Category Manager

Executive Network Group; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 46,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment firm is seeking a Category Manager for Indirects, Aftersales & NPD in Birmingham. This hybrid role involves leading category strategy development and managing supplier partnerships within a manufacturing environment. The ideal candidate has over 2 years of experience in procurement leadership and excellent negotiation skills. The position offers a competitive salary of up to £55,000 plus excellent benefits.

Benefits

Excellent benefits

Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years’ experience in a procurement leadership or management role.
• Experience in a manufacturing or engineering environment.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience of managing significant spend.

Responsibilities

• Lead category strategy development and supplier partnerships.
• Conduct spend analysis and demand forecasting.
• Drive alignment across departments to optimise total cost of ownership.

Skills

Negotiation skills

Problem-solving

Stakeholder management

Commercial acumen

Attention to detail

Education

CIPS Level 4+ or relevant equivalent

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

Job description

Category Manager – Indirects, Aftersales & NPD

Sector: Manufacturing
Location: Birmingham - Hybrid – 3 days on-site
Salary: Up to £55,000 + excellent benefits
Sector: Advanced Manufacturing
Contract: Permanent, Full-Time

The Role

You will lead category strategy development, supplier partnerships, and sourcing activity across a broad non-production portfolio.

Key responsibilities include:

• Develop and deliver category strategies across multiple indirect and aftermarket categories.
• Conduct spend analysis, demand forecasting and market intelligence to identify optimisation opportunities.
• Build multi-year plans for supplier development, sustainability, and risk mitigation.
• Drive alignment across departments to optimise total cost of ownership.
• Monitor KPIs and adjust strategies to deliver measurable value.
• Integrate procurement into early-stage product development activities.
• Engage suppliers early to influence cost, design and manufacturability.
• Identify, evaluate and develop suppliers globally.
• Lead RFP/RFQ processes and negotiate robust commercial agreements.
• Ensure compliance with category strategy and internal requirements.

About You

Essential:

• Minimum 2 years’ experience in a procurement leadership or management role.
• Experience working in a manufacturing or engineering environment.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience of managing significant spend and multiple projects.
• Knowledge of ERP/MRP systems.
• Excellent negotiation, problem-solving and stakeholder-management skills.
• Highly accurate with strong attention to detail.

Desirable:

• CIPS Level 4+ or relevant equivalent
• Experience in technical manufacturing or food processing environments.
• Project management experience.

If you feel this role aligns with you, we would love to discuss the role and your experience further and look forward to your CV / Application.