Category Manager - Marketing

Heathrow; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Annual performance-based bonuses

Private health insurance

Job summary

A leading airport in the UK is seeking a Category Manager to shape Marketing and Digital procurement strategies. In this role, you will oversee sourcing activities, influence stakeholders, and develop innovative strategies to drive competitive advantage. Candidates should have experience in Marketing or Professional Services, strong commercial skills, and excellent problem-solving abilities. The position offers competitive salaries, performance bonuses, and a hybrid working model. Join us in delivering excellence in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in Marketing or Professional Services with strong commercial skills.
• Understanding of procurement models and supplier performance.
• Excellent communication and organisation skills.

Responsibilities

• Leading the marketing procurement pipeline with innovative strategies.
• Overseeing end-to-end sourcing activities aligning with business objectives.
• Challenging business plans to maximize commercial opportunities.

Skills

Marketing

Digital/Technology

Commercial skills

Problem solving

Communication

Education

CIPS, MRICS, APM or working towards

Job description

Overview

Introduction: Discover a one-of-a-kind career. Our vision at Heathrow is to be an extraordinary airport, fit for the future. In the Finance team we know that generating income is critical to driving our business forward, but it’s also vital that we create positive passenger and customer experiences that make every journey better. You’ll help us to get the balance right so we can continue investing in our world-class environment. Heathrow’s size, scale, and reputation for innovation translates to exciting opportunities for everyone. Finance here is about more than numbers — it’s about being influential, developing trusted relationships, and showing the world that we’re a responsible investment with a bright future; a place that embraces digital innovation and has a sustainable mindset. You’ll become part of a team that drives excellence across everything from insurance to investment, treasury to business partnering, as you collaborate widely to deliver projects that directly impact millions of passengers each year.

Role

Join Heathrow’s Technology and Corporate Services team as a Category Manager and play a key role in shaping Marketing and Digital procurement that supports our vision to be an extraordinary, future ready airport. This is a chance to make a real impact—partnering with Marketing, Digital, and IT teams to deliver innovative commercial strategies and unlock new value across the business. In this role, you’ll own a dynamic pipeline of Marketing and Digital procurement activity, developing creative category strategies, exploring new technologies and market trends, and driving competitive advantage through intelligent sourcing. You’ll run end-to-end sourcing, influence senior stakeholders, challenge business plans, and ensure we achieve strong commercial outcomes while managing risk and supplier performance. You’ll also be at the forefront of supplier engagement—shaping contracts, steering supplier reviews, embedding best practice, and advocating innovation that improves performance and delivers continuous improvement.

Your responsibilities

• Leading and managing the marketing procurement pipeline by developing innovative strategies and applying market-leading technologies to gain a competitive advantage.
• Overseeing end-to-end sourcing activities, ensuring alignment with business objectives, and operating within established governance processes.
• Challenging and strengthening business plans to maximise commercial opportunities and minimising risks through robust contract management.
• Engaging with suppliers and the wider market to adopt best practices, fostering innovation, and embedding new commercial models within operations.
• Coordinating supplier reviews, coaching contract owners, and encouraging continuous improvement and value creation from both colleagues and suppliers.

Essential skills

• Experience in Marketing, MarTech, Digital/Technology, or Professional Services with strong commercial and contractual skills
• Understanding of procurement models, contract terms, financial data, and supplier performance management
• Excellent communication, organisation, and problem solving abilities
• A customer focused mindset and high integrity

Desirable qualifications

• CIPS, MRICS, APM or working towards
• Experience in supplier partnering, matrix organisations, or negotiation

About us

There’s something so special about working at the world’s most iconic airport. Its sights. Its sounds. Its constant air of excitement. Heathrow is an amazing backdrop to a career filled with unique opportunities. Every day, you’ll discover a world full of fresh possibilities and end the day buzzing with stories to tell, as you encounter people from all cultures, nationalities and experiences. A world full of pride for what we do and no end of exciting career prospects to explore. It brings out the best in all of us. And inspires everyone to deliver on our ambitious plans. Together, we’re working to welcome millions more passengers while ensuring aviation can continue to be a force for good by leading global efforts in sustainability. Join us on that journey and we\'ll help you achieve your ambitions too. Supporting you to learn, encouraging you to be yourself, backing you to achieve more than you might ever have imagined. Because there’s no place like Heathrow.

Rewards

We offer competitive salaries and excellent benefits that will support you now and in the future. As well as performance-based annual bonuses and our longer-term Share in Success Bonus plans, we also offer generous annual leave allowances and market-leading pensions. With family friendly policies, access to private health insurance and a wide range of wellbeing tools, we’ll support you to be at your best inside and outside work. And of course, we’ll provide varied learning and development opportunities too. Here you’ll find everything you need for a fulfilling career journey that can take you in exciting directions.

Working location

Our Hybrid working approach offers the opportunity for colleagues in some roles to work from home for an average of two days a week, providing the flexibility to work in an agile way whilst ensuring we deliver for the operational needs of Heathrow. Working arrangements vary from team to team and will be confirmed during the recruitment process. You’ll need to be based in the UK and within a commutable distance to Heathrow.

Sustainable travel to work

Heathrow’s Sustainable Travel Guide sets out easy and sustainable travel options that everyone can access.

Equal opportunities

As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all. We believe that diverse talent makes us stronger – not least because we welcome passengers from all corners of the globe, every single day. Heathrow is an accessible place to work. With five diversity networks, we champion inclusivity and celebrate individuality.