Category Manager

Highly Competitive Salary!
Hybrid working
Bonus Scheme
Private Medical Insurance
Life Assurance
27 days holiday + public holidays
Fantastic progression opportunities!
+ many more

Senior Category Manager – Specific Systems & Equipment (***MUST HAVE SECURITY CLEARANCE***)
Based Templecombe - Hybrid Working (also open to other commutable office locations)

Are you an experienced procurement professional who is passionate about category management and can deliver the transformation that this blue-chip defence business is implementing?

In this role, you will focus on managing our specific systems and equipment suppliers.

Key responsibilities
On a day-to-day basis, you'll have:

• Accountability for ensuring the most up-to-date knowledge of the supplier market, including new innovations and key emerging technologies relevant to the category.

• Responsibility for leading major / business critical supplier selection exercises to support business needs, as well as the deployment, implementation and monitoring of category strategies.

• End to end performance responsibility for the acquisition process via the management of RFIs and/or RFPs.

• Responsibility for supplier relationship management and continuous improvement of suppliers within the category (with the support of Supplier Performance Management Team if needed) and the management of strategic supplier performance including, but not limited to, quality, cost, delivery, contractual performance and innovation.

• Responsibility for ensuring that the suppliers provide the competitiveness required to support the business and to introduce optimal supply base changes to support business-winning capability.

• Responsibility for mastering economic models for the category so that increased value can be added to the business and the supply base.

About you
Ideally, you'll have:

• Proven experience in direct procurement categories (ideally with experience working with technical/engineering stakeholders).

• Experience in developing, supporting and implementing category strategy initiatives.

• Experience performance managing suppliers to above target performance and have a working knowledge of supplier development techniques.

• Strong contractual knowledge especially of framework agreements and key clauses.

• The ability to lead complex negotiations including import/export considerations.

• A good understanding of the market for the category as well as an understanding of customer drivers, needs and programme issues.

• Experience implementing procurement strategy from an operational perspective.

• Proven ability challenging and developing innovative supply chain/procurement analysis that adds value to the business and end customers.

If this role resonates with you, please send an updated CV to