Senior Category Manager

Bank of Ireland; Dublin; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Health insurance

Hybrid work model

Pension contributions

Flexible working arrangements

Job summary

Bank of Ireland is seeking a Senior Category Manager to lead strategic sourcing and supplier relationship management. You will partner with senior stakeholders to develop category strategies, run end-to-end sourcing, negotiate contracts, and drive value from third-party spend while managing supplier risk.

The role emphasizes collaboration across the organisation, delivering commercial outcomes, and ensuring governance compliance within a hybrid work model at the Dublin base.

Qualifications

• No formal minimum educational requirements specified in the ad.
• Experience influencing partners and delivering sourcing outcomes in a complex organisation is valued.
• Progress towards or completion of procurement accreditations is beneficial but not mandatory.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and ongoing management of category strategies aligned with business priorities.
• Identify sourcing opportunities with business leaders and develop annual sourcing plans.
• Lead end-to-end sourcing activities including requirements gathering, tendering, contract negotiations and supplier selection.
• Build strong relationships with suppliers and internal stakeholders to drive positive commercial outcomes.
• Monitor market developments, procurement best practices, and ensure compliance with policies and governance.

Skills

Category management

Sourcing

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Relationship building

Job description

What is the opportunity?

As a Senior Category Manager, join the team responsible for Procurement and Partner Relations. Help Bank of Ireland improve how value is derived from its third-party spend and handle supplier risk. This is an excellent opportunity to lead strategic sourcing initiatives, influence business decision-making, and build positive relationships across the organisation and supplier community. You will work closely with senior partners to develop category strategies, deliver commercial outcomes, and support the Bank's wider business efficiency goals.

In this role, you will:

• Lead the development and ongoing management of category strategies, ensuring they align with business priorities and deliver value across the Group.
• Partner with business leaders and collaborators to identify sourcing opportunities, develop annual sourcing plans, and support commercial decision-making.
• Lead end-to-end sourcing activities, including gathering requirements, leading tender processes, negotiating contracts, and supporting supplier selection.
• Build strong relationships with suppliers and internal stakeholders to drive effective partner management and positive commercial outcomes.
• Monitor market developments, procurement best practice, and emerging trends while ensuring compliance with Bank policies, regulatory requirements, and procurement governance standards.

What will make you stand out?

You are a commercially minded procurement professional with experience influencing partners and delivering sourcing outcomes in a complex organisation. You enjoy building positive relationships, balancing critical thinking with practical execution, and finding opportunities to develop value.

Strong negotiation skills, sound judgement, and the ability to translate business needs into effective procurement strategies will help you succeed in this role. You'll be comfortable working with team members at different levels, communicating clearly, and navigating challenging priorities.

Experience with the following could enhance your application but is not required to apply for this role:

• Experience developing and implementing category management strategies.
• Knowledge of supplier management and procurement governance frameworks.
• Progress towards or completion of a recognised procurement accreditation such as Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS), Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM), or Institute of Purchasing & Materials Management (IIPMM).
• Experience working within financial services or another regulated environment.

Essential qualifications

There are no specific qualifications or minimum educational requirements needed for this role.

More about the team

Group Procurement & Partner Management is a Group-wide function responsible for Strategic Sourcing, Category Management, Partner Relationship Management, Supplier Risk Management, Governance, and Procurement Services & Transformation. The team plays a meaningful role in supporting all divisions and business units across the Bank by facilitating the effective purchase of goods and services.

Working collaboratively within the organisation, the team helps improve value from supplier relationships while ensuring appropriate management of supplier risk. You will join an expert and encouraging team that values partnership, continuous improvement, and professional development.

This is a hybrid role, based primarily at Bank of Ireland, Dublin. We typically ask colleagues to spend a minimum of 8 days per month working in-person to support collaboration and connection. Specific arrangements will be confirmed by your recruiter to ensure they meet the needs of the role and team.

Why work with us

The Bank of Ireland company culture prioritises work?'life balance with a commitment to hybrid working, along with 25 days annual leave and excellent pension contributions.

Family can mean different things to different people; we offer 6 months paid maternity leave, an innovative fertility and surrogacy policy along with working parent and carer supports.

Your health and wellbeing is important to us; we offer a substantial health insurance contribution, Employee Assistance Programme, WebDoctor and financial wellbeing coaches.

We also encourage and support colleagues to pursue educational and professional qualifications to grow and enhance your career.

We support flexible working arrangements for many roles and are committed to helping colleagues balance their personal and professional commitments while delivering great outcomes for our customers and teams.

Key Competencies

• Customer Focused - Self
• Better together - People Manager
• Be Decisive - People Manager
• Manage Risk - Self
• Take Ownership - People Manager

We're on a continuous journey to build an inclusive and diverse workplace. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, lived experience, abilities and perspectives. We provide reasonable accommodations at every stage of our recruitment process for disabilities, neurodivergence or medical conditions. If you require an accommodation please complete this form and one of our recruitment team members will be in touch via email.Any information provided will be treated as confidential within the recruitment team and used only for the purpose of determining and providing appropriate accommodations for the application and recruitment process.

Where Agency assistance is required Bank of Ireland Recruitment Team will engage directly with suppliers. Unsolicited CVs / profiles supplied to Bank of Ireland by Recruitment Agencies will not be accepted for this role.