Procurement Category Manager - F&B, Retail and OPEX

What you'll bring to the team

Procurement Category Manager - F&B, Retail and OPEX

Location: London/Hybrid

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

Salary: £65,000

Help shape the future of fun at Merlin Entertainments by leading procurement across F&B, Retail and OPEX. You'll develop smart category strategies that deliver commercial value, drive innovation, strengthen supplier partnerships, and support our global business goals.

Working closely with teams across the business, you'll act as a trusted advisor, ensuring procurement plays a key role in delivering Merlin's transformation and growth ambitions.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and deliver global category strategies aligned to Merlin’s business objectives.
• Build sourcing roadmaps that drive value, innovation and operational excellence.
• Identify opportunities to optimise spend, improve services and consolidate suppliers.
• Lead procurement transformation initiatives, embedding best-practice processes and governance.
• Drive adoption of procurement tools, analytics and category management frameworks.
• Lead complex sourcing projects, supplier negotiations and contract management activities.
• Deliver measurable cost savings, commercial benefits and value creation across the category.
• Build strategic supplier partnerships that foster performance, innovation and continuous improvement.
• Manage supplier risk and ensure compliance with governance, cybersecurity and data protection standards.
• Act as a trusted commercial partner, working closely with stakeholders across Finance, Legal, Risk and Operations.

Qualifications & Experience

• Specialised procurement experience in either F&B, Retail or Operating expenses categories within a complex global organization.
• Strong experience developing and implementing category strategies from the ground up.
• Demonstrated success delivering procurement transformation or maturity improvements.
• Strong commercial negotiation and contract management skills.
• Experience managing strategic supplier relationships with global technology vendors.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills at all levels within a large complex organisation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Studying towards or holds MCIPS, CIPS or equivalent procurement qualification.

Benefits

• ‘Enjoy the Ride’ Merlin Annual Passes - 6 in total per year, 1 for you, plus 5 to gift to loved ones!
• Merlin Magic Pass - 20 free tickets for you, your family and friends to enjoy all our Merlin Attractions across the world rising to 40 after a year’s service
• 33 days holiday (including bank holidays)
• Company bonus
• Private pension scheme
• 40% discount online off LEGO
• 25% discount in our on-site retail shops and restaurants
• Ongoing training and development opportunities
• Plus, many more…

If you have any questions or if you require any assistance, because of a disability or medical condition, please contact us by email at [email protected] and one of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.

Pay Range

Competitive