Corporate Services Category Lead

BSI; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working hours

27 days annual leave

Health insurance

Life insurance

Pension plan with company contribution

Car allowance

Income protection

Paid maternity leave

Paid paternity leave

Paid parental leave

Adoption leave

Compassionate leave

Bereavement leave

Learning and development opportunities

Job summary

BSI is seeking a Corporate Services Category Lead to shape and deliver procurement strategies across operational and people-related spend, including Recruitment, Travel, Learning & Development, Workplace Services, Lab Services and Office Supplies.

You will own multi-year category plans, drive cost savings, supplier governance and policy-aligned buying, partnering with Finance, HR and operations to align travel, expense and card policies while improving the employee experience.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in category management and complex sourcing across Corporate Services or Business Services categories.
• Experience managing high-volume framework-based and operational spend across people services, workplace, travel or other corporate services.
• Experience developing or managing travel strategy with strong understanding of travel, expense or corporate card environments.
• Proven experience driving compliance, standardisation and demand control across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Strong commercial and contracting expertise across statements of work, rate models, supplier performance frameworks and change or exit controls.
• Strong senior stakeholder influencing skills and the ability to shape requirements before commercial commitment.
• Analytical capability to interpret spend and supplier data and build clear business cases.

Responsibilities

• Develop and own multi-year category strategies and annual workplans across Corporate Services sub-categories.
• Use spend, demand, supplier and market insight to identify opportunities for savings, cost avoidance, service improvement and risk reduction.
• Shape sourcing pipelines and prioritise activity based on value, risk and business impact.
• Own and develop BSI's global travel and expense strategy, including travel management, expense platforms and corporate card programmes.
• Drive adoption of preferred travel booking channels, payment methods and policy-compliant behaviours, using data to reduce leakage and improve control.
• Act as a trusted commercial advisor to functional and operational stakeholders, challenging demand, improving requirement definition and standardising statements of work.
• Lead end-to-end sourcing and negotiation activity, using frameworks, rate cards, managed services and other commercial models appropriate to each category.
• Manage key supplier relationships and governance, including performance reviews, KPIs, improvement plans, renewals and dispute resolution.
• Partner with Finance, HR and business operations to align procurement, travel, expense and card policies with financial controls and employee experience.
• Embed proportionate due diligence, audit-ready procurement practices and sustainable procurement principles across the category.
• Reduce off-contract and maverick spend through clear buying channels, stakeholder engagement and stronger governance.

Skills

Category management

Sourcing

Travel strategy

Stakeholder influencing

Contracting expertise

Data analysis

Job description

Corporate Services Category Lead

We exist to create positive change for people and the planet. Join us and make a difference too!

Location: The Acre, Covent Garden, London

About The Role

We are looking for a Corporate Services Category Lead to shape and deliver procurement strategies across BSI's operational and people-related service spend.

The portfolio includes Recruitment, Travel, Learning & Development, Workplace Services, Lab Services and Office Supplies, alongside ownership of BSI's global travel and corporate card strategy. You will focus on demand management, standardisation and effective use of supplier frameworks to improve value, control and the employee experience.

This is a highly visible role for a commercially strong category professional who can influence stakeholder behaviour, simplify buying models and create consistent, policy-aligned approaches across high-volume, business-critical services.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and own multi-year category strategies and annual workplans across Corporate Services sub-categories.
• Use spend, demand, supplier and market insight to identify opportunities for savings, cost avoidance, service improvement and risk reduction.
• Shape sourcing pipelines and prioritise activity based on value, risk and business impact.
• Own and develop BSI's global travel and expense strategy, including travel management, expense platforms and corporate card programmes.
• Drive adoption of preferred travel booking channels, payment methods and policy-compliant behaviours, using data to reduce leakage and improve control.
• Act as a trusted commercial advisor to functional and operational stakeholders, challenging demand, improving requirement definition and standardising statements of work.
• Lead end-to-end sourcing and negotiation activity, using frameworks, rate cards, managed services and other commercial models appropriate to each category.
• Manage key supplier relationships and governance, including performance reviews, KPIs, improvement plans, renewals and dispute resolution.
• Partner with Finance, HR and business operations to align procurement, travel, expense and card policies with financial controls and employee experience.
• Embed proportionate due diligence, audit-ready procurement practices and sustainable procurement principles across the category.
• Reduce off-contract and maverick spend through clear buying channels, stakeholder engagement and stronger governance.

What We're Looking For

• Significant experience in category management and complex sourcing across Corporate Services or Business Services categories.
• Experience managing a mix of high-volume framework-based and operational spend across areas such as people services, workplace, travel or other corporate services.
• Experience developing or managing travel strategy, with strong understanding of travel, expense or corporate card environments.
• Proven experience driving compliance, standardisation and demand control across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Strong commercial and contracting expertise across statements of work, rate models, supplier performance frameworks and change or exit controls.
• Strong senior stakeholder influencing skills and the ability to shape requirements before commercial commitment.
• Analytical capability to interpret spend and supplier data and build clear business cases.

BSI offers a competitive total reward package in an independent and varied Global environment.

• flexible working hours
• ongoing training and development
• 27-days annual leave
• paid sick leave
• bank holidays
• health insurance
• life insurance
• pension plan with company contribution
• car allowance (dependent on role)
• income protection
• paid maternity leave
• paid paternity leave
• paid parental leave
• adoption leave
• compassionate leave
• paid bereavement leave
• learning and development opportunities,and a wide range of flexible benefits that you can tailor to suit your lifestyle.

D&I Policy

BSI is committed to ensuring the diversity of our workforce reflects that of our clients and the communities in which we operate. Our goal is to create a sense of belonging for all employees by providing opportunities to develop, grow, and engage with our global organization all while having fun doing great work. BSI is a community where everyone can thrive.

If you require any adjustments or accommodations to support your participation, please inform us upon applying.

About Us

BSI is a business improvement and standards company and for over a century BSI has been recognized for having a positive impact on organizations and society, building trust and enhancing lives.

Today BSI partners with more than 77,500 clients in 195 countries and engages with a 15,000 strong global community of experts, industry and consumer groups, organizations and governments.

Utilizing its extensive expertise in key industry sectors - including automotive, aerospace, built environment, food and retail, and healthcare - BSI delivers on its purpose by helping its clients fulfil theirs.

Living by our core values of Client-Centricity, Agility, and Collaboration, BSI provides organizations with the confidence to grow by partnering with them to tackle society’s critical issues – from climate change to building trust in digital transformation and everything in between - to accelerate progress towards a better society and a sustainable world.

BSI is an Equal Opportunity Employer dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace.