Senior Category Manager

Thames Water Ltd; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 86,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Pension (AON)

Private medical insurance

26 days annual leave (30 with service)

Job summary

Thames Water is seeking a Senior Category Manager to lead category development and sourcing across key spend areas. You will engage senior stakeholders, shape category strategy, and drive supplier opportunities, ensuring value for money and compliance.

You will manage category projects, lead tenders, and build relationships with internal teams and suppliers, delivering continuous improvement and mitigating risks across contracts. Hybrid role based in Reading.

Qualifications

• Experience leading category development across spend categories.
• Ability to engage senior stakeholders and influence decisions.
• Strong understanding of supply market dynamics, regulation and innovations.
• Proven track record in delivering category plans and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Lead the newly developed Category process for relevant spend categories.
• Engage with internal stakeholders to shape category approach and supplier needs.
• Provide leadership on supply market dynamics, regulatory frameworks, and innovations.
• Build strategic category plans and consult with external markets and key stakeholders.
• Identify and prioritise sourcing pipelines and lead major category projects.
• Lead supplier negotiations and evaluate tenders to ensure value for money.
• Maintain relationships with key stakeholders and suppliers across contracts.
• Drive continuous improvement and assist with risk management and compliance.

Skills

Category management

Stakeholder engagement

Negotiation

Sourcing strategy

Influence players

Education

Experience in category management in a complex environment

Job description

Reporting to the Business Partner, the Senior Category Manager is an essential part of the Procurement and Supplier Management team ensuring that a strategic and innovative Category Management approach is consistently embedded within the way that Commercial, and Thames Water delivers its service

The role requires strong engagement and influencing skills with regular engagement with the Thames Water organisation at all levels up to CEO. The Senior Category Manager will ensure that the strategy is aligned with changing business risks and changing supply market over time. It is envisaged that the Senior Category Manager will share targets that are relevant to the business area that they support and will fully understand challenges and initiatives in that area.

What you’ll be doing as a Senior Category Manager

Category Development

• The ability to lead the newly developed Category process for the relevant categories of spend.
• Engage proactively with internal stakeholders to shape category approach, business needs, spend and suppliers
• Understand the category and provide leadership and insight for the business on all aspects of supply market dynamics, regulatory and internal frameworks, suppliers, and technical innovations.
• Build strategic and innovative category plans.
• Consult with external markets and key stakeholders

Sourcing

• Identify and prioritise a sourcing pipeline as part of category development.
• Lead major category projects and sourcing events adhering to the required process/approval steps
• Source and procure a range of goods and services across one or more expenditure categories, ensuring optimum value for money within defined service and quality criteria in keeping with the needs of the business
• Lead and evaluate competitive tenders and proposals for the supply of goods and services.

Supplier Management

• Be a key interface with the supplier on a particular contract
• Lead the review of supplier opportunities, innovations, and improvements
• Develop effective relationships with key functional stakeholders

Continuous Improvement

• Leaving a legacy of change and improvement in how Commercial is deployed across the organisation.

Risk Management

• Support the delivery of the Thames Enterprise Risk Model.

Process & compliance

• Operate information systems to the required standard to maintain accurate and secure records.

Base location – Hybrid – Clear Water Court Reading RG1 8DB

Working pattern – Monday to Friday 36 hours

What you should bring to the role

• Some understanding and experience of operating in complex supply chain environments.
• Experience of working in a Category Manager role in a complex environment.
• Experience of working with key suppliers up to a senior level.
• Track record in continuous improvement and ability to deliver against stretching targets.
• A good understanding of what good Category Management looks like.
• Good understanding of data sources that can build a category plan and experience of using market insight effectively.
• Innovative category planning.
• Capable of leading complex supplier negotiations up to £100m in value.
• Ability to communicate and influence effectively both verbally and in writing including the writing of reports and delivery of presentations.
• Enhance stakeholder relationships with the ability to influence and drive change.
• Comfortable with legal framework.

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary of up to £78,000 per annum depending on experience.
• Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year increasing to 30 with the length of service. (plus bank holidays)
• Car Allowance.
• Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets.
• Generous Pension Scheme through AON.
• Private Medical Health Care.
• Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of you and your family’s health and wellbeing, and your finances – from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling, to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance.

Find out more about our benefits and perks (Please note different T&Cs apply if on secondment)

Who are we?

We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.

Learn more about our purpose and values

Working at Thames Water

Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

If you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region, and our planet.

Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.

We’re committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, whether that’s extra time, accessible formats, or anything else just let us know, we’re here to help and support.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues.