Category Manager

Leonardo; Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading global Aerospace, Defence, and Security company as a key manager in their Indirect Procurement team. You will oversee significant supplier relationships and procurement strategies in Facilities Management while enjoying flexible work options and comprehensive benefits. Elevate your career in an inclusive environment that fosters innovation.

Benefits

Generous leave and flexi-days

Up to 15% employer contribution pension scheme

Free mental health support and financial advice

Bonus scheme for employees

Access to 4,000+ online courses

Financial reward for employee referrals

Spend on flexible benefits including healthcare

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Indirect Procurement experience is essential.
• Experience with category strategies and supplier management.
• Desirable: Degree level education and CIPS qualification.

Responsibilities

• Manage Facilities Management and Storage categories with a spend of circa £14M.
• Oversee full Category Management lifecycle from strategy to contract negotiations.
• Support FM Projects and deliver effective supplier management.

Skills

Indirect Procurement

Category Management

FM Services strategic sourcing

FM Supplier Management

Procurement project management

Education

Degree level educated

CIPS qualification

Job description

Job Description

Your Impact

You will be working within the UK Indirect Procurement function, within Leonardo UK. Managing the Facilities Management Category, Suppliers, Spend and Stakeholders to deliver optimum cost and value for the Leonardo Business.

Categories include; Facilities Management (FM), FM Capital Projects and Storage & Records Management.

You will be responsible for managing the Facilities Management and

Storage & Records Management categories with an annual spend of circa £14M, along with supporting the FM Projects team within Capital Projects. You will be actively managing delivery of Category Management activities

covering the full Category Management lifecycle, including; category strategies, stakeholder management, spend analytics, market research, strategic sourcing, contract negotiations, service implementation, supplier / service / contract management.

We are at a key point in the Facilities Management Category lifecycle where we are assessing our strategy with a view to going to market for FM Services, for which we have an outsourced model. It is an exciting time to be joining the team.

What You'll Bring

• Indirect Procurement experience
• Category Management experience
• FM Services strategic sourcing
• FM Services contract drafting, negotiations and management
• FM Supplier Management
• Procurement project management experience
  
  

Not essential but desirable are

• Degree level educated
• CIPS qualification
• Experience of cross site, cross functional collaborative working
• Ability to define and implement category strategies
• Demonstrable change management capability
  
  

You will join the UK Indirect Procurement team, primarily based at the Leonardo Helicopters site in Yeovil, Somerset. While the Business offers flexibility regarding base location, being situated near the Yeovil team is considered beneficial. The role includes a mandatory requirement to travel on a monthly basis to other Leonardo UK sites—such as Southampton, Bristol, London, Basildon, Luton, Newcastle, and Edinburgh—to support Facilities Management (FM) needs across the Helicopters, Electronics, and Cyber divisions. All business travel expenses will be covered by the Company.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit https //careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work–life balance. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• Time to Recharge Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role.
  
  

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Be part of something bigger - apply now!

Primary Location

GB - Yeovil - Lysander Rd

Additional Locations

GB - Bristol - Others, GB - Edinburgh, GB - Southampton

Contract Type

Employee-Permanent

Hybrid Working

Hybrid