Category Manager

Cloister Resourcing Ltd; England; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company seeks an experienced Category Manager to strategize and manage key categories, driving real business value. In this role, you will oversee category strategies, enhance stakeholder engagement, and lead sourcing initiatives to optimize costs and innovate procurement practices. The position demands strong commercial insight and a proactive approach in a dynamic procurement environment.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a category management or strategic sourcing role.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen.
• In-depth understanding of sourcing and contract management.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of category and sourcing strategies.
• Manage the full commercial lifecycle from market engagement to contract award.
• Conduct market scans for innovation and external best practices.

Skills

Commercial acumen

Analytical thinking

Relationship building

Education

CIPS qualification

Understanding of UCR and ABC legislation

Job description

Are you an experienced Category Manager looking to take strategic ownership of high–impact categories and drive real business value?

We re looking for a commercially astute, proactive Category Manager to lead the development and delivery of category strategies across key areas of spend. You ll play a central role in aligning sourcing activity with broader business objectives, engaging with stakeholders across the organisation, and delivering tangible value through smarter sourcing and supply chain decisions.

• Lead the end–to–end development and implementation of category and sourcing strategies.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to understand business needs, demand profiles, and specification requirements.
• Support and manage the full commercial lifecycle from market engagement and tendering through to negotiation and contract award.
• Work alongside the Senior Category Manager and functional leads to embed category strategies that align with value management goals.
• Deliver cost optimisation through demand aggregation, standardisation, and tail spend reduction.
• Actively scan the market for innovation and external best practices, translating them into actionable plans for the business.
• Ensure commercial decisions are fully compliant with applicable legislation (UCR, ABC), and support audit readiness and risk mitigation.

You ll be a confident communicator, analytical thinker, and relationship–builder with the following:

• Proven experience in a category management or strategic sourcing role, ideally within engineering & construction or asset purchase and hire.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, with a track record of delivering measurable value and cost reductions.
• In–depth understanding of sourcing processes and contract management.
• You will have in depth category experience in either engineering and construction or Asset Purchase
• Knowledge of UCR and ABC legislation and any knowledge of the public procurement act or a CIPS qualification are highly desirable.
• Ability to demonstrate a proactive/can do style of work
• Familiarity with the Public Procurement Act and/or a CIPS qualification is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to lead on large–scale or complex projects and manage competing priorities effectively.

This role offers an excellent opportunity to shape category strategies with real impact, influence senior stakeholders, and be part of a forward–thinking procurement function focused on driving innovation, sustainability and value.

Apply today