Procurement Category Specialist – Professional Services & Marketing

Primark Stores Limited; Dublin; Hybrid; EUR 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare

Pension

Bonus

27 days leave

Job summary

Primark is seeking a Senior Procurement professional to drive category strategy and sourcing for Professional Services and Marketing & Communications. The role collaborates with Marketing, Brand, Digital, Finance, HR, Technology and Transformation teams to tailor procurement plans that deliver value and reduce risk.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years of procurement experience in fast-paced organisations, with strong negotiation, stakeholder management and data-driven decision skills.

Qualifications

• Proven procurement experience with 5+ years in category management and strategic sourcing.
• Strong capability in managing professional services and marketing spend categories.
• Excellent negotiation and supplier-management skills, with a focus on value beyond cost savings.

Responsibilities

• Drive category strategy and sourcing activities across Professional Services and Marketing & Communications, delivering value through procurement governance.
• Develop and execute category and sourcing plans aligned with business objectives and cost-efficiency.
• Lead complex sourcing and negotiation activities, including high-value contracts and SOWs.
• Partner with stakeholders across Marketing, Brand, Digital, Finance, HR, Technology, and Transformation to align needs with procurement goals.
• Manage supplier performance, drive continuous improvement and sustainability initiatives.
• Utilize market insights and analytics to improve spend transparency and data-driven decisions.

Skills

Procurement experience

Category management

Strategic sourcing

Negotiation skills

Stakeholder management

Data-driven decision making

Project management

Job description

Because we strive to put people first. Culture, our way.

Procurement at Primark

What’s a career at Primark all about? The positive impact you’re making, the experiences you’re having and the people you’re with. You’re our inspiration. Embrace what sets you apart, own your career and develop in ways you never expected. Leave your mark. And do it your way.

What You’ll Do

We want you to feel challenged and inspired. Here, you’ll develop your skills across a range of responsibilities:

• Drive category strategy and sourcing activities across Professional Services and Marketing & Communications, delivering value through effective procurement, supplier management, and commercial governance.
• Develop and execute category and sourcing plans that align with business objectives, maximise value, manage risk, and support long-term cost efficiency initiatives.
• Lead complex sourcing and negotiation activities, including high-value contracts, consulting engagements, managed services, agency agreements, and Statements of Work (SOWs).
• Partner with key stakeholders across Marketing, Brand, Digital, Finance, HR, Technology, and Transformation teams to understand business needs and ensure procurement strategies support organisational goals.
• Manage supplier performance and strategic partnerships, driving continuous improvement, innovation, sustainability, and measurable value beyond cost savings.
• Leverage market insights, analytics, and digital tools to identify opportunities, optimise supplier relationships, enhance spend transparency, and support data-driven decision-making.

What You’ll Get

This role is a hybrid opportunity, offering 1-2 days Working from home.

People are at the heart of what we do here, so it’s essential we provide you with the right environment to perform at your very best.

• Healthcare, pension, and potential bonus.
• 27 days of leave, plus bank holidays and if you want, you can buy 5 more.
• Tax Saver Tickets, fitness centre, and a subsidised cafeteria.

What You’ll Bring

Here at Primark, we want everyone to feel valued – so please bring your authentic self to work, of course with some other key experience and abilities for this role in particular:

• Proven procurement experience, with 5+ years in category management, strategic sourcing, supplier management, and commercial procurement within complex, fast-paced organisations.
• Category expertise across Professional Services and/or Marketing & Communications, including consulting, managed services, agency services, media, creative, digital, PR, and production spend.
• Strong commercial and negotiation skills, with experience developing sourcing strategies, managing Statements of Work (SOWs), leading complex sourcing programmes, and delivering value beyond traditional cost savings.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing capabilities, with the ability to build trusted relationships and collaborate effectively across Marketing, Brand, HR, Finance, Technology, and external supplier teams.
• Analytical and strategic thinking skills, with experience using market intelligence, supplier benchmarking, and data-driven insights to support decision-making, innovation, and supplier optimisation.
• A results-focused and proactive mindset, backed by strong project management, communication, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and drive successful outcomes.

Excited? Good. Because it’s energising to put your skills to work, in a growing global business committed to encouraging people to express themselves – and feel a sense of belonging.

About Primark

At Primark, people matter. They’s the beating heart of our business and the reason we’ve grown from our first store in Dublin in 1969 to a £9bn+ turnover business a over 80,000 colleagues and over 440 stores in 17 countries today. Our values run through everything we do. In essence, we're Caring and always strive to put people first. We're also Dynamic, bravely pushing the boundaries to stay ahead. And finally, we succeed Together.

If you need any reasonable adjustments or have an accessibility request, during your recruitment journey, such as extended time or breaks between online assessments, a sign language interpreter, mobility access, or assistive technology please contact your talent acquisition specialist.

All offers of employment are subject to background checks, including right to work, reference education and for some roles criminal, and financial checks. If you have any concerns, please reach out to our talent acquisition team to discuss.

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