Center Parcs UK & Ireland
Senior Category Manager - Food, Beverage & Retail (fixed-term)
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Forest House | Circa £60,200 per annum plus 18% bonus scheme
We're a thriving team passionate about working together to deliver excellence, all in a natural forest environment
Please note this is a fixed-term contract for one year.
Are you a commercially astute procurement professional with a passion for delivering exceptional customer experiences?
We're looking for a Senior Category Manager to lead the development and delivery of category strategies across our diverse Food, Beverage and Retail portfolio. This is a high-impact role where you'll combine strategic thinking, supplier expertise and commercial insight to drive value, innovation and operational excellence across the business.
Working closely with colleagues across Food, Beverage, Retail, Operations, Finance and Sustainability, you'll help ensure our sourcing decisions support business goals while enhancing the guest experience. You'll play a leading role in supplier performance, cost optimisation, risk management and sustainability, delivering tangible benefits for both our business and our guests.
What You'll Be Doing
As our Senior Category Manager, you will:
- Develop and implement category strategies that align with business objectives, customer trends and operational requirements.
- Lead cross-functional planning to optimise product ranges, services, pricing and sourcing approaches.
- Build and manage strong supplier relationships, driving performance, quality, compliance and continuous improvement.
- Lead high-value sourcing initiatives, contract negotiations and tendering activity across Food, Beverage and Retail categories.
- Identify opportunities for cost efficiencies, innovation and risk mitigation through detailed market and spend analysis.
- Collaborate with key stakeholders to ensure procurement strategies support operational priorities, commercial targets and service delivery standards.
- Champion sustainability and ethical sourcing initiatives that support corporate responsibility goals.
- Ensure robust due diligence and best practice throughout the supply chain, maintaining compliance with health, safety, quality and sustainability requirements.
- Coach, mentor and develop Category Managers, strengthening commercial capability and strategic procurement expertise across the team.
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What's In It For You
- Free day passes and access to leisure facilities (including the spa)
- Discounts on breaks and in our shops and restaurants
- Bonus scheme and recognition rewards
- A supportive, friendly team
- Career development and in-role training
Your working hours
Please note this is a fixed-term contract until 29th October 2027
You will be contracted to work 150 hours per 4-week period (37.5 hours per week). Normal working hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. However, dynamic working is available whereby the earliest start time is 7am and the latest finish time is 7pm.
Please note, this role will be hybrid with 2 days in the office and 3 days home-working. This role will also require occasional travel to our villages based in the UK and Ireland and some overnight stays will be required.
About You
- Full UK driving license
- Commercial Acumen. Strong financial and analytical skills with the ability to identify cost saving and margin improvement opportunities
- Negotiation. Skilled at building partnerships and negotiating favourable terms with suppliers
- Substantial experience in category management, procurement or supply chain within hospitality and leisure.
- Proven experience in creating and implementing sourcing and category management strategies
- Strong understanding of food, beverage, retail operations and vendor landscapes.
- Experience in contract management, negotiation, cost analysis and supplier performance management
- Ability to build and maintain good relationships both internally and externally.
- Attention to detail. Critical in product specification, pricing and contract terms.
- Adaptability. Comfortable in a fast-paced environment and responsive to changing consumer and industry trends.
- Strategic Thinking. Vision to shape long-term category strategies aligned with business goals.
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Our values
Each colleague at Center Parcs is involved in building better worlds for our guests, colleagues, communities and our environment. Contributing to our purpose means living out our values: We care, we're brave, we're determined and we're naturally us.
Sound like your kind of job?
Apply online today – interviews will be held week commencing 17th August 2026
Closing date: 11th August 2026 #INPLOIv2
Please note this vacancy may close at any time once sufficient applications have been received. Early submission of your application is therefore encouraged.
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At Center Parcs, everyone's welcome.
We recognise that we're all at our best when we're being ourselves. We are committed to building a culture that champions diversity, equity and inclusion, where everyone is treated fairly and with respect. We welcome people from all backgrounds and want them to feel valued for their individuality, thrive in our business and share a sense of belonging. We place a lot of value on recruiting based on behaviours rather than prioritising qualifications or experience.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, please let us know if you require any support or reasonable adjustments during the application or interview process.
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