Category Manager

White Label Recruitment Ltd; Hull and East Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Four-day week

Competitive salary

Job summary

White Label Recruitment partners with a well-established manufacturing business to appoint a Category Manager for its procurement function. You will own key product categories, develop commodity strategies and drive cost savings across a significant supplier portfolio.

Role emphasizes supplier development, strategic sourcing, negotiation and year-on-year improvements in total cost, with Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement integration.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years' procurement experience in manufacturing/engineering.
• Proven track record of delivering year-on-year cost savings and supplier portfolio management.
• Strong negotiation and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement commodity strategies across allocated product categories.
• Drive year-on-year cost reductions against KPIs.
• Lead supplier audits and risk assessments; develop contingency plans.
• Negotiate commercial agreements and SLAs with suppliers.
• Lead cross-functional supply reviews and continuous improvement initiatives.

Skills

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Lean Manufacturing

Continuous improvement

Supplier development

Strategic sourcing

Cost savings

Data analysis

Education

CIPS qualification (advantageous)

Tools

MRP systems

Job description

Category Manager

Location: Hull, East Yorkshire

Salary: Up to £50,000

Industry: Manufacturing / Engineering

JobType: Permanent

White Label Recruitment are working with a well-established manufacturing business that is looking to recruit a Category Manager to join its procurement function.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced procurement professional to take ownership of key product categories, develop commodity strategies and drive measurable cost savings across a significant supplier portfolio. The role has a strong commercial focus, with responsibility for supplier development, strategic sourcing, negotiation and delivering year-on-year improvements in total cost.

The Role

• Develop and implement commodity strategies across allocated product categories.
• Drive year-on-year cost reductions against agreed KPIs.
• Deliver the best Total Cost of Acquisition across the supply base.
• Manage and develop strategic supplier relationships.
• Source, assess and approve new suppliers.
• Negotiate commercial and service-level agreements.
• Lead supplier and commodity risk assessments and develop contingency plans.
• Work with suppliers to support Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement.
• Support new product development alongside Supplier Quality.
• Lead regular supply review meetings with internal stakeholders and external suppliers.
• Conduct supplier audits and performance reviews.
• Work cross-functionally to resolve supply chain issues and improve procurement processes.
• Maintain accurate pricing information and procurement data within the MRP system.
• Identify and deliver strategic projects generating significant commercial savings.

The Person

• Minimum 3 years' procurement experience within a manufacturing or engineering environment.
• Proven experience managing and developing a significant supplier portfolio.
• Strong track record of delivering year-on-year cost savings.
• Experience delivering strategic procurement projects with measurable financial benefits.
• Strong negotiation, influencing and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement.
• Confident conducting supplier audits, reviews and risk assessments.
• Strong commercial and financial awareness.
• Experience using MRP systems and procurement processes.
• Highly analytical, organised and target-driven.
• Comfortable working under pressure and to challenging deadlines.
• CIPS qualified or working towards CIPS would be advantageous.

This is a high-impact procurement position for someone who enjoys taking ownership of their categories, influencing suppliers and internal stakeholders, and delivering tangible cost and performance improvements.

The business offers up to £50,000, alongside the flexibility to work a condensed four-day week, providing an excellent opportunity to achieve a strong work-life balance while taking on a commercially important procurement position.