Category Manager

City Facilities Management Holdings Ltd; Northampton; Remote; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading facilities management company is seeking an experienced Category Manager to manage supplier relationships and lead procurement strategies. The candidate will drive efficiencies and ensure contract compliance, engaging with multiple stakeholders in a dynamic environment. A minimum of 5 years’ experience in procurement is essential, and a CIPS qualification is highly desirable. The role offers remote work flexibility with occasional travel.

Benefits

Car allowance of £5,700

Annual bonus

Private health care

Life insurance

33 days holiday

Qualifications

• 5 years’ experience in procurement or category management.
• Knowledge of FM, retail, or hospitality is preferred.
• A working knowledge of maintenance services in the FM industry is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Manage supplier relationships and contract delivery.
• Lead on procurement savings and efficiencies delivery.
• Create and oversee a supplier audit regime.

Skills

Strong commercial and supplier management experience

Confidence to deliver through negotiations

Ability to collaborate with multiple stakeholders

Strategic and Procurement Process mindset

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

Education

CIPS qualification or equivalent experience

Job description

Overview

Job Title: Category Manager (Retail FM)

Location: Remote (Some travel expected to Glasgow Head Office, few times per month, company funded travel)

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: 40 Hours Per Week

Salary: Salary ranging between £45,900 - £60,000 (depending on experience) + Car / Car Allowance of £5,700 + Annual Bonus, 33 Days Holiday, Private Pension & Benefits - Including Private Health Care, Life Insurance, Employee Discounts!

An exciting opportunity has emerged for an experienced Category Manager to join our company, working with some of the biggest UK retail clients. The function has recently restructured to support a more strategic approach to how we procure and contract with our contractors and supply chain, putting strategic category management at the heart of what we will deliver.

The role will see you responsible for the management of City Groups’ (UK & Ireland) contractor relationships, this includes all PPM and reactive suppliers within a given customer contract. Through category management you will be able to leverage our wider market coverage on dedicated categories where you can build you own strategy, efficiencies plan and overall pipeline helping us deliver for our major customers and City itself.

The successful candidate will need to be strategically minded and will support in the development and implementation of procurement strategies ensuring cost efficiency, quality and supplier reliability. The role involves managing supplier relationships, negotiating contracts, driving innovation and collaborating with internal stakeholders to meet City and our Client’s objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage all supplier relationships and contract delivery for allocated contractors and supply chain
• Build strong engagement and trust with City’s customers, responding promptly to client requests and using performance scorecards to demonstrate achievement of delivery targets and contractual compliance
• Lead on Procurement savings and efficiencies delivery for the business
• Support category strategy development.
• Create and oversee a regular supplier audit regime to assure City and its customers of suppliers’ compliance regarding health and safety, and other key compliance aspects.
• Work with customers to set annual budgets and ensure alignment within wider procurement team to deliver schedule of services in line with budget
• Act as an escalation point for all supplier related issues

Financial Responsibility

• The Category Manager will work with the wider procurement team to ensuring contract charges are accurate and aligned to the services delivered. In addition, the Category Managers will work with finance and the wider procurement team to review and over or under spend, supporting preparation of budgets where required.
• The Category Manager will also be expected to positively impact the P&L of the company through the delivery of in contract savings.

People Responsibility

• The Category Manager will not have any direct reports but will be expected to collaborate positively with a wide group of stakeholders including the client, wider procurement team and field operations.

Qualifications / Experience

Essential

• 5 years’ experience of working within a procurement or category management position.
• CIPS qualification or equivalent experience
• Knowledge of FM, retail and hospitality or customer service industry, preferred, but not essential

Desirable but not essential:

• A working knowledge of the maintenance service within the FM industry is preferrable, with previous working knowledge of a multi-site contracted environment being desirable.

Key Skills required

• Strong commercial and supplier management experience and capability
• Confidence to deliver through negotiations
• Ability to collaborate with multiple stakeholders
• Strategic and Procurement Process mindset
• Ability to build, nurture and grow relationships with suppliers and customers
• Credibility to deliver a successful SRM programme
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to critically challenge
• Understanding of contracts and the key service deliverables within contracts