENCE

• Strong analytical skills, ability to extract meaningful conclusions from data
• Experience in a food service/FMCG or retail environment preferred
• Pack and/or beverage experience desired but not essential
• Ability to manage projects as well as category strategy execution
• Track record of achievement and delivery
• Proven experience in procurement or supply chain management
• Strong negotiation and contract management skills
• Proven experience of working collaboratively in complex stakeholder environment
• Stakeholder engagement skills, capable of influencing at all levels
• Proven experience in understanding contract KPIs and successfully driving supplier performance
• 6+ years in an Analyst, Buyer, Supply chain or equivalent role preferably in retail, food service, FMCG
• 5+ years of experience in a procurement, sourcing or buying role.

SKILLS

• Strong skills in Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
• Quick to learn and apply new knowledge
• Positive mindset and resilient outlook
• Values action over activity
• Good verbal and written communication skills

ABOUT YOU

• A genuine team player
• A self-starter with curiosity, energy and adaptability
• Hungry to learn and thrive in a small, mighty team
• A practical problem-solver with strong commercial instincts
• Obsessed with high standards, momentum and getting things done

Ready?

We hope so, if you’re ready to be part of our community, now’s the time to apply.

Worried you aren’t ticking all the boxes? Don’t - we’d still love to hear from you.