Buying Manager - Food to Go

A major UK retailer with hundreds of stores is looking for a talented Buying Manager to help shape and elevate their Food to Go offer. This is a high‑impact role within a fast‑moving commercial team, taking ownership of sourcing, product development and supplier strategy across a diverse and growing FTG range. The role is hybrid, with around three days a week spent in their West Midlands office.

The Role

You’ll lead a small team and take responsibility for the end‑to‑end buying and sourcing of all Food to Go components — from ingredients and packaging through to finished‑in‑store ranges and branded foodservice partnerships. Your remit will span:

• Ingredient and component sourcing
• Packaging and POS solutions
• Recipe development, costing and substitutions
• Pricing, promotions and margin optimisation
• Supplier negotiations, commercial terms and JBP activity

Working closely with food technology, supply chain, operations and marketing, you’ll ensure products are compliant, scalable and operationally simple for stores. You’ll also play a key part in driving FTG profitability through strong visibility of costs, waste, labour and GM performance. This is a hands‑on role with real autonomy and influence over category direction.

About You

You’ll bring experience in Food to Go, foodservice, retail or FMCG buying — ideally with exposure to chilled food or made‑in‑store ranges. You’ll have a track record of launching products, collaborating with food development teams, and navigating compliance, allergens and nutritional data. Strong commercial acumen is essential, along with confidence in Excel, pricing, promotions and performance management. You’ll be comfortable leading cross‑functional projects, influencing stakeholders at all levels, and managing or mentoring a small team. Experience in recipe or ingredient processes would be a bonus.

What’s on Offer

A competitive salary, car allowance, bonus, private healthcare, generous holidays and a broad benefits package. You’ll join a values‑led organisation with a genuine focus on colleague wellbeing, community impact and creating a great place to work — with plenty of autonomy and room to grow.

#J-18808-Ljbffr