Role Overview:
The Category Manager is responsible for leading the commercial strategy, sourcing, and development of the Fresh category across the Bidfresh group. Reporting to the Buying Director, this role focuses on building profitable, sustainable business growth through strategic buying, supplier partnerships, and category development. The role combines strong commercial acumen with deep market knowledge, ensuring competitive supply, excellent product quality, and continuous innovation.
Key Responsibilities
Category & Business Development:
- Own and deliver the category strategy for Fresh Salmon, Seabass, Haddock, Cod, Hake and many other species, driving sales growth, margin, and market share.
- Identify and develop new business opportunities, products, and routes to market, including foreign travel as required.
- Analyse market trends, pricing, and customer demand to inform commercial decisions
Buying & Supplier Management:
- Lead commercial negotiations, contracts, and pricing structures
- Build long-term strategic supplier relationships focused on quality, sustainability, and cost efficiency.
- Manage seasonal supply challenges and mitigate risk through effective planning
Commercial Performance:
- Deliver agreed sales, margin, availability, volume and range increase targets.
- Monitor KPIs including waste, yield, forecast accuracy, and service levels
- Work closely with supply chain and operations to optimise freshness and stock flow
Quality, Compliance & Sustainability:
- Ensure compliance with food safety, traceability, and regulatory requirements
- Support responsible sourcing and sustainability initiatives (e.g. ASC, MSC, MCS)
- Resolve quality or supply issues quickly and effectively
Cross-Functional Collaboration:
- Partner with sales, technical, logistics, and marketing teams
- Support customer-facing teams with market insight and product expertise
- Coach and mentor junior team member where applicable
Skills & Experience
Essential:
- Proven experience as a Category Manager or Senior Buyer within Fresh Seafood
- Strong knowledge of Fresh Salmon, Fresh Haddock and Fresh Seabass markets, preference would be to bring extensive knowledge of several species.
- Demonstrated success in building and developing profitable categories
- Strong commercial, analytical, and negotiation skills
- People management skills.
Desirable:
- Experience across foodservice, Production and/or wholesale channels
- Knowledge of global seafood supply chains and sustainability standards
Personal Attributes
- Commercially driven and results-focused
- Strong relationship builder
- Adaptable in a fast-moving fresh food environment
The Bidfresh journey
We’re Bidfresh. A fast growing team of fresh food experts in a collection of regional businesses across the UK. We’re a big business with big ambitions. We succeed by focusing on the detail. By going the extra mile to find the best products. By building relationships with our partners. And by going further to support our teams to develop and grow. Our work is full of excitement, care and a big sense of achievement. And our ‘Fresh’ values guide the way. Make our journey, your journey, and take your first small steps towards a big career adventure.
Rewards and benefits
We’ve created a benefits package that is designed to support you and reward your hard work. Every employee (subject to completion of probation) is automatically entitled to:
- Discounts: Save on Bidfresh products, high street shopping, travel, and cinema tickets
- Free parking: Free parking at our sites
- Health care cash plan: Access to a health care cash plan
- Confidential support and counselling: Access to free confidential support and counselling
- Pension scheme: Access to a pension scheme
- A minimum of 30 days holiday entitlement
