Direct Procurement Manager

SUMMARY:
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.

POSITION INFO:
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.