Strategic Category Manager - Hybrid | 14‑Month Contract

LGC Group; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

London office

Job summary

LGC Group is seeking a proactive Category Manager for a 14-month fixed-term contract based at our Victoria Street office in London, with hybrid working and 1-2 days per week in the office.

You will develop category strategies, manage supplier relationships, and lead negotiations to optimise spend across a varied corporate portfolio. Strong analytical and cross-functional collaboration skills are essential, with a focus on delivering measurable cost savings and value.

Qualifications

• Relevant experience in category management, strategic sourcing or procurement.
• Experience delivering category strategies, sourcing projects and spend optimisation initiatives.
• Strong commercial negotiation skills with suppliers on tenders, contracts, pricing and terms.
• Ability to analyse spend and market information to find opportunities and demonstrate results.
• Confidence collaborating with partners across functions and levels of seniority to influence decisions.
• Strong organisational and project management skills to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
• Proactive, improvement-focused approach with resilience to changing priorities.
• Commitment to integrity, transparency and ethical business practices.

Responsibilities

• Develop and complete comprehensive category strategies aligned with objectives and goals.
• Manage and nurture strategic supplier relationships, ensuring value delivery.
• Analyse market trends and category data to drive cost savings and process optimisation.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives to improve procurement processes and efficiency.
• Conduct spend analysis and category modelling for strategic decisions and budgeting.
• Negotiate contracts and commercial terms balancing cost, quality, and service.
• Monitor category performance with benchmarks and provide insights.
• Collaborate with internal teams to align solutions with business needs.
• Identify innovative solutions to improve performance and growth.
• Champion customer-focused decisions impacting end-user experience.
• Support induction and development of team members.

Skills

Category management

Strategic sourcing

Commercial negotiations

Spend analysis

Stakeholder management

Project management

Analytical thinking

Change management

Ability to influence

Education

CIPS (desirable)

Job description

LGC Group is seeking a proactive Category Manager for a 14-month fixed-term contract based at our Victoria Street office in London, with hybrid working and 1-2 days per week in the office.

You will develop category strategies, manage supplier relationships, and lead negotiations to optimise spend across a varied corporate portfolio. Strong analytical and cross-functional collaboration skills are essential, with a focus on delivering measurable cost savings and value.