Category Lead

Ocado Group; Hatfield; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in online grocery innovation is seeking a Category Lead to manage Facilities Management, Travel, and Global Logistics procurement. The role involves strategic sourcing, supplier management, and delivering procurement benefits. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in procurement, strong negotiation skills, and a collaborative approach to business partnering. The position offers flexible benefits, including generous leave and health support.

Benefits

25 days annual leave

Private Medical Insurance

22 weeks paid maternity leave

Pension with employer matching

Cycle to Work Scheme

15% off at Ocado.com

Qualifications

• Extensive Procurement experience in category management and strategic sourcing.
• Deep category expertise in FM and/or Travel verticals.

Responsibilities

• Lead procurement activity across c£55m annual spend.
• Deliver outstanding ‘Total Procurement Benefit’ across Cost, Risk, Quality, ESG and Innovation.

Skills

Negotiation

Influencing

Analytical

Job description

Ocado Group is a technology-led, global, software and robotics platform business, with a strong retail heritage. Ocado has been at the forefront of innovation in the online grocery industry since it was founded in 2000. Its retail business, Ocado.com, is one of the world’s largest online-only supermarkets with over £2,2bn annual revenue and over 795,000 active customers.

About the Role

The Category Lead will lead Ocado’s Facilities Management, Travel and Global Logistics procurement activity across c£55m annual spend, defining and delivering a portfolio of category management, sourcing and supplier management initiatives.

Key Responsibilities:

Business Partnering

• Business Partner department heads and budget owners, becoming embedded within leadership teams
• Act as a ‘Critical Friend’ for key business owners, providing support and education in managing key supply partner relationships
• Be a vocal and compelling advocate for the value of quality procurement and supplier partnerships

Execution

• Deliver outstanding ‘Total Procurement Benefit’ for Ocado across Cost, Risk, Quality, ESG and Innovation, role modeling excellent delivery for the wider procurement team
• Lead a programme of Strategic Sourcing, SRM and Renewals projects within the categories
• Lead high value, high importance supplier negotiations in the category space to deliver great value for money, win:win engagements and outcomes with partners

Category Management

• Use expert knowledge of categories to deliver step change improvements in the way we engage, contract and manage partners in that space
• Embed a Category Management approach to procurement across owned categories
• Utilise expert influencing skills to secure preferential engagements with strategic partners
• Be a key escalation point for supplier performance management for stakeholders

Procurement Improvement

• Take ownership for specific continuous improvement activities within indirect procurement
• Provide SME input to the Procurement Transformation programme, and participate in ongoing best practice sharing and collaboration initiatives across the procurement teams

About you

• Extensive Procurement experience in category management, strategic sourcing, SRM and contract management
• Deep category expertise in the FM and/or Travel verticals
• Brilliant business partnering and influencing capabilities, able to speak and operate in non-procurement terms to truly understand and unlock value
• A natural story teller who can build compelling narratives and communicate with insightful clarity
• Expert negotiator, adept at driving win:win outcomes with suppliers
• Robust analytical experience, having leveraged multiple sources of data to inform strategies, recommendations and decision making

What we offer

We believe in supporting our people with meaningful, flexible benefits that prioritise well-being and work-life balance. Here’s a snapshot of what you can expect:

• Time to recharge:
  25 days annual leave (rising to 27 after 5 years), plus the option to buy more – and 30 days a year to work from anywhere in the world.
  
  
• Health & wellbeing:
  Private Medical Insurance from your first month, wellbeing support through specialist apps and EAP, plus Income Protection and Life Assurance.
  
  
• Family-first policies:
  22 weeks paid maternity/primary carer leave and 6 weeks paid paternity leave (after qualifying period).
  
  
• Financial support:
  Pension with employer matching up to 7%, share schemes (Sharesave & BAYE), and interest-free loans for train tickets.
  
  
• Commuter perks:
  Cycle to Work Scheme and free shuttle buses to/from Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City stations.
  
  
• Exclusive discounts:
  15% off at Ocado.com with free delivery (starting in your first month).

Ocado Group is an equal opportunities employer and as such makes every effort to ensure that all potential employees are treated fairly and equally, regardless of their sex, sexual orientation, marital status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, age, or disability or union membership status.

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