Indirect Category Lead - Strategy & Negotiation

McLaren Automotive Ltd; Woking; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Structured career development

25 days holiday + BH

Enhanced company pension

Discretionary bonus

Private medical insurance

Life assurance

Sabbatical opportunity

Lifestyle benefits (discounts)

Parental leave

Wellbeing initiatives

Job summary

McLaren Automotive is seeking an Indirect Procurement Category Lead to drive category strategies across Construction, Facilities Management, Capex, and Professional services.

You will own strategic sourcing, lead senior-level negotiations with suppliers, and partner across internal stakeholders up to C-suite to ensure value, risk mitigation, and supply resilience. Based in Woking and Oxfordshire, the role offers a broad, high-impact procurement remit.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of the global procurement landscape, regulations, and market dynamics.
• Strong negotiation and contract management capability.
• Ability to manage multiple complex projects concurrently.
• Excellent communication and senior stakeholder engagement skills.
• Strong commercial awareness and risk assessment.
• Strong team player with good interpersonal skills.
• Collaborative and approachable.
• Proven experience developing category strategies in a matrix organisation.
• Strong background leading complex sourcing programmes.
• Demonstrated delivery of cost savings and spend optimisation.
• Self-driven and outcome-focused.
• Collaborative, with the ability to build effective working relationships across teams and functions.
• Strong influencer with sound commercial judgement.
• Calm, structured and decisive under pressure.
• Strategic thinker with strong prioritisation skills.
• Methodical and detail oriented, with a clear focus on delivery and outcomes.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Able to prioritise a demanding workload while maintaining control of outcomes and stakeholder expectations.

Responsibilities

• Identify commercial opportunities and develop sourcing strategies and answer sourcing decisions across the Category portfolio in charge of.
• Deliver sourcing approaches that deliver value, financial savings, supply assurance and risk mitigation aligned to the category strategies.
• Apply contractual expertise to implement commercial protections, and performance measures.
• Work closely with internal service owners to support demand management, supplier performance and ongoing category optimisation.

Skills

Negotiation

Contract management

Stakeholder mgmt

Global markets

Analytical mindset

Category strategy

Sourcing strategy

Mentoring

Team collaboration

Communication

Influence

Commercial awareness

Risk assessment

Job description

McLaren Automotive is seeking an Indirect Procurement Category Lead to drive category strategies across Construction, Facilities Management, Capex, and Professional services.

You will own strategic sourcing, lead senior-level negotiations with suppliers, and partner across internal stakeholders up to C-suite to ensure value, risk mitigation, and supply resilience. Based in Woking and Oxfordshire, the role offers a broad, high-impact procurement remit.