Buying Manager - Food to Go

Rise Resourcing; West Midlands; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Bonus

Private healthcare

Generous holidays

Job summary

Rise Resourcing is recruiting for a major UK retailer's Buying Manager to shape the Food to Go offer. The role is hybrid, based in the West Midlands, with around three days in the office.

You will lead end-to-end sourcing, product development and supplier strategy across FTG, driving profitability and supplier partnerships. You'll manage a small team, partner with food tech, supply chain and marketing, ensure compliance and data accuracy, and influence category direction with autonomy and

Qualifications

• Experience in Food to Go, foodservice, retail or FMCG buying.
• Track record launching products and collaborating with product teams.
• Navigating compliance, allergens and nutritional data.
• Strong commercial acumen with pricing and promotions experience.
• Comfort leading cross-functional projects and mentoring a small team.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end buying and sourcing of FTG components, from ingredients to finished ranges.
• Drive packaging, recipe development, costing and substitutions.
• Negotiate with suppliers and manage JBP activity to optimise margins.
• Partner with food tech, supply chain, operations and marketing for scalable, compliant products.
• Provide visibility on costs, waste, labour and GM performance to improve FTG profitability.

Skills

Buying & sourcing

Team leadership

Pricing & promotions

Cross-functional collaboration

Excel

Tools

Excel

ERP systems

Job description

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.