Category Manager

JR United Kingdom; London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dynamic Category Manager to enhance their procurement strategies. In this pivotal role, you will lead strategic sourcing initiatives and develop category-specific strategies that align with business goals. Your expertise in supplier management and negotiation will be crucial in delivering measurable value while ensuring compliance with ethical standards. Collaborating with cross-functional teams, you will drive innovation and optimize spend across key categories. This is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to a high-performance culture and make a significant impact within a forward-thinking organization.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in procurement and category management.
• Strong understanding of supplier ecosystems and market dynamics.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute category-specific sourcing strategies.
• Lead end-to-end category sourcing and supplier performance reviews.

Skills

Procurement Expertise

Negotiation Skills

Data Analytics

Stakeholder Management

Project Management

Supplier Management

Education

Degree in Supply Chain or Business Administration

CIPS Certification

Tools

Procurement Systems

Excel

Business Intelligence Tools

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Category Manager to join our Procurement team within the Finance Department. This role is integral to ensuring the firm acquires the right goods and services at the best value, supporting our strategic objectives while maintaining operational excellence.

As a Category Manager, you will lead and drive strategic procurement initiatives across key spend categories, shaping best practices and delivering commercial value across the organisation. This role requires someone who thrives in an autonomous environment, bringing deep expertise, commercial acumen, and a forward-thinking approach to procurement. You will be part of a team fostering a high-performance culture and ensuring procurement strategies align with the firm’s overarching business priorities.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The key responsibilities of this role are set out below and there may be others which are not listed. You may be required on occasion to work outside our normal working hours of 9:30am to 5:30pm.

Category Strategy Development:

1. Develop and execute category specific sourcing strategies that align to departmental business objectives and overall business goals.
2. Perform spend analysis to identify areas of spend optimisation and return on investment.
3. Monitor, collate and analyse supplier performance data, to assess value for money and supplier improvement opportunities.
4. Monitor market trends and benchmarks to ensure competitiveness and market leading innovation.

Strategic Sourcing:

1. Lead end to end category sourcing activity.
2. Build a fit for purpose supply chain to deliver departmental objectives.
3. Support, and in some cases lead, all relevant negotiations.
4. Ensure application of robust supplier approval.
5. Draft, review, and agree all relevant third-party contracts.
6. Lead supplier performance reviews and development improvement initiatives.
7. Identify and build plans to mitigate risk in the short-, medium- and long-term horizon.
8. Lead on segmenting suppliers and develop long term relationships and supply plans executed through cross-functional teams.

Stakeholder Management:

1. Collaborate in cross-functional teams such as finance, operations, and legal to align procurement goals.
2. Provide procurement partnering support services within dedicated category department, and other categories when required.
3. Manage and resolve supply chain performance related issues with the relevant department.
4. Ensure compliance to internal policies, ethical standards, and regulatory requirements.

Data Analytics:

1. Use and build analytical dashboards to identify trends, risks, and opportunities within procurement.
2. Provide regular reports on category performance, spend management, and procurement partner metrics.
3. Develop dashboards and tools to enhance visibility of spend and performance.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Candidates for this position must have:

1. a results driven mindset focused on delivering measurable value to the firm;
2. deep knowledge of market dynamics and supplier ecosystems across varying managed categories;
3. the ability to foster innovation and challenge the status quo in procurement process;
4. a commitment to ethical and sustainable procurement practices, with an aptitude for continuous improvement.

Experience:

1. Minimum 5 years of experience in procurement, with expertise in category management.
2. Proven history in cost management, profit protection, value creation, supplier commercial negotiation, and supplier management.

Technical and Analytical Skills:

1. Strong understanding of procurement processes, supplier management, and category-specific trends.
2. Proficiency in procurement systems and tools.
3. Excellent knowledge in contract law and drafting agreements.
4. Advanced data analytics and knowledge of BI and Excel.

Soft Skills:

1. Exceptional communication and negotiation skills.
2. Strong project management and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
3. Collaborative and able to influence stakeholders across all levels of management in the firm.

Education:

1. Degree in supply chain, business administration or a related field.
2. CIPS highly desirable.

We welcome applications irrespective of race, colour, ethnic or national origin, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, belief or marital status.