Category Specialist (Maternity Cover)

Mativ; Ashton-under-Lyne; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Mativ is seeking a experienced Sourcing Category Specialist to join our Global Sourcing team on a fixed-term maternity cover contract of up to 12 months. The role is based in Ashton, United Kingdom with hybrid working arrangements.

You will develop category strategies, lead supplier negotiations, and conduct spend analysis to deliver measurable savings. You will collaborate with internal stakeholders across regions including Europe, North America and Asia.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of strategic sourcing and supplier negotiation experience.
• Experience developing and implementing category strategies and delivering measurable savings.
• Strong analytical skills, including spend analysis and cost modelling.
• Experience sourcing within a global manufacturing environment.
• The ability to influence stakeholders and lead cross-functional projects.
• Experience working across multiple regions, including Europe, North America, and Asia.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and the wider Microsoft Office Suite.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute category strategies that deliver cost savings, risk mitigation, and business value.
• Lead strategic sourcing initiatives, supplier negotiations, and competitive bidding processes.
• Analyze spend data and market trends to identify sourcing opportunities and influence business decisions.
• Conduct supplier evaluations, RFPs, reverse auctions, and total cost of ownership analyses.
• Build strong partnerships with internal stakeholders across multiple global locations.
• Develop and maintain supplier relationships while driving performance and continuous improvement.
• Provide category expertise and market intelligence to support sourcing strategies.

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Supplier negotiation

Spend analysis

Cost modelling

Stakeholder influence

Cross-functional leadership

Excel proficiency

Communication

Job description

Mativ is a global leader in specialty materials headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia. The Company offers a wide range of critical components and engineered solutions that connect, protect, and purify our world.

Sourcing Category Specialist

Job location: Ashton, United Kingdom, Hybrid.

At Mativ, we are solving our customers' most complex challenges through innovative specialty materials and engineered solutions. With over 5,000 employees globally and operations across four continents, we are committed to driving innovation, sustainability, and performance in industries ranging from healthcare and filtration to sustainable packaging.

We are currently seeking an experienced Sourcing Category Specialist to join our Global Sourcing team on a fixed-term maternity cover contract of up to 12 months. This is an excellent opportunity for a procurement professional who thrives in a fast-paced global manufacturing environment and enjoys delivering measurable value through strategic sourcing and supplier management.

What You'll Be Doing

• Develop and execute category strategies that deliver cost savings, risk mitigation, and business value.
• Lead strategic sourcing initiatives, supplier negotiations, and competitive bidding processes.
• Analyze spend data and market trends to identify sourcing opportunities and influence business decisions.
• Conduct supplier evaluations, RFPs, reverse auctions, and total cost of ownership analyses.
• Build strong partnerships with internal stakeholders across multiple global locations.
• Develop and maintain supplier relationships while driving performance and continuous improvement.
• Provide category expertise and market intelligence to support sourcing strategies.

What We're Looking For

• 5+ years of strategic sourcing and supplier negotiation experience
• Experience developing and implementing category strategies and delivering measurable savings
• Strong analytical skills, including spend analysis and cost modelling
• Experience sourcing within a global manufacturing environment
• The ability to influence stakeholders and lead cross-functional projects
• Experience working across multiple regions, including Europe, North America, and Asia
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and the wider Microsoft Office Suite

Preferred Experience

• Category expertise in substrates such as textiles, nonwovens, fabrics, or related manufacturing materials.
• Experience managing indirect spend categories.
• Knowledge of advanced sourcing tools and methodologies, including reverse auctions and group purchasing programs.

Why Join Mativ?

At Mativ, you'll work with talented colleagues across the globe, contribute to meaningful business initiatives, and help shape procurement strategies that directly impact our growth and success. We foster collaboration, innovation, and continuous development while providing the flexibility of a hybrid working environment.

Interested?

If you're a strategic sourcing professional looking for your next challenge and are excited by the opportunity to make an immediate impact within a global organization, we'd love to hear from you.

What We Offer

Mativ benefits say a lot about how we care for each other. Our employees and their families have many different needs. As a result, our benefits offer choices on many levels and are high in quality, competitive in the marketplace, and affordable.

About Mativ

Mativ Holdings, Inc. is a global leader in specialty materials headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia. The company connects, protects, and purifies the world every day through a wide range of critical components and engineered solutions that solve our customers’ most complex challenges. We manufacture on three continents and generate sales in nearly 100 countries through our family of business-to-business and consumer product brands. The company’s two segments, Filtration & Advanced Materials and Sustainable & Adhesive Solutions, target premium applications across diversified and growing end-markets, from filtration to healthcare to sustainable packaging and more. Our broad portfolio of technologies combines polymers, fibers, and resins to optimize the performance of our customers’ products across multiple stages of the value chain. Our leading positions are a testament to our best-in-class global manufacturing, supply chain, and materials science capabilities. We drive innovation and enhance performance, finding potential in the impossible.