Managing Director – Guardian Procurement Care
Foodbuy Group UK
Location: Chertsey / London (hybrid)
About Foodbuy Group
Foodbuy Group is the UK’s leading food procurement organisation, managing over £2bn of spend across foodservice and hospitality. Part of Compass Group UK & Ireland, a FTSE 100 business, Foodbuy works with a diverse client base to deliver expert procurement, commercial insight and responsible growth across food and non-food categories.
Guardian Procurement Care is Foodbuy Group’s Health and Care procurement solution, managing over £400m of spend and bringing together the NHS Supply Chain: Food team, the EF-Group GPO and major Care sector clients.
The Role
We are seeking a visionary and commercially astute Managing Director – Guardian Procurement Care to provide strategic leadership across a critical portfolio within Foodbuy Group’s health and care procurement offer.
Reporting to the COO of Foodbuy Group, you will have full accountability for the performance, growth and long-term direction of Guardian Procurement Care, including the NHS Supply Chain: Food contract, the EF-Group GPO and a number of high-profile health sector accounts. This is a newly created role, offering the opportunity to shape strategy, build capability and drive meaningful impact at scale.
With responsibility for a significant P&L and c.£450m of managed spend, you will balance strategic leadership with operational excellence, ensuring services consistently deliver value for clients while supporting Foodbuy Group’s broader commercial and organisational objectives.
Key Responsibilities
*Set and lead the long-term strategy for Guardian Procurement Care, aligned to market opportunities and organisational goals
*Hold full P&L accountability, ensuring strong financial governance, commercial sustainability and delivery of revenue and margin targets
*Lead the NHS Supply Chain: Food contract, driving compliance, innovation and high-performance service delivery
*Shape and grow the EF-Group GPO proposition, strengthening supplier relationships and maximising value for members
*Act as executive sponsor for key client accounts, leading senior-level engagement and long-term partnerships
*Build and develop a high-performing leadership team, fostering a culture of accountability, empowerment and continuous improvement
*Oversee financial planning, forecasting, investment decisions and risk management
*Champion operational excellence, digital innovation and scalable processes to support sustainable growth
*Represent the business at industry, client and regulatory forums, enhancing Foodbuy Group’s profile and influence
About You
You will be an experienced senior leader with a strong track record in healthcare, care, supply chain or related sectors. You will bring:
*Proven experience operating at executive or MD level, leading complex, multi-stakeholder businesses
*Deep understanding of NHS Supply Chain operations and major GPO frameworks
*Strong commercial acumen with experience managing large P&Ls and high-value client contracts
*The ability to think strategically while driving operational excellence
*A collaborative leadership style, with the credibility to influence at the most senior levels
*A track record of delivering growth, innovation and organisational improvement
Why Join Foodbuy Group?
This is a rare opportunity to step into a high-impact leadership role within a FTSE 100 organisation, shaping the future of health and care procurement at scale and delivering tangible value across some of the UK’s most critical public sector services.
#Reed