Senior Buyer – Ready Meals, Pizza
Ocado Retail
Posted: 10/20/2026
Senior Buyer
Costain Group PLC
Posted: 10/7/2026Senior Buyer – Ready Meals, Pizza
Ocado RetailCore Competencies
Role fitCore Competencies
Use this summary to align your resume positioning with the role.
Demonstrates expertise in retail buying, category management, and supplier negotiations, with a strong focus on delivering commercial results and managing complex supplier relationships. Proven ability to lead teams, shape strategy, and analyze data to drive performance improvements.
Highest-signal resume keywords
Retail Buying ExperienceExceptional Negotiation ExpertiseLeadership CapabilityComplex Data AnalysisProject Management
About the role
Key responsibilities & impact- Own the Ready Meals and Pizza category within the Chilled Prepared Foods commercial buying team
- Manage category P&L and deliver all KPIs
- Identify customer penetration opportunities and improve all-in margin through supplier negotiations and savings
- Plan and execute trade, promotions, and events
- Ensure zero GSCOP breaches, document agreements, and report complaints to Legal within 48 hours
- Follow the Business Code of Conduct with integrity and due diligence
- Develop category strategy with the Trading Manager/Buying Director
- Execute category reviews and refine the product range
- Identify, analyse, and source first-to-market and Ocado-exclusive innovations
- Support two Buyers with range and strategy reviews
- Lead complex negotiations and deliver Joint Business Plans
- Manage and review complex supplier-base performance and relationships
- Collaborate with merchandise planning and suppliers to ensure product availability
- Create mitigation plans for supply risks and events
- Ensure product quality meets Ocado requirements
- Manage one Buyer and coach Category Assistants
- Analyse performance issues and opportunities using reporting tools
- Devise and implement effective solutions
Requirements
What you’ll need- Significant retail buying experience with a demonstrated track record of delivering breakthrough commercial results
- Exceptional negotiation expertise for strategic, high-value, and business-critical supplier agreements
- Proven leadership capability with experience in managing/mentoring
- Exceptional influencing and executive stakeholder management skills
- Ability to shape strategy at senior, cross-functional, and leadership levels
- Expertise in complex data analysis and synthesizing diverse data sets
- Proven project management capability for complex, long-term, business-wide initiatives
- Passion for food
- Ability to work 40 hours per week
- Ability to work in the Hatfield hybrid arrangement, with 3 days in the office
Benefits
Comp & perks- Private medical insurance with option to add family
- Digital GP appointments
- Market-leading family policies
- Mental health support
- Discounted gym memberships
- Dental insurance
- Annual bonus scheme split between personal and business objectives
- Recognition with reward platform
- Up to 7% matched pension contributions
- 15% Ocado discount
- 20% M&S discount
- Free breakfast every day in the office
- Electric vehicle leasing scheme
- Free shuttle bus from Hatfield station to the office
- Hybrid working
- 26 days holiday plus 8 flexible bank holidays
- Options to buy extra holiday
- 2 weeks work from anywhere
- Lifestyle break opportunities
- Commercial Academy development program
- External advanced training, including Negotiation, Understanding Suppliers, and Optimising JBPs
- AI Academy learning journey
ATS Keywords
✓ Tailor your resumeApplicant Tracking System Keywords
Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.
Hard Skills
Category ManagementP&L ManagementSupplier NegotiationData AnalysisPerformance Analysis
Soft Skills
Influencing SkillsStakeholder ManagementCoachingCollaboration
Tools & Technologies
Reporting Tools
Industry Keywords
Chilled Prepared FoodsGSCOP ComplianceTrade PromotionsJoint Business PlansProduct Quality