IT Category Manager

Proactive Appointments; England; Hybrid; GBP 61,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Proactive Appointments in Portsmouth is seeking an experienced IT Category Manager to take ownership of the IT procurement strategy and drive value across the organisation.

You will lead sourcing activities within the IT category, manage key supplier relationships and influence stakeholders at senior levels, while delivering cost savings and ensuring compliance in a hybrid working environment with two on-site days per week.

Qualifications

• Ability to analyse and present complex commercial data to a wide range of stakeholders.
• Strong organisational skills to manage multiple workstreams.
• Proven negotiation, influencing and resolution skills.
• Outstanding communication skills and stakeholder engagement.
• Self-starter with resilience under pressure and willingness to develop skills.
• Knowledge of the water industry and/or IT category supply chain.
• Experience of strategic sourcing in multi-stakeholder environments.
• Track record delivering against stretch targets.

Responsibilities

• Support development and continual improvement of procurement best practices across the full lifecycle, ensuring processes remain current and effective.
• Build strong, trusted relationships with internal stakeholders and external suppliers, with the ability to influence at senior levels.
• Deliver exceptional customer service to both internal teams and external partners, promoting clear and proactive communication.
• Promote continuous improvement in procurement procedures and working practices to enhance service delivery and efficiency.
• Manage IT category spend with high strategic impact, ensuring alignment with business goals and risk mitigation.
• Develop and implement category and demand strategies by engaging stakeholders to understand business needs and specifications.
• Lead commercial activities across the sourcing lifecycle, delivering value creation and minimising total cost of ownership.
• Collaborate with business leaders to drive cost reduction through standardisation, aggregation, and minimising tail spend.
• Ensure full compliance with utilities procurement regulations, statutory obligations, and data protection requirements throughout sourcing processes.

Skills

Procurement strategy

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

Sourcing lifecycle

Supplier relationship

Education

CIPS MCIPS qualification

Job description

IT Category Manager

Portsmouth, Hampshire | Permanent | Up to £68,000 per annum | Hybrid (2 days on-site per week) | Excellent Benefits Package

We are working with a leading organisation that is looking to appoint an experienced IT Category Manager to take ownership of its IT procurement strategy. This is a fantastic opportunity for a commercially driven procurement professional to lead sourcing activity across the IT category, manage key supplier relationships and drive value, innovation and efficiencies across the organisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the development and continual improvement of procurement best practices across the full lifecycle, ensuring processes remain current and effective.
• Build strong, trusted relationships with internal stakeholders and external suppliers, with the ability to influence at senior levels.
• Deliver exceptional customer service to both internal teams and external partners, promoting clear and proactive communication.
• Promote continuous improvement in procurement procedures and working practices to enhance service delivery and efficiency.
• Manage IT category spend with high strategic impact, ensuring alignment with business goals and risk mitigation.
• Develop and implement category and demand strategies by engaging stakeholders to understand business needs and specifications.
• Lead commercial activities across the sourcing lifecycle, delivering value creation and minimising total cost of ownership.
• Collaborate with business leaders to drive cost reduction through standardisation, aggregation, and minimising tail spend.
• Ensure full compliance with utilities procurement regulations, statutory obligations, and data protection requirements throughout sourcing processes.

Essential Experience Required

• Ability to analyse and present complex commercial/contractual data and concepts to a wide range of stakeholders
• Strong organisational skills and ability to manage multiple workstreams
• Solid negotiation, influencing and resolution skills
• Outstanding communication skills and customer service ethic with strong stakeholder engagement capabilities
• Self-starter - resilient and tenacious under pressure and willingness to develop skills and experience
• Knowledge of the water industry and/or IT category specific supply chain
• Experience of strategic sourcing in a multi-stakeholder environment and working within multi-disciplinary teams
• Relevant transferable business and/or supply chain knowledge
• Track record in delivering against stretching target

Desirable

• Excellent proven commercial and contractual acumen
• Knowledge and experience of regulated procurement procedures (either UCR, PCR or PA23)
• CIPS or MCIPS qualified; or alternative qualifications in transferable expertise
• Project management experience or qualifications