Strategic IT Category Manager | Flexible Working

Portsmouth Water; Havant; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days annual leave

Bank holidays

Generous pension scheme

Non-contractual bonus up to 6%

Enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption

Life assurance 4x salary

Employee Assistance Programme

HealthHero app

Private Medical Insurance - Bupa

Retail discounts

Electric Vehicle Scheme

Cycle to Work Scheme

Health Cash Plan

Job summary

Portsmouth Water is seeking a strategic and innovative professional to join our Procurement team, focusing on IT category management. You will lead end-to-end category plans, manage a portfolio of IT suppliers, and shape sourcing strategies that deliver value while minimising commercial risk.

You’ll build trusted relationships with internal stakeholders and external partners, drive cost reduction through standardisation, and ensure regulatory compliance across the contract lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Ability to analyse and present complex commercial/contractual data to a wide range of stakeholders.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to manage multiple workstreams.
• Solid negotiation, influencing and resolution skills.
• Outstanding communication skills and customer service ethic with strong stakeholder engagement capabilities.
• Self-starter resilient and tenacious under pressure and willingness to develop skills and experience.
• Knowledge of the water industry and/or IT category specific supply chain.
• Experience of strategic sourcing in a multi-stakeholder environment and working within multi-disciplinary teams.
• Relevant transferable business and/or supply chain knowledge.
• Track record in delivering against stretching targets.

Responsibilities

• Support the development and continual improvement of procurement best practices across the full lifecycle, ensuring processes remain current and effective.
• Build strong, trusted relationships with internal stakeholders and external suppliers, with the ability to influence at senior levels.
• Deliver exceptional customer service to both internal teams and external partners, promoting clear and proactive communication.
• Promote continuous improvement in procurement procedures and working practices to enhance service delivery and efficiency.
• Manage IT category spend with high strategic impact, ensuring alignment with business goals and risk mitigation.
• Develop and implement category and demand strategies by engaging stakeholders to understand business needs and specifications.
• Lead commercial activities across the sourcing lifecycle, delivering value creation and minimising total cost of ownership.
• Collaborate with business leaders to drive cost reduction through standardisation, aggregation, and minimising tail spend.
• Ensure full compliance with utilities procurement regulations, statutory obligations, and data protection requirements throughout sourcing processes.
• Embed Portsmouth Water’s health, safety, and wellbeing values into sourcing strategies and supplier qualification processes.

Skills

Data analysis

Organisation

Negotiation

Stakeholder engagement

Resilience

Industry knowledge

Strategic sourcing

Transferable knowledge

Delivery targets

Job description

Portsmouth Water is seeking a strategic and innovative professional to join our Procurement team, focusing on IT category management. You will lead end-to-end category plans, manage a portfolio of IT suppliers, and shape sourcing strategies that deliver value while minimising commercial risk.

You’ll build trusted relationships with internal stakeholders and external partners, drive cost reduction through standardisation, and ensure regulatory compliance across the contract lifecycle.