Hybrid Category Manager – Strategic Procurement

AWE; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 48,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

9-day fortnight

Pension scheme

Family friendly policies

Professional career development

Employee Assistance Programme

Life Assurance (4x salary)

Job summary

AWE in Reading is seeking an experienced Category Manager to shape category strategies, manage supplier contracts, and drive value across the business. You will develop and implement category strategies, support and lead commercial negotiations, and build strong relationships with key suppliers throughout the contract lifecycle.

This is a varied commercial role where you will work with stakeholders across Commercial, Operations, Legal and Finance, ensuring contracts and suppliers perform against

Qualifications

• Experience in Procurement, Commercial or Category Management environments.
• Experience developing and delivering category strategies.
• End-to-end procurement experience incl. tendering, evaluation, negotiation and contracting.
• Experience in contract management and Supplier Relationship Management.
• Strong commercial and negotiation skills with ability to deliver value.
• Good analytical and financial skills to interpret data for commercial decisions.
• Strong cross-functional stakeholder management and communication.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of categories and supplier contracts across the business.
• Develop and implement category strategies to deliver long-term value.
• Lead commercial negotiations and build strong supplier relationships throughout the contract lifecycle.
• Ensure contracts and supplier performance meet KPIs and SLAs.
• Collaborate with Commercial, Operations, Legal and Finance to influence outcomes and delivery.

Skills

Procurement

Category Management

Negotiation

Contract Management

SRM

Data Analysis

Stakeholder Management

Excel

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

AWE in Reading is seeking an experienced Category Manager to shape category strategies, manage supplier contracts, and drive value across the business. You will develop and implement category strategies, support and lead commercial negotiations, and build strong relationships with key suppliers throughout the contract lifecycle.

This is a varied commercial role where you will work with stakeholders across Commercial, Operations, Legal and Finance, ensuring contracts and suppliers perform against