Category Manager - F&B

Leisure Employment Services; Hemel Hempstead; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holiday Buy Scheme

Annual bonus

Hotel discounts

Wellbeing support

Corporate partner discounts

Career development (AP/degree)

Job summary

Haven is seeking a Procurement Category Manager for its Food & Beverage portfolio in Hemel Hempstead. The role focuses on owning the F&B category across multiple sites, identifying sourcing opportunities, and building strong supplier partnerships to drive meaningful savings.

You will lead tendering, contract negotiations, and supplier performance, collaborating with Finance and Procurement to manage budgets and deliver value.

Qualifications

• Experience as an F&B Category Manager in multi-site hospitality.
• Track record in high-value negotiations and delivering savings.
• Strategic procurement knowledge and use of sourcing tools.
• Strong stakeholder communication and influence across teams.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead our F&B procurement strategy and category plan.
• Develop category strategy with F&B team to maximise value and manage risk.
• Own the full procurement lifecycle: tendering, supplier selection, negotiation, contracts and relationship management.
• Drive savings and innovation via cost-saving opportunities and supplier performance.
• Ensure compliance and quality in product specs, recipes, and menus, meeting legislative needs.
• Collaborate with Finance and Procurement to track market conditions and budgets.

Skills

F&B category management

Contract negotiations

Stakeholder management

Strategic sourcing

Procurement systems (Coupa)

Tools

Coupa

Job description

Category Manager, Food & Beverage Hemel Hempstead (Hybrid – 3 days/week in office) Annual salary + bonus and benefits

Ready to make a real impact on how Haven sources and manages food and beverage? We're looking for a Procurement Category Manager who'll own our entire F&B category - from spotting brilliant sourcing opportunities to building strong supplier partnerships and driving meaningful savings across the board. You'll be the go-to expert for all things F&B procurement, steering contracts, managing relationships, and spotting ways we can work smarter and deliver better value. If you're someone who gets energised by solving problems, building teams, and turning commercial strategy into real results, we'd love to hear from you.

What you will be doing:

• Leading our F&B procurement strategy
• developing and executing category strategy in partnership with the F&B team, maximising value whilst managing risk
• Owning the full procurement lifecycle - from tendering and supplier selection through negotiation, contract management and ongoing relationship management
• Driving savings and innovation - identifying and delivering a pipeline of cost-saving opportunities, continuous improvement and supplier performance enhancements
• Ensuring compliance and quality - managing product specifications, recipes and menus to meet legislative requirements and stakeholder needs, acting as our F&B procurement expert
• Collaborating across Haven - working with Finance and Procurement teams to track market conditions, manage budgets and support broader procurement strategy and governance

What we’d like you to bring:

• Proven experience as an F&B Category Manager in multi-site hospitality, with proven success developing category strategies and leading complex sourcing activities
• Strong commercial expertise - demonstrated track record in high-value negotiations, contract management and delivering measurable savings, operational efficiencies and innovation
• Strategic procurement knowledge - understanding of procurement principles, best practice and ability to use procurement systems (such as Coupa) and sourcing tools confidently
• Excellent stakeholder skills - proven ability to communicate, influence and engage across internal and external stakeholders, driving positive change through influence rather than authority
• Solutions-focused mindset - pragmatic approach with sound commercial judgement, continuous improvement focus and ability to manage multiple priorities autonomously in a fast-paced environment

What’s In It For You?

• ‘Holiday Buy Scheme’
• Annual bonus
• Generous discounts on both Haven and Warner Hotels holiday for you, family and friends
• Comprehensive wellbeing support
• Exclusive discounts with corporate partners
• Exciting career pathways, including Learning and Development opportunities such as Apprenticeships and Degrees
• Enhanced family friendly policies and pay (eligibility criteria applied)

Who are we? We're part of the award-winning Bourne Leisure family - Haven & Warner Hotels - with 9,000 team members across 39 seaside locations and our HQ in Hemel Hempstead.

What's it like to work with us? We're defined by our people and our Breath of Fresh Air culture, which values authenticity and supports every team member. We operate a hybrid model (60% office-based, occasionally on Park or at external events), and we're genuinely committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and are happy to discuss reasonable adjustments, flexible working, part-time, or job-share options where possible.

What to expect in recruitment? The interview process is up to 3 stages and may include a presentation or skills test. If you need any support or reasonable adjustments to perform at your best, just let us know – we're here to help. Get in touch at [e-mail] with any questions.

What We Offer

• Holiday allowance that rises with service, plus a ‘Holiday Buy Scheme’
• Annual bonus
• 20% discount on both Haven and Warner Hotels holiday for you, family and friends
• Comprehensive wellbeing support
• Access to the Bourne Leisure corporate box at the O2 Arena ,London
• Exclusive discounts with corporate partners
• Exciting career pathways, including Learning and Development opportunities such as Apprenticeships and Degrees
• Enhanced family friendly policies and pay (eligibility criteria applied)