Category Manager - Civils & Drainage

Huws Gray; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Huws Gray is seeking a Category Manager for Civils & Drainage to own and drive commercial excellence across the national Civils & Drainage category. You will lead with a focus on cost reduction, rebates, and favourable supplier terms to strengthen margins while supporting sustainable long-term growth.

You will develop a national strategy, collaborate with regional teams, and ensure branches have a competitive product range with strong supplier support to serve customers brilliantly

Qualifications

• Experience with civils products in builders' merchant or distribution environments.
• Proven ability to drive growth through category strategy and commercial insight.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement, capable of influencing senior leaders and motivating teams.
• Strategic yet hands-on, balancing planning with field execution.
• Confident negotiator with strong supplier management skills.
• Ability to interpret and present data to drive decisions.
• Proactive, organised and self-driven with strong numeracy and attention to detail.
• Adaptable and collaborative in a growing business.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a national Civils & Drainage category strategy for profitable growth.
• Drive cost efficiencies, improve commercial agreements, and secure rebates and favourable terms.
• Partner with Regional Performance Directors and Branch Teams to support adoption and drive success.
• Train and develop colleagues across the UK to build civils product knowledge and supplier skills.
• Build partnerships with key civils manufacturers and suppliers for long-term alignment.
• Work with Marketing to plan national promotions and boost category awareness.
• Identify new product opportunities and close category gaps for competitiveness.
• Manage supply risks through strong supplier relationships and forward planning.
• Collaborate with regional category colleagues to secure national supply agreements.
• Understand market dynamics, pricing trends, and competitor positioning to guide direction.
• Support Pricing, Stock, and Finance to ensure pricing accuracy and availability.
• Act as the national civils category expert providing guidance to branches and leadership.
• Review dashboards and translate insights into actionable commercial actions.

Skills

Civils & Drainage knowledge

Commercial insight

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic mindset

Negotiation

Excel

PowerPoint

Data interpretation

Team leadership

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Category Manager - (Civils & Drainage)

In this role you will take ownership of driving commercial excellence in our Civils & Drainage category - delivering competitive cost prices, securing market-leading supplier agreements, and maximising value across our supply base. A key focus will be to drive down cost of goods, improve rebate structures, and negotiate favourable commercial terms that strengthen margin performance and support sustainable long-term growth.

You will lead the development and growth of our Civils & Drainage category across the UK, ensuring our branches have a competitive product range, strong supplier support, and the capability to serve customers brilliantly.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a national Civils & Drainage category strategy that delivers profitable sales growth and strengthens our market position.
• Drive cost efficiencies, improve commercial agreements, and secure competitive terms, rebates, and strategic buying advantages.
• Partner with Regional Performance Directors and Branch Teams to support category adoption, drive commercial success, and enhance customer experience.
• Train, coach, and develop colleagues across the UK to build civils product knowledge, commercial capability, and supplier relationship skills.
• Build and manage strong partnerships with key civils product manufacturers and suppliers, negotiating competitive terms and ensuring long-term strategic alignment.
• Work with Marketing to plan and deliver national promotional campaigns, increasing category awareness and driving demand.
• Identify new product opportunities, strengthen existing ranges, and evaluate category gaps to support market-leading competitiveness.
• Manage and mitigate supply challenges through strong supplier relationships, forward planning, and strategic sourcing.
• Work closely with regional category colleagues (where applicable) to secure national supply agreements and leverage group buying power.
• Understand market dynamics, pricing trends, and competitor positioning to influence decision-making and category direction.
• Support and engage internal teams including Pricing, Stock, and Finance to ensure pricing accuracy, stock availability, and commercial performance.
• Act as the national civils category expert, providing insight, guidance, and support to branches and commercial leadership.
• Review category dashboards, reporting tools, and performance tracking, ensuring insights are translated into clear commercial actions.

What You'll Bring

• Strong civils & drainage product knowledge and experience in builders' merchant or distribution environments.
• Proven commercial insight with the ability to drive growth through category strategy.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, comfortable influencing senior leaders and motivating branch teams.
• Strategic mindset with hands-on approach - able to balance planning with field execution.
• Confident negotiator with strong supplier management capability.
• IT-proficient - strong Excel skills (data analysis, reporting, modelling) and solid PowerPoint capability to build compelling business cases, category decks, and supplier proposals.
• Ability to interpret and present data clearly to drive commercial decisions.
• Proactive, organised and self-driven with strong commercial numeracy and attention to detail.
• Adaptable, collaborative and comfortable operating at pace in a growing business.

Behaviours & Expectations

• Conduct yourself professionally at all times and represent Huws Gray in a positive and respectful manner.
• Demonstrate integrity, commercial discipline, and a strong customer-focused approach.
• Build trust and credibility with colleagues, suppliers, and customers through consistent behaviour and strong communication.
• Operate with resilience, a growth mindset, and a commitment to collaborative success.

Location & Travel

This is a national role which will involve travel and occasional nights away. You will spend time in branches, with suppliers, and at our offices in Anglesey or Cambridge, as required.