Category Manager

ADECCO; Ashford; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading employment consultancy is seeking a Category Manager to develop and implement strategic category strategies while managing supply chain risks. The role involves engaging with business partners and suppliers to optimize procurement activities. Candidates should have previous experience in procurement, excellent negotiation skills, and the ability to manage teams effectively. A hybrid working model in the Isle of Grain is offered.

Qualifications

• Previous procurement experience, delivering category excellence.
• Track record of driving strategic change through category intelligence.
• Expertise across a range of strategic sourcing activities.

Responsibilities

• Support Business Partners to engage with the Business Unit.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers.
• Implementation of procurement strategies for the business unit.

Skills

Procurement experience

Strategic change driving

Influencing skills

Negotiation skills

Team management

Job description

Job title: Category Manager

Location: Isle of Grain/Hybrid

Duration: 12 months initially

Adecco is an employment consultancy. We put expertise, energy, and enthusiasm into improving everyone's chance of being part of the workplace. We respect and appreciate people of all ethnicities, generations, religious beliefs, sexual orientations, gender identities, and more. We do this by showcasing their talents, skills, and unique experience in an inclusive environment that helps them thrive.

The role:

Reporting into the Head of Program Procurement for the Grain area, the Category Manager is accountable for developing and implementing strategic category strategies and driving and managing supply chain strategies that optimise cost and ensure quality & reliability of supply and leading all procurement activities.

This is combined with their role acting as an operational business partner for Grain where they will support the Strategic Business Partner and co-ordinate across the relevant Procurement teams to ensure they can provide Business Unit updates, insight and recommendations as required.

Responsibilities:

• Support the Business Partners to engage with the Business Unit, and where appropriate directly support the strategic relationship with them to ensure their procurement and supply chain needs are delivered in line with business requirements.
• Support the development and delivery of a comprehensive suite of category strategies for the Business Unit providing market capability and capacity intelligence, ensuring that maximum value is realised from the significant procurement spend, whilst securing supply, managing supply chain risks, and achieving sustainability objectives.
• Aligned to your category ownership, develop, and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers to ensure continuous improvement, security of supply and value delivery.
• Responsible for the development and implementation of procurement strategies and execution of the procurement priorities for the business unit. Providing strategic and commercial insight, supply chain sustainability insight, and supply chain risk and mitigation recommendations.
• Work across teams and sub-functions within Procurement to support overall category management effort (e.g., Sustainability, Supply Chain Risk & Transparency, Market Supplier Development, Supplier Engagement).
• Identify, assess, and mitigate risks associated with the category, including supply chain disruptions, price volatility, and quality issues.

Requirements:

• Previous procurement experience, delivering category excellence, commercial insight, and leverage.
• Track record of driving strategic change through category intelligence.
• Expertise across a range of strategic sourcing activities.
• Experience of broad, supply chain management.
• Ability to communicate dynamically as a manager of people and to senior leaders and supplier organisations.
• Experience in managing high performing teams.
• Good understanding of broader business objectives and the implications of strategic planning and actions within the category.
• Expert influencing and negotiation skills to drive optimum value through the award of commercially sound contracts.

Candidates will ideally show evidence of the above in their CV in order to be considered.

Please be advised if you haven't heard from us within 48 hours then unfortunately your application has not been successful on this occasion, we may however keep your details on file for any suitable future vacancies and contact you accordingly.