Procurement Category Manager

The Chance

A well-known name in food manufacturing is looking for a seasoned procurement leader to own their packaging and commodities category. You'll be the go-to person for sourcing, negotiating, and managing supplier relationships across a network of manufacturing sites, distribution centres and third-party partners — with real influence over how the business buys and who it buys from.

This isn't a back-office procurement role. You'll be working shoulder-to-shoulder with Planning, Operations, Quality, Finance and the Executive team, and your negotiations and category strategies will directly shape the bottom line.

What You'll Be Doing

- Running the sourcing process from strategy through to negotiation, landing deals that balance cost, quality and service
- Building out category plans for packaging materials and commodities (think sugar, cocoa, vegetable oils, dairy, plastics, paper)
- Keeping supply risk in check — financial, operational and service-related — and having a plan when things go sideways
- Partnering with Planning on forecasts and purchase orders, and with Accounts Payable when invoicing hiccups crop up
- Owning supplier performance: regular reviews, relationship management,



and holding vendors accountable on quality
- Keeping data clean and current in Dynamics 365
- Feeding into Finance's budgeting and reporting cycles
- Championing sustainability initiatives where you can

What You'll Bring

- 10+ years in procurement, ideally with FMCG experience under your belt
- A track record of end-to-end category ownership — packaging and/or commodities specifically
- Confidence negotiating and managing contracts with suppliers of all sizes
- Comfort operating in a multi-site, complex business
- Hands-on ERP experience (Dynamics 365 highly regarded)
- The communication chops to talk shop with a site operator and an executive in the same day
- A degree or CIPS qualification in procurement, supply chain, business or project management
- Genuine curiosity about how AI tools can sharpen your reporting and decision-making

Why This Role

You’ll get autonomy, a seat at the table with senior leadership, and a category that genuinely matters to the business. If you like owning outcomes rather than just processing purchase orders, this is built for you.

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📌 Procurement Category Manager - Food & Ingredients (City of Sydney)
🏢 Hydrogen Uk
📍 City of Sydney