Direct Procurement Manager

Description:

Our client, a fast-growing restaurant group with operations across Africa, is seeking an experienced and forward-thinking Direct Procurement Manager to join their Management Committee (MANCO). This senior leadership role is pivotal to driving end-to-end procurement strategy, enhancing supplier collaboration, and ensuring the business achieves best-in-class category management for ingredients and production inputs. Reporting to the Group Executive, the Direct Procurement Manager will play a critical role in aligning procurement activities with the group’s broader commercial, quality, and innovation goals.

The ideal candidate will bring deep functional expertise in direct sourcing, strong commercial acumen, and a proven ability to lead cross-functional stakeholder collaboration across multiple countries and business units.

Key Responsibilities:

• Define and execute a long-term category strategy for direct materials (ingredients, packaging, co-manufacturing), aligned to growth, innovation, and margin improvement targets.
• Lead cross-functional alignment with global and regional stakeholders across FSQA, Marketing, Operations, R&D, and Finance to ensure procurement strategies are fully integrated into product development and operational plans.
• Oversee indirect reporting of regional procurement/category managers to ensure consistent execution and governance of sourcing practices across Africa.
• Identify and cultivate strategic supplier partnerships that enable long-term value creation, innovation support, and resilience across the supply chain.
• Lead supplier performance evaluation and development, implementing KPI frameworks to drive quality, delivery reliability, cost competitiveness, and service excellence.
• Partner with quality and technical teams to embed food safety and quality standards into all procurement activities.
• Embed responsible sourcing practices and ESG considerations into procurement decisions, with a focus on ethical sourcing, traceability, and sustainability of raw materials.
• Develop robust commodity cost modelling tools and supplier negotiation strategies to mitigate input cost volatility and reduce total cost of ownership.
• Actively manage risk across the category supply base, ensuring adequate contingency planning, dual sourcing, and business continuity preparedness.
• Support innovation pipelines by ensuring procurement is an enabler of speed-to-market, supplier readiness, and production scalability.
• Drive procurement digitization and optimization by leveraging sourcing tools, supplier portals, and ERP systems for process efficiency and visibility.
• Contribute to the broader supply chain transformation agenda by leading initiatives that improve cost, service, and working capital performance.

Ideal Candidate Profile:

• 8–10 years of experience in procurement or supply chain, with at least 5 years in direct category management in food, FMCG, or manufacturing sectors.
• Demonstrated success in sourcing ingredients, packaging materials, or managing co-manufacturing partnerships.
• Strong experience in regional or global sourcing environments, ideally within multinational franchise or matrix structures.
• Deep understanding of cost modelling, commodity trends, supplier development, and strategic sourcing methodologies.
• Exceptional ability to influence and collaborate across functional teams including QA, Marketing, Finance, R&D, and Operations.
• Skilled in supplier relationship management and contract negotiation, with a focus on long-term value and innovation.
• Proficiency in managing supplier compliance to food safety and regulatory requirements.
• Experience embedding ESG principles into procurement and supplier frameworks.

Qualifications (Non-Negotiable):

• Completed Bachelor’s Degree in Procurement , Supply Chain , Engineering , Food Technology , or Business .
• Professional certifications such as CIPS or APICS are advantageous.
• Working knowledge of ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle) and procurement tools (e.g., Coupa) is preferred.

How to Apply
If you’re ready to be part of an innovative team in the e-commerce space, apply directly or contact Pabalelo Morena . For more information or to explore additional roles, visit our website.

Please Note
If you do not receive feedback within two weeks, your application may not have been successful. However, your profile will be kept in our database for future opportunities.

Requirements:

• Define and execute a long-term category strategy for direct materials (ingredients, packaging, co-manufacturing), aligned to growth, innovation, and margin improvement targets.
• Lead cross-functional alignment with global and regional stakeholders across FSQA, Marketing, Operations, R&D, and Finance to ensure procurement strategies are fully integrated into product development and operational plans.
• Oversee indirect reporting of regional procurement/category managers to ensure consistent execution and governance of sourcing practices across Africa.
• Identify and cultivate strategic supplier partnerships that enable long-term value creation, innovation support, and resilience across the supply chain.
• Lead supplier performance evaluation and development, implementing KPI frameworks to drive quality, delivery reliability, cost competitiveness, and service excellence.
• Partner with quality and technical teams to embed food safety and quality standards into all procurement activities.
• Embed responsible sourcing practices and ESG considerations into procurement decisions, with a focus on ethical sourcing, traceability, and sustainability of raw materials.
• Develop robust commodity cost modelling tools and supplier negotiation strategies to mitigate input cost volatility and reduce total cost of ownership.
• Actively manage risk across the category supply base, ensuring adequate contingency planning, dual sourcing, and business continuity preparedness.
• Support innovation pipelines by ensuring procurement is an enabler of speed-to-market, supplier readiness, and production scalability.
• Drive procurement digitization and optimization by leveraging sourcing tools, supplier portals, and ERP systems for process efficiency and visibility.
• Contribute to the broader supply chain transformation agenda by leading initiatives that improve cost, service, and working capital performance.

• 8–10 years of experience in procurement or supply chain, with at least 5 years in direct category management in food, FMCG, or manufacturing sectors.
• Demonstrated success in sourcing ingredients, packaging materials, or managing co-manufacturing partnerships.
• Strong experience in regional or global sourcing environments, ideally within multinational franchise or matrix structures.
• Deep understanding of cost modelling, commodity trends, supplier development, and strategic sourcing methodologies.
• Exceptional ability to influence and collaborate across functional teams including QA, Marketing, Finance, R&D, and Operations.
• Skilled in supplier relationship management and contract negotiation, with a focus on long-term value and innovation.
• Proficiency in managing supplier compliance to food safety and regulatory requirements.
• Experience embedding ESG principles into procurement and supplier frameworks.

• Completed Bachelor’s Degree in Procurement , Supply Chain , Engineering , Food Technology , or Business .
• Professional certifications such as CIPS or APICS are advantageous.
• Working knowledge of ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle) and procurement tools (e.g., Coupa) is preferred.