Head of Direct Category Procurement

Yum! UK & I Europe is a part of One Yum! Supply Chain Centre of Excellence (COE), set up to support KFC and Taco Bell with one supply chain, one purpose and one bold goal: unmatched profitability for every restaurant. The COE works horizontally across brands, markets, functions, franchisees and suppliers to deliver safe, reliable and sustainable supply; improve restaurant paybacks; accelerate growth; and power brand strategies through world-class category management, supplier partnerships, data, governance and innovation execution. Role purpose: Lead the Direct category agenda, building multi-year category strategies that deliver value, quality, food safety, resilience, sustainability and innovation for KFC and Taco Bell restaurants.

Responsibilities

Set the 5-year Direct procurement strategy and translate it into category roadmaps, sourcing plans, value creation pipelines and risk mitigation plans; Lead and coach a high-performing team of category leads, creating clarity, pace and capability; Work horizontally across Marketing, Food Innovation, FSQA, Operations, Finance, Sustainability, market teams, franchisees and Global Supply Chain to ensure category strategies serve restaurant needs; Use supplier briefs, supplier events and executive supplier forums to unlock innovation, capacity, cost competitiveness and speed to market; Own senior strategic supplier relationships, negotiation guardrails, commercial governance and long-term pricing mechanisms across critical categories; Ensure food safety, quality, responsible sourcing, sustainability and business continuity guardrails are embedded in all category strategies and supplier decisions; Drive value engineering and portfolio optimisation while protecting brand standards and customer experience.

Requirements

10+ years' experience in procurement, supply chain or category leadership, ideally in QSR, foodservice, FMCG, retail or a multi-market consumer environment; Proven success leading direct food, packaging or ingredient categories at regional or enterprise scale; Strong knowledge of supplier relationship management, strategic sourcing, cost modelling, commodity exposure, negotiation and value creation; Credibility with senior stakeholders and the ability to influence across brands, markets, functions, franchisees and suppliers without relying on hierarchy; Understanding of food safety, quality, sustainability and supply resilience requirements in a consumer-facing food business; Experience leading teams, building capability and turning a strategy into measurable outcomes; Commercially sharp, externally curious and comfortable challenging established thinking with data, judgement and pace.