Commercial Manager - Fresh Food Categories

Majid Al Futtaim; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 290,000 - 424,000; Full time

Job summary

Majid Al Futtaim in Riyadh is seeking a Commercial Manager for Fresh Food Categories to lead category strategy across Produce, Bakery, Delicatessen, Meat, Poultry, Seafood, and Dairy. You will manage supplier relationships, optimize assortments, control waste and shrinkage, and drive availability in Saudi retail networks.

The ideal candidate has 5–7 years in fresh food commercial management, strong Excel skills, and proven ability to translate data into actionable category plans and profitable

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and 5–7 years in fresh food commercial roles.
• Strong knowledge of fresh food sourcing, perishability, and supplier management.
• Experience negotiating supplier agreements and interpreting sales data.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute commercial strategies for fresh food categories.
• Set category priorities to drive sales and margins.
• Manage assortment planning and range reviews per demand and store profiles.
• Establish pricing strategies balancing competitiveness and margin.
• Build promotional calendars and seasonal trading plans.
• Lead supplier negotiations covering pricing and agreements.
• Monitor sales, margin, stock, waste and shrinkage.
• Coordinate with Supply Chain and Quality for on-time, compliant product flow.

Skills

Fresh food category management

Merchandise planning and buying

Produce category management

Bakery category management

Delicatessen category management

Meat category management

Poultry category management

Seafood category management

Dairy category management

Local supplier management

International supplier management

Commercial negotiations

Annual supplier agreements

Promotional funding

Assortment planning

Range optimization

Retail pricing strategy

Promotional planning

Seasonal category planning

Gross margin management

Sales performance analysis

Waste reduction

Shrinkage control

Inventory turnover

Stock availability

Product quality management

Food safety compliance

Supplier performance management

Market trend analysis

Consumer behavior analysis

Competitor analysis

Microsoft Excel

Cross-functional coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Commerce, Food Science, Supply Chain, or related discipline

Job description

Commercial Manager - Fresh Food Categories Job Snapshot

Role: Commercial Manager - Fresh Food Categories Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Industry: Retail Function: Merchandise Planning and Buying Experience: 5-7 years Job Type: Full-time Position Overview Commercial Manager - Fresh Food Categories in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is a Retail hiring opportunity focused on driving sales, profitability, freshness, product quality, supplier performance, and category growth across Produce, Bakery, Delicatessen, Meat, Poultry, Seafood, and Dairy. Majid Al Futtaim is seeking an experienced fresh food commercial professional who can lead category strategy, manage local and international suppliers, optimize assortments, control waste and shrinkage, and deliver strong availability across its Saudi retail operations.

Job Details Country: Saudi Arabia City: Riyadh Industry: Retail Function: Merchandise Planning and Buying Salary: 26000-38000 Estimated salary range based on similar jobs in the job city; please confirm the final offer with the employer. Gender: Any Candidate Nationality: Any Job Type: Full-time

Role Context The Commercial Manager - Fresh Food Categories is responsible for balancing customer demand, product quality, availability, margin, and waste across some of the most operationally sensitive categories in Retail. The role requires close coordination between commercial planning, sourcing, supply chain, quality, operations, and stores to ensure fresh products reach customers at the right quality, price, and availability level. Strong commercial decisions in this position directly influence sales growth, gross margin, inventory turnover, shrink control, supplier performance, and customer confidence in the fresh food offer.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute commercial strategies for Produce, Bakery, Delicatessen, Meat, Poultry, Seafood, Dairy, and other assigned fresh food categories.
• Set category priorities that support sales growth, gross margin improvement, customer satisfaction, and long-term commercial performance.
• Manage assortment planning and range reviews according to customer demand, seasonality, store profiles, and market developments.
• Establish pricing strategies that balance competitiveness, product quality, freshness, and required margin levels.
• Build promotional calendars and seasonal trading plans for key fresh food periods and customer occasions.
• Lead negotiations with local and international suppliers covering pricing, annual agreements, commercial terms, investment plans, and promotional funding.
• Develop strategic supplier relationships that strengthen product quality, sourcing reliability, availability, and cost efficiency.
• Monitor category sales, gross margin, stock levels, inventory turnover, availability, waste, and shrinkage.
• Identify underperforming products or categories and implement corrective commercial actions based on performance data.
• Work with Supply Chain and replenishment teams to maintain reliable product flow while limiting overstock and freshness-related losses.
• Coordinate with Quality teams to ensure fresh products meet food safety, regulatory, specification, and quality requirements.
• Partner with Store Operations to strengthen merchandising execution, stock rotation, freshness standards, and category presentation.
• Analyze customer behavior, market trends, emerging food preferences, competitor activity, and new product opportunities.
• Identify opportunities to introduce new products, sourcing models, suppliers, seasonal ranges, and category concepts.
• Use sales and profitability reports to support fact-based buying, pricing, promotion, and assortment decisions.
• Track supplier performance and address issues involving service levels, quality, availability, cost, or contractual compliance.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives that enhance category productivity, customer experience, and commercial returns.

Ideal Profile

The preferred candidate should hold a bachelor 's degree in Business Administration, Commerce, Food Science, Supply Chain, or a related discipline. A minimum of 5-7 years of relevant experience is required in Fresh Food commercial management, category management, buying, merchandising, or comparable functions within supermarkets, hypermarkets, large retailers, FMCG businesses, or similar food retail environments. Candidates should have strong knowledge of fresh food sourcing, seasonality, perishability, supplier management, pricing, promotions, product quality, food safety, inventory turnover, and waste control. Proven experience negotiating with suppliers and managing commercial agreements is essential. The position also requires the ability to interpret sales, gross margin, stock, waste, shrinkage, and profitability data and convert findings into clear category actions. Strong stakeholder management, leadership, commercial judgment, communication skills, and advanced Microsoft Excel capability are important for success.

Skills Set

• Fresh food category management
• Merchandise planning and buying
• Produce category management
• Bakery category management
• Delicatessen category management
• Meat category management
• Poultry category management
• Seafood category management
• Dairy category management
• Fresh food sourcing
• Local supplier management
• International supplier management
• Commercial negotiations
• Annual supplier agreements
• Supplier investment planning
• Promotional funding
• Assortment planning
• Range optimization
• Retail pricing strategy
• Promotional planning
• Seasonal category planning
• Gross margin management
• Sales performance analysis
• Waste reduction
• Shrinkage control
• Inventory turnover
• Stock availability
• Product quality management
• Food safety compliance
• Supplier performance management
• Market trend analysis
• Consumer behavior analysis
• Competitor analysis
• Microsoft Excel
• Cross-functional coordination

Why Join Us

Fresh food is one of the most commercially important and operationally complex areas of modern Retail, where customer trust depends on consistent quality, freshness, availability, and value. This role offers significant ownership of category performance and direct involvement in sourcing, supplier negotiations, product innovation, pricing, promotions, and operational execution. Majid Al Futtaim provides experienced fresh food professionals with the opportunity to influence high-volume retail categories, work across international and local supply networks, and contribute to continued growth within Saudi Arabia 's expanding grocery market.

About the Company

Majid Al Futtaim is a leading regional group operating across retail, properties, communities, and leisure. Its retail business manages large-scale grocery operations across Middle Eastern markets, supported by extensive sourcing, merchandising, supply chain, quality, and store networks that create strong opportunities for experienced commercial professionals in Saudi Arabia.