Category Manager

Confidential; Madrid; On-site; EUR 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Confidential is seeking an experienced Category Manager to join our international procurement team. You will define and deliver category strategies, understand business needs and market dynamics, and lead sourcing from supplier selection to performance management.

The role focuses on spend analysis, opportunity identification, and developing sourcing strategies that create value, optimise costs and ensure continuity of service.

Qualifications

• Experience in category management and negotiations.
• Knowledge of ERP systems and procurement platforms.
• English proficiency is valued.

Responsibilities

• Define and implement category strategies, establishing priorities, objectives and action plans.
• Analyse spend and market developments to identify opportunities for cost optimisation, efficiency and value creation.
• Develop an understanding of supplier markets, identifying new sourcing opportunities, market trends and risks.
• Lead tendering and sourcing processes, including RFPs/RFQs, proposal evaluation and supplier selection.
• Lead strategic negotiations with national and international suppliers, balancing cost, quality, service and risk.
• Manage and develop supplier relationships, monitoring performance and ensuring compliance with terms and SLAs.
• Negotiate and manage contracts, framework agreements and commercial terms.
• Partner with internal stakeholders across different business areas, translating needs into procurement strategies.
• Monitor budgets, KPIs, savings and overall category performance.
• Develop analyses and business cases to support recommendations and decision-making.
• Manage procurement requirements and projects related to CAPEX and OPEX.
• Contribute to continuous improvement and digitalisation of procurement processes, ensuring compliance with policies and standards.

Skills

Procurement

Category Management

Strategic Sourcing

Analytical thinking

Negotiation

Commercial awareness

Stakeholder management

Tools

ERP systems

Procurement platforms

Job description

We are looking for an experienced Category Manager to join a large, international organisation.

This role is suited to a procurement professional with solid experience managing categories and a strong combination of strategic thinking, analytical skills, negotiation expertise and commercial awareness.

Your role

You will be responsible for defining and delivering the strategy for your assigned categories, from understanding business needs and market dynamics through to sourcing, negotiation, supplier selection and performance management.

Your focus will be on understanding how and where the organisation spends, identifying opportunities and developing sourcing strategies that create value, optimise costs and ensure quality and continuity of service.

You will work closely with both suppliers and internal stakeholders across the organisation.

What you'll be doing

• Define and implement category strategies, establishing priorities, objectives and action plans.
• Analyse spend, internal requirements and market developments to identify opportunities for cost optimisation, efficiency and value creation.
• Develop a strong understanding of supplier markets, identifying new sourcing opportunities, market trends and potential risks.
• Lead tendering and sourcing processes, including RFPs/RFQs, proposal evaluation, negotiation and supplier selection.
• Lead strategic negotiations with national and international suppliers, balancing cost, quality, service and risk.
• Manage and develop supplier relationships, monitoring performance and ensuring compliance with agreed terms and service levels.
• Negotiate and manage contracts, framework agreements and commercial terms.
• Partner with internal stakeholders across different business areas, understanding their needs and translating them into effective procurement strategies.
• Monitor budgets, KPIs, savings and overall category performance.
• Develop analyses and business cases to support recommendations and decision-making.
• Manage procurement requirements and projects related to both CAPEX and OPEX.
• Contribute to continuous improvement and the digitalisation of procurement processes, ensuring compliance with internal policies and standards relating to quality, sustainability and compliance.

What we're looking for

We are looking for professionals with solid experience in Procurement, Category Management or Strategic Sourcing, with a proven track record of managing categories and leading high-impact negotiations.

Beyond procurement expertise, we are particularly interested in someone who can understand the wider business context: an analytical professional with sound judgement, strong negotiation skills and the ability to build trusted relationships with both suppliers and internal stakeholders.

Experience in category management, contract negotiation and management, cost and market analysis, supplier management, KPIs and business case development will be particularly relevant.

Experience in corporate and/or international environments, knowledge of ERP systems and procurement platforms, and a high level of English will be highly valued.

About the process

If you have experience managing categories and complex negotiations and are looking for a role where you can analyse, challenge, propose and make decisions with a real impact on the business, we would be interested in hearing from you.