Company Shop Group
Head of Buying Chilled & Frozen
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Head of Buying – Chilled & Frozen Category
At Company Shop Group, we're passionate about unlocking the value in surplus and creating sustainable solutions that benefit our partners, communities, and the environment. We’re seeking an experienced Head of Buying to lead our Chilled & Frozen category and drive our ambitious growth plans.
This is a high-impact leadership role responsible for shaping sourcing strategy, category performance, and supplier partnerships—ensuring surplus remains our primary route to market. If you’re a commercially driven leader with expertise in the chilled sector and passion for relationship-building, we’d love to hear from you.
About Us
Company Shop Group (part of Biffa Waste) is the largest commercial redistributor of surplus food and household products in the UK. We enable leading retailers, manufacturers, food-service providers, and logistics companies to extract valuable assets from stock that would otherwise go to waste—through our Company Shop stores and our award-winning Community Shop social enterprise.
Our work supports confident communities and delivers sustainable social and environmental impact, while building a company recognised as a good business doing good.
About the Role
As Head of Buying – Chilled & Frozen, you’ll report to the senior commercial leadership team, taking ownership of one of our most strategically critical categories. Your role will include:
- Developing and executing sourcing strategies to maximise surplus opportunities, drive sustainable growth, and align with long-term business success.
- Leading a team of commercial professionals to build strategic supplier relationships, innovate commercial solutions, and convert traditional buying models into sustainable agreements.
- Boosting category performance in sales, margins, and profitability by making data-backed, commercially sound decisions.
- Ensuring operational efficiency through effective pricing, stock management, waste reduction, and markdown optimisation.
- Collaborating across departments to deliver aligned category plans that support the Group’s growth objectives.
- Exploring new surplus sources to unlock additional commercial value from manufacturing environments.
- Visiting stores and Operations to understand business challenges, improve KPIs, and foster cross-functional alignment.
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The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of surplus generation within manufactured environments and the ability to leverage sector networks, expertise, and creativity to drive profitability and purpose.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Strategy & sourcing: Developing and implementing sourcing strategies that maximise surplus opportunities while driving business growth.
- Supplier partnerships: Building and maintaining commercial relationships with leading suppliers across the chilled and frozen sectors.
- Translating surplus into profit: Converting traditional purchasing models into commercially viable surplus agreements.
- Performance delivery: Increasing sales, margins, and profitability through shepherding pricing, stock efficiency, markdowns, and waste reduction.
- Category alignment: Transitioning category plans into measurable business outcomes that drive long-term growth.
- Collaborative execution: Working closely with internal stakeholders to implement and refine commercial strategies.
- People leadership: Leading, coaching, and inspiring a high-performing team.
- On-the-ground insights: Visiting stores and operations to diagnose challenges and align strategies on sales, margin, and operational performance.
What We’re Looking For
We’re looking for a commercially astute leader with a track record of driving results in fast-paced, impactful environments. Here’s what you’ll bring to the role:
- Sector expertise: Significant experience in Chilled category, with Frozen sector exposure an advantage (not essential).
- Industry background: Proven experience in buying, procurement, or food manufacturing environments.
- Surplus savvy: Deep knowledge of how surplus is generated within manufacturing and commercial environments, with solutions to unlock value.
- Supplier network: Well-established relationships with key figures in the chilled food sector.
- Team leadership: Proven ability to lead commercial, category management, buying, or trading teams.
- Leadership skills: Motivational and inspiring leadership with a track record of fostering growth and performance in teams.
- Commercial acumen: Strong analytical capability to make confident, data-driven commercial decisions.
- Relationship-building: Excellent stakeholder and client relationship skills with a client-focused outlook.
- Balanced focus: Ability to balance strategic thinking without losing touch with operational execution.
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What’s In It for You?
Competitive Compensation & Location
- Location: Barnsley, UK (Company Shop Head Office)
- Hours: Monday–Friday, 08:30 am–5:00 pm
- Hybrid Role: Minimum 3 days onsite, 2 days homebased
Career Growth & Impact
- Shape a strategically critical category with direct influence over the organisation’s growth
- Work with some of the UK’s most influential food manufacturers and suppliers
- Help create measurable sustainable and social impact—making a real difference
At Company Shop, We Value Your Wellbeing
- Comprehensive pension scheme plus an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for mental wellbeing
- Access to free fruit (Fruit Fridays), onsite café access, unlimited tea and coffee
- Comprehensive benefits:
- Flu injections, free on-site parking
- High street and leisure vouchers
- Free Company Shop membership + 10 associate memberships, plus eligibility for Costco membership and support through the Cycle 2 Work scheme
Cultural Enrichment & Extravagances
- Notable rewards: Stock options and off-site vouchers
- Employee highlights: Free access to staff exclusives (e.g., grocery benefits) and an active, inclusive culture
Why Join Us?
You’ll thrive in an environment where your skills are respected, your input shapes brighter outcomes, and every day brings tangible results. Success demands attention to detail, teamwork, and organisation—and a shared drive to make good business sustainable and impactful.
We’re more than just a workplace—we’re a growing team where growth opportunities align with growth values.
Interested? If this role excites you, apply today! Your contribution could help unlock potential for people, business, and the planet.
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