Category Manager - IT
Portsmouth Water
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Portsmouth Water is seeking a strategic IT category manager to lead end-to-end procurement plans, manage a portfolio of IT suppliers and drive value while minimising risks. The role requires strong stakeholder engagement, negotiation skills and a track record in strategic sourcing within the multi-disciplinary environment of the water sector.
You will develop and implement category and demand strategies, oversee tendering and supplier negotiations, and ensure compliance with regulations and data
Qualifications
- Ability to analyse and present complex commercial/contractual data to a wide range of stakeholders.
- Strong organisational skills and ability to manage multiple workstreams.
- Solid negotiation, influencing and resolution skills.
- Outstanding communication skills and customer service ethos with stakeholder engagement capabilities.
- Self-starter with resilience under pressure and willingness to develop skills.
Responsibilities
- Develop procurement best practices across the full lifecycle, ensuring processes stay current.
- Build trusted relationships with internal stakeholders and external suppliers; influence at senior levels.
- Deliver exceptional customer service to internal teams and external partners.
- Promote procurement efficiency and service delivery improvements.
- Manage IT category spend with high strategic impact; align with business goals.
- Develop category strategies by engaging stakeholders to understand needs.
- Lead sourcing activities across the lifecycle, delivering value and minimising cost.
Skills
Education
Job description
We’re making a difference: Together, we can ensure that there is enough water for everyone, now and in the future.
Portsmouth Water are looking for a strategic and innovative professional to join our Procurement team, focusing on IT Category Management. In this role, you will lead and manage end-to-end category plans, identifying initiatives that maximise value and minimise commercial risk for Portsmouth Water.
You will be responsible for a portfolio of IT suppliers, ensuring continuous improvement and added value throughout the contract lifecycle. Your extensive IT category expertise and market insight will support internal stakeholders and inform sourcing strategies.
You will also lead sourcing initiatives, including tenders and negotiations, ensuring value delivery and regulatory compliance. This is a key role in shaping how Portsmouth Water delivers its IT services.
- Support the development and continual improvement of procurement best practices across the full lifecycle, ensuring processes remain current and effective.
- Build strong, trusted relationships with internal stakeholders and external suppliers, with the ability to influence at senior levels.
- Deliver exceptional customer service to both internal teams and external partners, promoting clear and proactive communication.
- Promote continuous improvement in procurement procedures and working practices to enhance service delivery and efficiency.
- Manage IT category spend with high strategic impact, ensuring alignment with business goals and risk mitigation.
- Develop and implement category and demand strategies by engaging stakeholders to understand business needs and specifications.
- Lead commercial activities across the sourcing lifecycle, delivering value creation and minimising total cost of ownership.
- Collaborate with business leaders to drive cost reduction through standardisation, aggregation, and minimising tail spend.
- Ensure full compliance with utilities procurement regulations, statutory obligations, and data protection requirements throughout sourcing processes.
- Embed Portsmouth Water’s health, safety, and wellbeing values into sourcing strategies and supplier qualification processes.
- Ability to analyse and present complex commercial/contractual data and concepts to a wide range of stakeholders
- Strong organisational skills and ability to manage multiple workstreams
- Solid negotiation, influencing and resolution skills
- Outstanding communication skills and customer service ethic with strong stakeholder engagement capabilities
- Self-starter – resilient and tenacious under pressure and willingness to develop skills and experience
- Knowledge of the water industry and/or IT category specific supply chain
- Experience of strategic sourcing in a multi-stakeholder environment and working within multi-disciplinary teams
- Relevant transferable business and/or supply chain knowledge
- Track record in delivering against stretching target
- Excellent proven commercial and contractual acumen
- Knowledge and experience of regulated procurement procedures (either UCR, PCR or PA23)
- CIPS or MCIPS qualified; or alternative qualifications in transferable expertise
- Project management experience or qualifications
If you are successful for the role, you will be required to undergo Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) pre-employment checks that will include a basic disclosure check. Depending on the role, you may also be required to go through the national security vetting process for either a CTC or SC clearance check. Any offer of employment is conditional upon completion and receipt of satisfactory checks.
We recognise people want to work in a variety of different ways and we’re happy to consider flexible working arrangements. Please feel free to talk to us at interview about the flexibility you may be looking for.
We’re committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, and we actively encourage applications from all sections of society.
Please note, the Company has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Due to the high volume of applications we receive we’re unable to respond to every applicant individually. If your application is of interest, we’ll usually be in touch within 4 weeks of receiving it.
At Portsmouth Water, we believe in rewarding our people. Here’s just a taste of what’s waiting for you when you join the team:
Enjoy 27 days of annual leave, plus bank holidays, giving you plenty of time to relax, recharge, and explore.
We’ll help secure your future with a generous pension scheme, contributing up to 15% – because your tomorrow matters as much as your today.
You could earn a non-contractual bonus of up to 6% of your basic salary, linked to company performance – because when we succeed together, you should benefit too.
Whether you’re welcoming a new arrival through birth or adoption, we’ve got your back with enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption leave and pay.
Our life assurance scheme gives your loved ones extra security, with a 4x salary lump sum benefit in case the unexpected happens.
Whether you need confidential mental health and wellbeing advice 24/7 through our Employee Assistance Programme, or physical health support via our Virtual GP service (available 8am–10pm, 7 days a week for you and your immediate family), help is always close at hand with the HealthHero app.
We know life has its ups and downs. That’s why we offer Private Medical Insurance - provided by Bupa giving you access to expert healthcare and 24/7 confidential support.
Enjoy exclusive discounts at thousands of retailers, plus exciting benefits like:
- Electric Vehicle Scheme (after 1 year)
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Health Cash Plan…and so much more!
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