Head of Trading – Food
Are you a commercially driven food buyer with a passion for category leadership and delivering results through strategy, innovation, and partnerships?
My client is one of Ireland's most respected food retailers with a legacy of brand excellence and a people-first culture. They are now seeking a Head of Buying – Food to lead category strategy, drive commercial planning, and deliver market-leading product offers across own brand and branded ranges. This role is pivotal to shaping long-term revenue, value, and margin growth across a diverse food portfolio.
Package
1. Generous Salary doe
2. Bonus
3. Pension
4. Life assurance
5. Hybrid / Agile working
6. Flexible working hours
The responsibilities of a Head of Trading – Food include:
7. Develop and execute long-term category strategies aligned with business objectives across revenue, margin, quality, and market share
8. Create and lead annual buying plans, setting targets and budgets across your food category portfolio
9. Lead the commercial planning process, overseeing the development of own brand and branded ranges that reflect customer needs and brand positioning
10. Ensure consistency and profitability across all category decisions
11. Implement structured, repeatable processes and frameworks to drive high-quality commercial outcomes
12. Support delivery of group-wide commercial programmes through cross-functional collaboration
13. Build strong long-term partnerships through joint business planning and strategic supplier relationships
14. Engage with retail partners through store visits, forums, and advisory councils to gather insight and build alignment
15. Manage and develop a high-performing category team, ensuring capability, resources and support are in place to achieve targets
Requirements for the Head of Trading – Food include:
16. 3+ years in a Senior Buying or trading role within FMCG, retail, or wholesale, with a proven record of category growth and commercial delivery
17. Demonstrated experience leading commercial teams and managing multiple commercial projects
18. Extensive supplier negotiation expertise and excellent stakeholder engagement skills
19. Commercially strategic with strong analytical thinking and planning ability
20. Highly organised, deadline-driven and numerate with the ability to translate data into actionable insights
Aoife Clarke is handling the recruitment for this role in complete confidentiality. Please upload your CV below and she will be in touch should you have the correct experience for the position.