Strategic Defence Category Manager

First Military Recruitment; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 92,000 - 148,000; Full time

Job summary

First Military Recruitment Ltd is recruiting a Category Manager to deliver commercial excellence and category strategies across defence portfolios. The role focuses on strategy development, stakeholder engagement, and market insight to drive improvements and effective sourcing decisions.

Location includes London and Bristol with planned onsite days and monthly presence in Bristol; the position is a day-rate contract through to 31 March 2027, in scope for IR35.

Qualifications

• Expert understanding of end-to-end commercial lifecycle management.
• Experience delivering category management in complex, project-oriented environments.
• Ability to engage senior stakeholders and suppliers toward commercial solutions.
• Strong governance and programme planning capabilities.
• SC Clearance preferred or BPSS eligible.

Responsibilities

• Champion category management across your categories.
• Define components of a category from strategy through implementation, including scope, deliverables, timelines, resources and budget.
• Produce category workstream plans with risk and quality across scope.
• Identify and influence future business needs with stakeholders across the portfolio.
• Map external market dynamics and opportunities; provide market intelligence insights.
• Develop market engagement plans and reports; explore new markets.
• Combine market data to build holistic understandings and reports.
• Identify improvement opportunities to deliver portfolio priorities and ensure coherence with strategies.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to implement category strategies and ensure BAU integration.
• Maintain category strategies aligned to portfolio priorities and refresh regularly.
• Support implementation of sourcing, supplier management and business change opportunities.
• Provide regular updates to Category Group Manager and senior stakeholders.

Skills

Category management

Stakeholder management

Market intelligence

Strategic thinking

Risk management

Business case development

Leadership

Analytical skills

Problem solving

Communication

Job description

First Military Recruitment Ltd is recruiting a Category Manager to deliver commercial excellence and category strategies across defence portfolios. The role focuses on strategy development, stakeholder engagement, and market insight to drive improvements and effective sourcing decisions.

Location includes London and Bristol with planned onsite days and monthly presence in Bristol; the position is a day-rate contract through to 31 March 2027, in scope for IR35.