Senior Buyer – Chilled Meals Solutions

Ocado Retail; Hatfield; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private medical insurance

Ocado discount

Hybrid working

Job summary

Ocado Retail is seeking a Senior Buyer for the Chilled Meals Solutions category in Hatfield. You will own the category P&L, drive trading plans, and negotiate with suppliers to improve margins while expanding range and innovating exclusive products.

Join a fast-growing team, partnering with the Trading Manager and Buying Director, and lead a small team to deliver performance, JBPs, and strategy aligned with Ocado Retail’s goals.

Qualifications

• Significant retail buying experience with a track record of delivering breakthrough commercial results.
• Exceptional negotiation expertise for strategic supplier agreements.
• Proven leadership capable of mentoring and developing others.
• Excellent influencing and stakeholder management at senior levels.

Responsibilities

• Be fully accountable for the category P&L and KPIs.
• Negotiate with suppliers to improve margin and deliver savings.
• Plan and execute comprehensive trade, promotions, and events plan.
• Maintain GSCOP compliance and document agreements in writing.

Skills

Negotiation

Data analysis

Category management

Leadership

Job description

Contract type: Permanent

Location: Hatfield (Hybrid working – 3 days in the office)

Working hours per week: 40 hours

Level: Senior Buyer

Reports to: Trading Manager

Application Closing Date: Friday 25th September

About Us

Our mission is to deliver joy in every shop, through unbeatable choice, unrivalled service, and reassuringly good value. We’re also on a mission to empower our business with smart technology; we’ve recently launched our AI Academy, providing a tailored AI learning journey for every colleague.

We’re Ocado Retail, a market-leading joint venture between Ocado Group and M&S, and the world’s largest dedicated online supermarket, ocado.com. Not only is Ocado.com the only place to shop a full range of M&S food online, but it’s also the home to the widest online supermarket range in the UK and champion of small, independent brands. We’re also the brains behind Zoom by Ocado, our same-day grocery delivery service.

About The Team And The Role

As a Senior Buyer, you will have accountability for a specified category within the Chilled Meals Solutions commercial buying team. You will be responsible for ensuring your supply base and product range are optimised, proactively using data and analysis to maximise performance and also drive sales, profitability and growth to support the overall Ocado Retail strategy and goals.

The Chilled Meal Solutions category is one of the fastest-growing departments within Ocado, and we’re looking for a Senior Buyer to raise the bar even further.

What You’ll Do

Commercial Accountability

• Be fully accountable for the category P&L and deliver against all KPIs.
• Proactively identify opportunities to drive customer penetration and significantly improve the all-in margin by negotiating with suppliers to deliver savings.
• Plan and execute the comprehensive trade, promotions, and events plan.
• Ensure zero GSCOP breaches, record all agreements in writing, and report GSCOP complaints to Legal within 48 hours of receipt. Always follow the Business Code of Conduct and act with integrity and due diligence.

Strategy, Range & Innovation

• Develop the category strategy with support from the Trading Manager/Buying Director.
• Expertly execute category reviews to refine the range, ensuring all changes align with the business and category strategy.
• Identify, analyse, and source first-to-market / Ocado exclusive product innovation using deep customer, market, and supplier insights.
• Support 2 Buyers in delivering their own range and strategy reviews.

Negotiation & Supplier Excellence

• Lead complex negotiations to agree upon and deliver market-leading Joint Business Plans (JBPs) that align with the customer plan and category strategy.
• Manage and review the performance of a complex supplier base, communicating and developing strong relationships to drive high engagement.
• Work closely with merchandise planning and the supplier base to ensure best-in-class availability.
• Identify and create plans to mitigate potential issues/events that may impact the supply, and ensure product quality meets all Ocado requirements.

People Management & Performance

• Manage 1 Buyer and provide day-to-day coaching and feedback to Category Assistants.
• Be an expert in data, analysing and assessing performance issues and opportunities using reporting tools, and quickly devising and implementing effective solutions.

Who You Are

• Significant retail buying experience with a demonstrated track record of delivering breakthrough commercial results.
• Exceptional negotiation expertise required for strategic, high-value, and business-critical supplier agreements.
• Proven leadership capability with experience in managing/mentoring
• Exceptional influencing and executive stakeholder management skills, capable of shaping strategy at a senior, cross-functional, and leadership level.
• Expertise in complex data analysis; ability to synthesize diverse data sets to define the long‑term category vision and strategy.
• Proven project management capability required to lead and deliver complex, long‑term business‑wide initiatives (e.g., major range resets).
• A passionate foodie!

Training and Development

Joining our Buying team provides access to our Commercial Academy, a comprehensive development program structured around three pillars: Buyer Induction, Specific Skills (Buying & Selling), and General Skills. You’ll gain access to external, advanced training such as Negotiation, as well as courses on Understanding Suppliers and Optimising JBPs. This whole program is designed to deliver a foundational and advanced skillset across essential commercial competencies.

What’s In It For You

By joining Ocado Retail, you’ll have the chance to experience life at the world’s largest online retailer, work with an amazing bunch of people who challenge what’s possible each day, and grow your skills and career in online retail. You’ll also be part of our AI Academy, a dedicated learning journey designed to empower every colleague with the smart technology skills of the future.

If that’s not enough to tempt you, you’ll also get access to loads of great benefits to sweeten the deal. Here’s a taste of what we offer:

• Health & Wellbeing: Private medical insurance with option to add your family, Digital GP appointments, market‑leading family policies, mental health support, discounted gym memberships, dental insurance, and more.
• Spend & Save: Annual bonus scheme split between personal and business objectives, recognition with reward platform, up to 7% matched pension contributions, 15% Ocado discount, 20% M&S discount, free breakfast every day in the office, electric vehicle leasing scheme, and free shuttle bus from Hatfield station to the office.
• Never miss the moments that matter: Hybrid working, 26 days holiday plus 8 flexible bank holidays, options to buy extra holiday, 2 weeks work from anywhere, and lifestyle break opportunities.

Our Hiring Process

Lucky for us, we receive a high volume of applications and genuinely appreciate the time and effort invested by every candidate. To ensure a fair and thorough process, every application is reviewed by a member of our team. If your skills and experience are a strong match, a Talent Partner will contact you to discuss the role and guide you through the next steps of our hiring process.

Your Application and AI

In the spirit of innovation, we welcome you to use AI tools in your application, just as we use them in our own business at Ocado Retail. However, as you leverage this technology, please don’t lose sight of the most important element: your unique self. Your experiences, passions, and personality are what truly set you apart. Ensure that your application still authentically conveys who you are and why you’re a great fit for us.

Everyone’s welcome

We’re an equal opportunities employer, which means that we make sure all potential colleagues are treated fairly and equally. We want to ensure everyone has a fair chance to apply; if you need this job description in an alternative format (e.g., larger print, different document type, etc.), please reach out to us at [e-mail] and we’ll be happy to assist you, and if you require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know on the application form.