Overview
Salary: Up to £65,000 per annum + great benefits
Shift hours: Full Time
Strategic Partnership Manager – Foodbuy Group, London / Chertsey + UK travel (Flexible hybrid working) | Full-Time / Permanent
Up to £65,000 + bonus and excellent benefits including healthcare, wellbeing support, 27 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays, life insurance and more.
We’re looking for a confident Strategic Partnership Manager to join the Foodbuy Group team – a market-leading food procurement business backed by Compass Group, the world’s largest contract caterer.
As our Strategic Partnership Manager, you’ll play a key role in driving the growth and retention of Foodbuy’s strategic Group Purchasing Organisation (GPO) business. Combining tender and bid leadership with strategic relationship management, you’ll lead major new business and retention opportunities, strengthen client partnerships, drive effective account governance and identify opportunities for growth. Working closely with clients, Account Managers and wider teams, you’ll help secure new business, develop existing relationships and deliver long-term value for both our clients and Foodbuy.
About Foodbuy
With over £2.5bn of managed spend, Foodbuy Group help all kinds of businesses find the right products and have significant experience and relationships within our core channels; healthcare, leisure, travel, hospitality, and education.
We work closely with our clients to deliver expert procurement services saving them both time and money and enabling them to focus on what really matters to their businesses.
We’re a young company with old roots. Proudly part of leading food and support services provider Compass Group UK&I, a FTSE100 company, who are our parent company and largest client.
Strategic Partnership Manager – The role
- Lead high-value new business and retention tenders from kick-off through to successful submission and presentation.
- Own tender plans, deadlines, compliance and coordination of cross-functional teams to deliver compelling, winning bids
- Work with the Strategic Partnership Director to develop winning strategies, client value propositions and competitive positioning.
- Oversee commercial inputs, approvals and bid governance, ensuring quality, accuracy and timely delivery.
- Drive consistent strategic account governance across Foodbuy’s Top 20 Strategic Accounts, working closely with Account Managers.
- Lead and support client QBRs, strategic reviews and key stakeholder engagement to strengthen partnerships.
- Identify procurement, cross-selling and growth opportunities, maximising value for clients and Foodbuy.
- Proactively manage retention plans, identify relationship risks and protect key client partnerships.
- Coach and support Account Managers to enhance account management standards and strategic client conversations.
- Champion best practice, continuous improvement and effective reporting across tender, retention and strategic account activity.
What we’re looking for
- Proven experience in bid/tender management, strategic account management, or a role combining both disciplines.
- Strong project management capability with experience managing multiple workstreams and competing deadlines.
- Experience coordinating and influencing senior cross-functional stakeholders without direct authority.
- Strong commercial understanding and confidence contributing to commercial discussions and decision-making.
- Credible client-facing experience, including senior stakeholder meetings, reviews and strategic conversations.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with strong attention to detail.
- Ability to move comfortably between detailed project delivery and strategic client thinking.
- Proactive, organised and collaborative, with a continuous improvement mindset.
What you’ll get in return
- Competitive salary with bonus and full company benefits
- 27 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays, your birthday off, and a holiday purchase scheme
- Healthcare & wellbeing: Aviva Digicare, Medicash (dental, optical, therapy treatments)
- Mental health support: 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
- Family benefits: Enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption leave. 2 days’ additional leave after returning from maternity leave, day off for your baby’s first birthday, enhanced family leave
- Perks & discounts: Shopping, entertainment, and travel discounts, 20% off Nuffield Health and 10% off PureGym memberships
- Financial wellbeing: Pension scheme, Life Assurance, preferred rates on salary finance products
- Development opportunities: Professional subscriptions, ongoing training and structured career pathways
Foodbuy Group is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive.
Reference: com/1011/386600/52845119/SU
Location: London
IMPORTANT: Before applying for this role, please make sure you have the right to work in the country where the role is based. Unless it clearly stipulates within in the job advert above that the hiring company is looking to or able to sponsor applicants it is deemed that the hiring employer will only consider applications from those able to comply with and work in the country where the role is based.
