[Hiring] Global Category Leader @Yum!

Role Description

The Global Category Leader (Potatoes) will own Yum! Restaurant Services Group's $1.2 bn global potatoes spend, shaping a 3‑5 year roadmap that balances aggregation, standardization and local differentiation. By aligning brands, regional supply chains, finance, FSQA, FIT, sustainability and strategic suppliers, the leader will create resilient, responsible sourcing and deliver measurable economic advantage across the Yum! system.

• Own the global Potatoes category thesis and 3‑5‑year roadmap, translating brand, regional and market insights into aggregation, standardization or local differentiation decisions.
• Align brands, regional supply chain, finance, FSQA, FIT, sustainability and suppliers on specifications, investments and implementation, optimizing product specs for consistency, resilience and scale.
• Develop and execute the global supplier strategy, including segmentation, joint business planning, performance agendas, long‑term agreements and cross‑regional sourcing opportunities.
• Design and manage the global supply‑assurance and capacity plan, identifying multi‑tier risks, setting mitigation priorities and escalation triggers with regions and strategic suppliers.
• Lead the global Potatoes Community of Practice, coaching regional category leaders, sharing best practices and building a pipeline of talent.
• Define the commercial and value‑creation agenda using category economics, cost drivers, commodity exposure and pricing mechanisms; partner with finance to realize measurable outcomes.
• Build forward‑looking market intelligence, integrating supply/demand dynamics, capacity and cost scenarios into strategy and negotiations.
• Orchestrate global‑to‑regional implementation of category priorities, tracking adoption, benefits and barriers while respecting regional sourcing rights.
• Embed responsible sourcing, origin and traceability requirements into roadmaps, supplier selection and strategic partnerships.
• Establish data standards, analytics and digital workflows, leveraging AI and tools to improve market intelligence, sourcing decisions and execution.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Agriculture or related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of supply chain, category management or procurement experience, with proven strategic leadership across multiple markets.
• Deep expertise in food ingredients or commodity categories, preferably potatoes, with $1B+ spend management.
• Demonstrated ability to create multi‑year category strategies and translate them into executable programs and measurable results.
• Strong commercial, financial and analytical acumen; experience with cost modeling, should‑cost analysis and pricing mechanisms.
• Proven track record of strategic supplier relationship management, joint business planning and long‑term agreement negotiations.
• Exceptional influencing skills in a complex global matrix organization, able to align senior stakeholders without direct authority.
• Experience anticipating supply risks, conducting scenario planning and balancing resilience, responsible sourcing and brand requirements.
• Leadership capability to coach and develop regional teams, foster a community of practice and drive digital adoption.
• Proficiency with data analytics, digital sourcing platforms and AI‑enabled tools to enhance decision quality.