Overview

Position Title:European Category Lead

Company:KFC

Location:Cardiff, UK

Job Description:

Welcome to Kentucky Fried Chicken. Our world famous chicken restaurant brand all started with one cook, Colonel Harland Sanders, who created a finger lickin’ good recipe more than 75 years ago, a list of secret herbs and spices scratched out on the back of the door to his kitchen. He started travelling by car to different restaurants and cooked his fried chicken on the spot for restaurant owners. He did this at the age of 65. If the owner liked the chicken, they would enter into a handshake agreement to sell the Colonel’s chicken. Legend has it that Colonel Sanders heard 1009 “No’s” before he heard his first yes. The Colonel’s story still inspires us today. It reminds us how grit, perseverance, dedication and ambition along with hard work can create success; regardless of your age or where you come from.

Responsibilities:

  • Lead/support special projects, or contribute to global strategy, as and when required.
  • Define, develop and implement long term category strategy that delivers against the needs of KFC and the Western Europe business units’ priorities
  • Understand internal stakeholder needs and develop an external knowledge of the impact on KFC supply chain.
  • Managing legal, environmental and CSR aspects associated with food and ensure compliance.
  • Lead the development and implementation of strategic and tactical actions as set out in category plans
  • Ownership of the category COS performance, responsible for mitigating annual inflation through category strategy, negotiation and margin improvement projects
  • Own the regional spend smarter and risk management strategy for the category.
  • Prepare and lead negotiations for categories to achieve market AOPs
  • Support local BMU SCM, QA and NPD on supplier issues. Inc. supplier development & crisis management
  • Complete category ownership for nominated categories in conjunction with QA counterpart
  • Effectively communicate project and category updates to the KFC business unit cross functional teams
  • Performance management of suppliers to ensure uninterrupted supply and right first-time quality

Requirements:

  • Proven experience in leading projects and driving cost and supply projects.
  • Candidate must have strong drive for results and have the desire to grow and develop within the organisation.
  • The successful candidate will have proven analytical skills and financial acumen, as well as a methodical approach to problem solving teamed with a drive for results.
  • Strong degree qualification and supply chain, specifically purchasing experience.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills and effective team working as the candidate will need to successfully manage activity within large multifunctional teams.

About KFC

The right way also means serving fresh proper food, packed with flavour. So we’ve worked hard to make nutritional improvements across our menu so our fans have as much choice as possible, and we’ve committed to removing 20% of calories per serving by 2025.

The Colonel also believed in feeding promise, wherever it’s found. So that’s why we invest heavily in the development and careers of our 24,000 employees – we were the first restaurant to launch an honours degree. And since its 2015 launch, our KFC Foundation has paid out grants totalling £3 million to our charity partners who are passionate about develoKFCping and nurturing young people across the country.