Senior Category Manager

Thames Water; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading water and wastewater company as a Digital Senior Category Manager. You'll leverage your commercial expertise to support cybersecurity and networks, ensuring Thames Water remains market-leading. This hybrid role involves managing supplier relationships and delivering strategic category plans while contributing to a sustainable future.

Benefits

26 days holiday, increasing to 30 with service

Annual Bonus

Private Medical Healthcare

Contributory pension (up to 12%)

Annual Personal Medical Assessments

Benefits hub with offers to support wellbeing

Qualifications

• Experience in a digital commercial role, understanding Digital Commercial Models.
• Ability to manage categories valued up to £100m with strategic risks.

Responsibilities

• Support Information Security and Telecoms Suppliers with commercial requirements.
• Lead and manage end-to-end category strategies for short, medium, and long term.
• Produce category plans to support ongoing commercial strategy.

Skills

Stakeholder Engagement

Project Management

Commercial Governance

Market Insight

Negotiation

Job description

As a Digital Senior Category Manager, you should be a commercial expert for the category that you lead. You should be able to utilise this market expertise to develop and deliver strategies, ensuring that Thames is market-leading in their commercial arrangements. This role will support all commercial activity for Cybersecurity and Networks, supporting the delivery of major projects for Digital Turnaround initiatives.

Thames is planning for a future where our technology solutions enable us to achieve our goal of protecting our greatest natural resource and allow our customers, communities and the environment to thrive.

What you’ll be doing as a Digital Senior Category Manager

1. Supporting Information Security, Networks and Telecoms Suppliers with all commercial requirements, including project delivery contracts, software renewals and new software sourcing activities.
2. Working with stakeholders to provide commercial advice and ensure commercial compliance is embedded across the category.
3. Produce category plans to support pipeline planning and ongoing commercial strategy.
4. Manage a portfolio of suppliers to ensure contracted expectations are improved throughout the contract lifecycle and support these suppliers in delivering additional value to Thames Water.
5. Lead, develop, and manage end-to-end category strategies for the short, medium, and long term. Identify initiatives to maximise value and outcomes, balancing commercial risk and opportunities.
6. Provide category knowledge and supply market insight to internal stakeholders, deliver category strategies and sourcing events, and identify/manage category risks.
7. Become the commercial expert for the category to enable Thames to adapt quickly to market changes.

Base Location

Reading - Hybrid.

Working Pattern

36 Hours per week.

What you should bring to the role

1. Experience influencing senior stakeholders to embed best practice commercial governance.
2. Ability to manage multiple projects within the category with effective prioritisation.
3. Experience in a digital commercial role, understanding key Digital Commercial Models, including for Software and Project Delivery.
4. Knowledge of the external supply market, including suppliers, trends, innovation, and market dynamics.
5. Strong engagement skills to support, influence, and challenge stakeholders for optimal commercial outcomes.
6. Understanding of Category Management principles with a track record of results across multiple categories and strong supplier/stakeholder relationships.
7. Ability to provide insights on supply market dynamics, regulations, frameworks, suppliers, and innovations.
8. Ability to identify market insights, trends, opportunities, and risks.
9. Experience managing categories valued up to £100m with strategic risks.
10. Experience negotiating with suppliers on commercial and contractual matters, assessing contractual risk and resilience.

What’s in it for you?

This is an exciting time to join Thames Water as we continue our turnaround plan, offering opportunities to be part of our strategic journey.

• 26 days holiday, increasing to 30 with service + bank holidays
• Annual Bonus
• Private Medical Healthcare
• Contributory pension (up to 12%) with 2x employee contribution
• Annual Personal Medical Assessments
• Benefits hub with offers to support wellbeing

We are the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, serving over 16 million customers daily. We aim to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. We seek passionate, skilled people committed to making a difference and supporting our long-term vision.

Thames Water offers a diverse, rewarding workplace with career progression, flexible working, and excellent benefits.

If you’re passionate about making a difference and protecting water resources for future generations, we welcome your application. Join us to help build a better future for our customers, region, and planet.

We promote diversity and inclusion, offering support throughout the recruitment process. We aim to remove barriers to success and are here to support you.

In crises, we rally to support our customers. Join our team to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Training provided, and it’s an enriching experience to learn more about our business, meet colleagues, and earn extra income.

Disclaimer: Due to high application volumes, we may close the advert early. Apply soon to avoid missing out.