Category Manager

Mercury; Dublin; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Mercury Headquarters, Ballycoolin, Dublin, seeks a Category Manager to lead procurement strategies across capital equipment and related services. You will partner with Engineering, Estimation and Business Unit Leaders to ensure supply continuity, commercial value and risk resilience in a complex, multi‑site environment.

Experience in construction or major capital programmes is strongly preferred; a mechanical or electrical background is advantageous.

Qualifications

• Experience managing procurement across capital equipment and services.
• Strong commercial acumen with ability to negotiate high‑value contracts.
• Ability to balance multiple priorities in a multi‑site construction/engineering environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement category strategies to optimise total cost of ownership and supply performance.
• Own and manage supplier relationships to drive performance, innovation and long‑term value.
• Lead identification, qualification, negotiation and contracting of suppliers for current and future project demand.
• Partner with Engineering, Estimation and Business Unit Leads to support project delivery from early engagement through execution.
• Conduct market and cost benchmarking to stay informed on technologies and supply chain trends.
• Deliver measurable cost savings and cost avoidance aligned with client and business objectives.
• Lead end‑to‑end tendering and sourcing activities and enhance procurement processes.

Job description

Category Manager – Mercury Headquarters, Ballycoolin, Dublin

Mercury is the European leader in construction solutions. We build and manage complex engineering & construction projects for the world’s leading corporations. Our solutions help deliver technologies and life changing advancements that connect people, communities and businesses, giving them the power to achieve incredible things. Our people have the courage to be innovative. Their determination and sharp focus enable us to deliver with certainty, time and time again.

We deliver our clients’ visions through leading edge construction solutions across multiple sectors, including: Enterprise Data Centres, Advanced Technology & Life Sciences, Hyperscale Data Centres, Fire Protection.

At Mercury, it is our duty to encourage and back our people to realise their vision of themselves. We place them at the heart of what we do, providing challenging opportunities to develop within a great team in a supportive environment that allows them to reach their full potential.

Role Overview

Reporting to the Senior Procurement Manager, the Procurement Category Manager will play a central role in strengthening and evolving Mercury’s procurement capability. This position is accountable for developing and executing category strategies across capital equipment and associated services, spanning both Capex and Opex.

Operating in a complex, multi‑site environment, the role partners closely with Engineering, Estimation, Operations and Business Unit leadership to ensure supply continuity, commercial value, and risk resilience. The successful candidate will bring strong market insight, disciplined category management and a pragmatic, delivery‑focused mindset.

Experience within construction, engineering or major capital programmes is strongly preferred. A mechanical engineering or electrical qualification is preferred but is not essential.

Key Responsibilities Of The Role

• Develop and implement category strategies that optimise total cost of ownership, improve supply performance, and reduce commercial and operational risk.
• Own and actively manage supplier relationships, moving beyond transactional engagement to drive performance, innovation and long‑term value.
• Lead the identification, qualification, negotiation and contracting of new and existing suppliers to support current and future project demand.
• Act as a trusted commercial partner to Engineering, Estimation and Business Unit Leads, supporting project delivery plans from early engagement through execution.
• Conduct regular market and cost benchmarking to ensure Mercury remains competitive and informed of emerging technologies and supply chain trends.
• Deliver measurable cost savings and cost avoidance, ensuring value creation is aligned to both client and business objectives.
• Lead end‑to‑end tendering and sourcing activities, utilising existing procurement tools and introducing improved processes where required.
• Build and maintain a central repository of capital equipment data, including pricing, lead times, supplier capabilities and risk indicators.
• Provide clear market intelligence and supplier insight through structured reporting and stakeholder engagement.
• Support procurement transformation initiatives, embedding consistent processes, governance and change management across the organisation.
• Assess and mitigate supply chain risks, including capacity, ethical, financial and geographic exposures.
• Ensure procurement activities are conducted in line with internal policies, contractual requirements and applicable regulatory standards.
• Monitor and manage supplier compliance with ethical, sustainability and compliance standards, escalating and addressing breaches where necessary.
• Collaborate with internal partners across Legal, Audit, Compliance and Finance to promote ethical sourcing and robust governance.
• Contribute to the development of standard operating procedures for the procurement of capital plant and equipment.
• Build strong, collaborative relationships across Engineering, Estimation, Quality, Finance, Operations and Business Units.
• Align multiple business units around shared procurement principles, category strategies and value‑driven initiatives.
• Engage confidently with senior leadership, presenting data‑led insights, risks and recommendations.
• Define and implement supplier performance metrics covering cost, delivery, quality and responsiveness.
• Develop and maintain supplier scorecards and lead structured performance reviews.
• Drive continuous improvement across the supply base through innovation, process improvement and performance management.
• Identify opportunities to automate, digitise or improve procurement tools and workflows.
• Support and enable delivery of Mercury’s Go Beyond strategy, ensuring procurement and supply chain pillars are executed consistently and effectively across the organisation.

Essential

You will bring experience managing a range of procurement categories, ideally within capital projects, construction or engineering environments. You’ll be comfortable negotiating high‑value contracts for goods and services, with a sound commercial understanding and an ability to contribute to cost efficiencies and improved value outcomes. A thoughtful, organised and analytical approach is important, along with experience supporting end‑to‑end tendering activities and balancing multiple priorities. Clear, confident communication and the ability to work well with a broad range of stakeholders are key to succeeding in this role.

Personal Attributes

You are proactive and self‑motivated, with a natural sense of ownership and a collaborative approach to getting things done. Comfortable working independently as well as across teams and functions, you bring a positive, solution‑focused mindset and the resilience to adapt in a fast‑moving environment. You are curious and forward‑looking, with an interest in continually improving how work is done, and you act with integrity while championing Mercury’s values and leadership behaviours.

Requirements

Based in Dublin the role operates at across the Group requirements. Travel is essential and will vary depending on demand.

Mercury is an equal opportunities employer.