Commercial Business Manager- IT Procurement

United Utilities; Warrington; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Up to 20% annual bonus

26 days holiday

Pension with employer contribution

Healthcare scheme

Parental leave

ShareBuy scheme

EV car scheme

Employee assistance programme

Gym and wellbeing discounts

Financial wellbeing support

Job summary

United Utilities is seeking a senior procurement and commercial leader to own IT spend strategy, market management and supplier relationships. You will shape sourcing initiatives with senior leaders across Technology Services, driving value and innovation while managing high-value contracts.

The role combines strategic vision with hands-on leadership in a hybrid setup, offering a competitive package including a car allowance and bonus potential.

Qualifications

• Extensive procurement, category management or commercial leadership experience.
• Experience managing complex, business-critical spend categories.
• Proven ability to develop sourcing strategies and manage strategic supplier relationships.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and business partnering at senior leadership level.
• Proven people management experience with a focus on developing high-performing teams.
• Advanced negotiation, influencing and dispute resolution skills.
• Experience working in large, complex organisations.
• Knowledge of technology procurement and IT landscape.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of commercial professionals responsible for market management, sourcing delivery and supplier collaboration.
• Develop and implement category strategies across IT and technology spend.
• Build partnerships with senior stakeholders across Technology Services and the wider business.
• Deliver multi-million-pound savings and business benefits through commercial activity.
• Oversee strategic sourcing, negotiations and supplier performance.
• Drive innovation using external market insights and industry best practice.
• Lead annual commercial planning and procurement strategy development.
• Ensure compliance with procurement policies and promote agile working.
• Coach and develop team members to create a high-performance culture.

Skills

Procurement Leadership

Category Management

Stakeholder Engagement

Negotiation

People Management

Education

CIPS

MBA

MSc

RICS

Job description

Location: Warrington (Lingley Mere)
Hybrid Working: 3 days in the office
Salary: Competitive + £5,000 Car Allowance + Up to 20% Bonus

Shape the Future of Technology Procurement at United Utilities

At United Utilities, we're delivering more than water. We're helping to create a stronger, greener and healthier North West.

The Opportunity

This is not a traditional procurement role.

You'll lead the strategic management of our IT procurement portfolio, owning market strategies, supplier relationships and sourcing initiatives that directly support critical business outcomes. Working closely with senior leaders across Technology Services and the wider business, you'll help shape procurement decisions that deliver innovation, efficiency and long-term value.

With responsibility for high-value, complex commercial activities, you'll be at the forefront of identifying opportunities, influencing investment decisions and ensuring we remain ahead of market trends and technological advancements.

What You'll Be Doing

• Lead a team of commercial professionals responsible for market management, sourcing delivery and supplier collaboration.
• Develop and implement category strategies across a significant IT and technology spend portfolio.
• Build trusted partnerships with senior stakeholders across Technology Services and the wider business.
• Deliver measurable commercial value, including multi-million-pound savings and business benefits.
• Oversee strategic sourcing activities, commercial negotiations and supplier performance.
• Drive innovation by bringing external market insights, emerging technologies and industry best practice into the organisation.
• Lead annual commercial planning and procurement strategy development.
• Ensure compliance with procurement policies while promoting agile and efficient ways of working.
• Coach, mentor and develop team members, creating a high-performance culture and strong succession pipeline.

What We're Looking For

We're seeking an experienced procurement and commercial leader who can operate confidently at a strategic level and influence decision-making across complex organisations.

You’ll bring:

• Extensive procurement, category management or commercial leadership experience.
• Significant experience managing complex, business-critical spend categories.
• Demonstrable success developing sourcing strategies and managing strategic supplier relationships.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and business partnering capabilities at senior leadership level.
• Proven people management experience, with a passion for developing high-performing teams.
• Advanced negotiation, influencing and dispute resolution skills.
• Experience working within large, complex organisations.
• A strong understanding of technology procurement and the broader IT landscape.

You’ll stand out if you also have experience with:

• IT governance, enterprise architecture and technology strategy.
• Agile delivery methodologies and DevOps environments.
• IT service management and support models.
• Technology supplier evaluation and contract management.
• Utilities, energy or other highly regulated sectors.
• Operational Technology (OT), geospatial systems, network management systems or related technologies.

Qualifications

You’ll ideally be degree educated and hold a relevant professional or postgraduate qualification such as:

• CIPS
• MBA
• MSc
• RICS

Why United Utilities?

At United Utilities, you'll join a FTSE 100 organisation that is investing heavily in technology, innovation and the people who make it happen.

In return, you'll receive:

• Competitive salary
• £5,000 car allowance
• Up to 20% annual bonus
• 26 days holiday, increasing to 30 days with service, plus bank holidays
• Industry-leading pension with up to 14% employer contribution
• Comprehensive healthcare scheme
• Enhanced parental leave
• ShareBuy scheme
• EV car scheme
• Employee assistance programme
• Gym and wellbeing discounts
• Financial wellbeing support and lifestyle benefits

Join Us

This is an opportunity to lead at scale, influence critical technology investment decisions and make a genuine impact on the future of one of the UK's most important utilities businesses.

If you're ready to combine strategic procurement expertise with technology innovation and commercial leadership, we'd love to hear from you.