Category Manager - Agricultural Ingredients (Fruit & Juices)

At Britvic we’re on a journey to become the most dynamic soft drinks company. As one of the UK’s leading players in the FMCG market we pride ourselves on setting high standards, being courageous and pushing ourselves to think outside the bottle.  

We offer consumers a range of family favourite and global premium brands such as Robinsons, Tango, J2O, R. White’s & London Essence. We exist to help people enjoy life’s everyday moments.

About the Role:
Britvic’s Procurement team is responsible for sourcing all goods and services the business needs to operate. This includes our Direct product requirements for Packaging and Ingredients as well as supporting wider business needs for indirect purchasing. Our vision is to improve Britvic’s commercial position by maximising value through a creative, effective, strategic, passionate, and professional team.

As Category Manager – Agricultural Ingredients you will be responsible for providing assurance of supply and cost competitiveness for portfolio of Juices used in Britvic’s products. The role also carries responsibility of building category strategies for the above-mentioned ingredients as well as developing efficient supplier relationships, managing risks, complying with procurement governance processes, and importantly, leading the sustainability agenda for the category working closely with our suppliers on implementing sustainability and ethical standards across the juice portfolio.

This role will require you to work with the wider procurement team, multiple functions (e.g., Technical, Sustainability, Quality, Manufacturing), and an international supply base.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Develop and execute category strategies for Juices at a group level.
2. Identify synergies between the Britvic business units driving supply, financial and sustainability benefits across the juice category.
3. Develop a robust Pipeline of Value for the Ingredients Portfolio in collaboration with the Sr Category Manager for Ingredients.
4. Develop the Sustainability Roadmap and Deliver Britvic’s Sustainability Agenda for the Agricultural Ingredients categories.
5. Work collaboratively with the Value Engineering Team to identify new cost reduction projects and opportunities.
6. Be the Procurement Team point of contact and subject matter expert for Juice spend categories.
7. Participate in functional projects (e.g., Working Capital Improvement Programme) with engagement from suppliers where appropriate.
8. Deliver savings/cost avoidance in line with budget forecast.
9. Maximise the spend under contract and conduct commercial negotiations/tenders for all Juices.
10. Develop and maintain excellent supplier relationships with key suppliers to improve supplier performance and drive value over time using SRM tools where appropriate
11. Act a point of escalation for resolving supplier performance issues
12. Adherence to the relevant Purchasing Policies and Processes in force, including following the correct delegation of authority and segregation of duties.
13. Be an ambassador for Procurement internally and externally

Knowledge, Skills & Experience Required:

1. Advanced knowledge of Ingredients categories (especially Agriculture)
2. Strong understanding of International Supply Chain and Regulatory Environments (duties, Incoterms)
3. Strong Experience in Tender processes: RFI, RFP and e-auctions
4. Strong Category Management experience.
5. Good understanding of FMCG product development and manufacturing processes.
6. Strong analytic skills.
7. Good negotiation skills, and willing to challenge the status quo.
8. Demonstrable cross-functional stakeholder management and influencing skills.
9. Good interpersonal skills.
10. Strong time management and organisational skills.
11. Experience working with suppliers across different countries and cultures.
12. A proven ability to work at pace to deliver required outcomes
13. Ability to deal with ambiguous situations and make rational decisions with less than complete information.
14. Demonstrated success working in a cross functional team environment is essential  
15. Enthusiasm and a “can do” attitude, showing initiative and drive
16. Ability to request and obtain help at the appropriate time and work under pressure with good time management skills
17. Good working knowledge of systems including of SAP Ariba, Cirtuo, BW
18. Full MS suite with high level of competency in excel

Qualifications:

1. Bachelor’s degree preferably in Business or Engineering
2. Strong Procurement Experience
3. CIPS qualification is desirable
4. We believe we are stronger together and that’s why we’re committed to providing equal opportunities to all applicants and employees. We know that by building a truly inclusive environment where everyone feels celebrated, safe and respected - diversity and wellbeing will naturally thrive

We believe we are stronger together and that’s why we’re committed to providing equal opportunities to all applicants and employees. We know that by building a truly inclusive environment where everyone feels celebrated, safe and respected - diversity and wellbeing will naturally thrive