Category Manager

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Category & Sourcing Manager on behalf of our public sector client based in West Sussex.

Day Rate: £600 per day (Outside of IR35)

Location:

Durrington, West Sussex - hybrid working available, approx 2/3 days in the office and remainder from home

Duration: 6 months with view for further extension thereafter

Are you an experienced procurement professional with a strong background in category management and strategic sourcing? Do you thrive in delivering commercial value, developing procurement strategies, and building influential stakeholder relationships? If so, we'd love to hear from you.

We are seeking a proactive and commercially minded Category Manager to support the development and delivery of category strategies that drive sustainable value, optimise spend, and minimise total cost of ownership across the business.

Working closely with senior stakeholders, suppliers, and procurement colleagues, you will lead category management activities, identify opportunities for cost reduction and process improvement, and ensure procurement is embedded early within business planning and project delivery.

This is an excellent opportunity for an ambitious procurement professional looking to make a tangible impact within a large and complex organisation.

The role will support on all associated strategic commercial activity to achieve value creation and minimise total cost of ownership, working closely with key stakeholders to execute and against procurement and value management strategies. The role will be to support the need associated to customer interfacing contracts.

• Develop and implement category strategies aligned to wider procurement and value management objectives.
• Analyse spend data, market trends, and supplier performance to identify opportunities for savings and value creation.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders to understand requirements, demand profiles, and future needs.
• Lead spend analysis, opportunity assessments, and value management initiatives across assigned categories.
• Drive demand aggregation, specification standardisation, and commercial efficiencies.
• Reduce tail spend and increase procurement compliance through strategic sourcing activities.
• Support sourcing projects through the full procurement lifecycle, from strategy development through to supplier selection.
• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders and external suppliers to maximise commercial outcomes.
• Identify and implement innovative solutions and best practices from the market.
• Monitor category performance, track financial benefits, and report on value delivery.
• Ensure compliance with procurement policies, governance frameworks, and regulatory requirements.

Experience

Required:

• Contractual and commercial negotiation skills
• Stakeholder engagement (internal and external) and influencing at a senior level
• Significant experience within Category Management, Strategic Sourcing or Procurement
• A recognised procurement qualification such as CIPS (or equivalent)
• Strong experience developing and delivering category strategies that achieve measurable business outcomes
• Advanced analytical and commercial skills with the ability to interpret complex spend data
• Strategic thinking combined with a hands-on approach
• Strong commercial acumen and negotiation skills
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing abilities
• Proven experience managing supplier relationships and delivering value driven procurement solutions
• Applicants should have experience in one or more of the following areas:
  Engineering & Construction;
  Asset Purchase & Hire;
  Indirect Procurement (IT, Telecoms, HR, Professional Services, Facilities Management, Business Services);
  Operational Service Delivery

The Adecco Group UK & Ireland is an Equal Opportunities Employer.