Strategic Category Manager - Business Operations & Sourcing

• Develop and implement a Business Operations category plan that aligns with business priorities

• Identify and deliver cost reduction, value creation, and efficiency opportunities

• Lead end-to-end Business Operations sourcing events (RFx’s) in line with related policies and business requirements

• Define Business Operations sourcing strategies, evaluation criteria, and negotiation approaches

• Negotiate commercial terms, pricing models, and contractual frameworks

• Ensure robust supplier selection and due diligence, including ESG considerations

• Translate business needs into procurement strategies and sourcing activities

• Drive adoption of procurement best practices across the organisation

• Support strategic supplier relationships

• Identify and drive supplier innovation and continuous improvement initiatives

• Identify supplier risks and propose countermeasures

• Ensure sourcing events fully comply with related policies, legal standards, and audit requirements

• Maintain accurate documentation and audit-ready sourcing records

• Track and report procurement benefits (hard savings, cost avoidance, value-add)

• Support budgeting and forecasting activities with Finance

• Monitor category spend and identify optimisation opportunities

• Manage Category Specialists to support category strategies and sourcing events

• Develop an environment of continuous improvement where the team can challenge the status quo and identify opportunities for improvement

• Contribute to the drafting and review of contracts in collaboration with Legal and the business stakeholders

• Support stakeholders from a Procurement perspective with the creation of a business case to enter into a contract for specific services/goods

• Work with Indirect Sourcing colleagues on achieving departmental objectives

Requirements

• Previous category management experience in Business Operations or similar (Facilities, HR, Professional Services, Finance, Legal and Customer)
• Strategic mindset
• Ability to translate business requirements into sourcing strategies
• Ability to identify Procurement related risks such as within the supply chain, supplier profiles and industry landscapes
• Experience running a full tender process is essential
• Possess skills to realise value beyond savings
• Strong communication skills
• Excellent stakeholder and supplier relationship management skills
• Ability to work to tight timelines whilst maintaining good stakeholder communications
• Strong negotiation skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities concurrently
• Strong data analysis, influencing and decision-making skills
• Ability to be trusted to work on your own initiative
• Knowledge of contract law and procurement governance
• Team player mentality

🔍 ATS Optimization Keywords
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Hard Skills

• category management
• sourcing strategies
• negotiation
• data analysis
• procurement governance
• tender process
• supplier risk management
• contract law
• cost reduction
• value creation

Soft Skills

• strategic mindset
• communication
• stakeholder management
• negotiation skills
• time management
• influencing
• decision-making
• initiative
• team player
• continuous improvement