Senior Category Manager

The Sterling Choice; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

The Sterling Choice is partnering with a food manufacturer to recruit a Strategic Category Manager for leading commercial and supplier agendas across UK and European businesses.

This strategic role emphasizes long-range planning, market insight and cross-functional leadership to grow profitably, build supply resilience and bring new ideas to market faster.

Qualifications

• Significant strategic procurement or category management experience in food, FMCG, manufacturing or another complex supply environment.
• Ownership of category strategies and end-to-end strategic sourcing, including complex negotiations and contract implementation.
• Strong grasp of category economics, cost drivers, supply markets and total-cost analysis.
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders without direct authority.
• Commercial, financial and analytical skills, including spend analysis, business cases and benefit tracking.
• Working knowledge of supplier quality, food safety, continuity and risk requirements.

Responsibilities

• Build clear spend/demand/risk baselines and translate into sourcing roadmaps and decisions.
• Develop three-year category strategies and annual execution plans aligned with growth priorities.
• Lead strategic sourcing end-to-end from market engagement to should-cost analysis, negotiation and contracting.
• Deliver value through competitive sourcing, specification optimisation, cost avoidance, payment terms and supplier-enabled innovation.
• Collaborate with Commercial, R&D, Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance and Legal to support growth and capacity expansion.
• Lead strategic supplier relationship management including business reviews and joint improvement plans.
• Identify and mitigate supply, capacity, financial, regulatory and geopolitical risks with contingency plans.
• Track commodity, packaging, logistics and regulatory developments; provide timely recommendations.

Skills

Category management

Strategic procurement

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Spend analysis

Contract management

Financial analysis

Communication

Education

Degree in Procurement or related field

CIPS/MCIPS

Tools

E-sourcing

Spend analytics

Supplier performance platforms

Job description

Looking for a role where you can develop short/long-term plans to optimise spend, reduce total cost of ownership and align with company goals?

Then look no further

We have partnered with a food manufacturer looking for a Strategic Category Manager to lead the commercial and supplier agenda for key categories across our UK and European businesses.

This is a strategic role, not a transactional one. You ll bring market insight, long-range planning and cross-functional leadership to help us grow profitably, build resilient supply and bring new ideas to market faster.

What you ll do

• Build a clear fact base covering spend, demand, supply markets, cost drivers and risks, and turn it into sourcing roadmaps and decisions.
• Develop three-year category strategies and annual execution plans, aligned with business growth priorities and our global procurement agenda.
• Lead strategic sourcing end to end, from market engagement and RFI to should-cost analysis, negotiation and contracting.
• Deliver measurable value through competitive sourcing, specification optimisation, cost avoidance, payment terms and supplier-enabled innovation.
• Partner with Commercial, R&D, Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Finance, Legal and Sustainability to support growth, innovation and capacity expansion.
• Bring suppliers into the growth agenda early, and lead strategic supplier relationship management, including business reviews and joint improvement plans.
• Identify and mitigate supply, capacity, financial, regulatory and geopolitical risks, with qualified alternatives and continuity plans in place.
• Track commodity, packaging, logistics and regulatory developments, and give the business timely recommendations.

What success looks like

• Approved category strategies with clear value, growth, risk and innovation roadmaps.
• Productivity, cost avoidance and working capital targets delivered, with benefits validated alongside Finance.
• Better supply continuity, contract coverage and supplier performance.
• Supplier-enabled innovation that supports business growth

What you ll bring

Essential

• Significant strategic procurement or category management experience in food, FMCG, manufacturing or another complex supply environment.
• Ownership of category strategies and end-to-end strategic sourcing, including complex negotiations and contract implementation.
• A strong grasp of category economics, cost drivers, supply markets and total-cost analysis.
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders without direct authority.
• Commercial, financial and analytical skills, including spend analysis, business cases and benefit tracking.
• Working knowledge of supplier quality, food safety, continuity and risk requirements.
• Clear communication skills, and comfort managing ambiguity and multiple priorities across markets.

Desirable

• A degree or equivalent experience in Procurement, Supply Chain, Business, Finance or Engineering.
• CIPS/MCIPS or an equivalent qualification.
• Experience sourcing across the UK and continental Europe.
• Knowledge of contract law, responsible sourcing and UK/EU regulation.
• Experience with e-sourcing, spend analytics and supplier performance platforms.

How we work

You ll report to the Head of Procurement and work closely with regional and global procurement colleagues. The business values strategic and commercial thinking, constructive challenge, collaboration and integrity. You ll own your categories, but you ll succeed by bringing others with you.

Location

UK-based, with regular supplier and business travel across the UK and Europe.

Package

GBP60,000 - GBP65,000 + Bonus