Head of Category

Overview:
Nomad Foods is Europe’s largest branded frozen food business with sales over €3 billion per annum. A period of strong growth has precipitated a controlled expansion of the Group Procurement team within this iconic CPG brand. Group Procurement is a highly successful and collaborative function and operates a crucial role in the supply chain, covering a Group spend of c.€1.6 billion of COGs.

The Head of Category is a strategic group role covering complex and diverse raw materials that represents 23% of our total Direct Spend (approximately €375 Million). The role will develop and lead the top line growth of the business across many categories as well as drive bottom line efficiency across both Nomad Foods’s internal operations and the third-party supply base. The Head of Category will lead a diverse team of 8 Senior Buyers/Buyers driving the Sourcing agenda for Nomad Foods resulting in extremely close connections with various Stakeholders such as : Central Marketing Team Category Directors, Factory Directors, General Managers, R&D and Quality Director, Sustainability Director, SC Finance Director, HR Business Partner etc

It will be critical for the role to partner with the Procurement Director and Chief Procurement Officer to drive the Procurement vision, the House of Procurement, and the overall Procurement strategy of Nomad Foods.

**Role Overview**:
The role will lead a team to develop and execute the overall commercial Nomad Foods strategy to deliver:

- Sustainable improvements in terms of Cost, Quality, Service, and Innovation, and
- Develop opportunities for Growth and new business lines moving procurement from a price-led function to a true end-to-end value creating business partner.

All in collaboration with the Procurement Director, Chief Procurement Officer, Chief Supply Officer, Functional Directors, and other relevant executives.

The role will require an individual who is able to take a holistic business view and balance both growth and cost management simultaneously. Whilst overseeing the procurement activities of the relevant sourcing streams, it will also focus on delivering the strategic Productivity plan set by our cross-functional Fuel-4-Growth team, ensure our various Group Policies (Ethical, Country of Origins ) are being adhered to. There is also a strong focus on Complexity reduction across Packaging, Commodities and Co-Manufacturing and this role will be key to driving this activity. Nomad Foods is also famous for driving an ambitious M&A agenda and the Head of Category will need to support current and future M&A activities.

**Responsibilities**:

- Lead an Inclusive & Diverse Team ensuring that members feel empowered, motivated, and developed
- Ensure the Training and Development needs of the team members are understood and link up with HR Business Partner
- Help execute the Nomad Foods’s strategic plan across several categories with full supply decision and dissemination of best practice across the Procurement team. Including but not limited to negotiation, spend analytics, contract management, cost model implementation, cash management, Productivity...
- Develop and execute leading-edge Sourcing Strategies (using the established Nomad Foods’s CATX programme) and strategic plans covering market trends, Business needs, Supplier trends & supply risk mitigation
- Complete established Budget cycles (monthly financial forecasting, Annual Planning, and strategic planning)
- Select and develop suppliers and strategic partners making use of good SRM practices and Joint Business Planning.
- Leverage supplier capabilities to deliver efficiencies, innovation, and new product development
- Align cross leadership/cross functional partners to strategies
- Conduct supplier negotiations, bids, renewals to deliver annual awards
- Demonstrate deep market understanding for owned categories. Work with our Insight and Analytics team to constantly gain knowledge to best perform your sourcing strategies.
- Gain access to Cost Modelling from your suppliers to increase budgeting accuracy
- Deliver annual savings, efficiency, and cash targets to improve business position
- Effectively manage relationships with Nomad manufacturing facilities
- Ensure compliance (SOX and others) related process and procedures are uncompromised
- Assure high quality standards, on-time deliveries, bench costs and ensure food safety regulations & Sustainability requirements from all suppliers
- Lead evaluation of supplier capabilities, cost structure, risks, and partnership potential to determine supply base
- Help support the Employee’s Safety agenda of Nomad Foods

Qualifications:

- Highly effective interpersonal skills - excellent negotiator and strong communication and influencing skills to all organisational levels and particularly at executive level.
- Demonstrated ability to develop credible business relationships with senior leaders and be organisational savvy
- Ability to translate complex