Category Manager

Category Manager

Hybrid / Durrington, West Sussex (attendance in office 2/3 days a week)
6-Month Contract
-550 per day (Inside IR35)

Overview

We are seeking an experienced Category Manager to join our utilities client within their Sourcing and Category Management team on an interim basis. This role will provide critical support in shaping and delivering the Customer Strategy from a procurement and commercial perspective. Reporting to Natasha Bellwood, this role will provide critical support in shaping and delivering the Customer Strategy from a procurement and commercial perspective.

This opportunity offers the opportunity to take ownership of a high-profile programme and influence strategic procurement outcomes.

The Role

As Category Manager, you will play a key role in strategic sourcing, demand management, and value delivery, working collaboratively with internal stakeholders to optimise spend and minimise total cost of ownership.

Southern Water''s Sourcing & Category Management function is focused on driving value through proactive category strategies, aligning procurement approaches with organisational demand and long-term business objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Play a key role in strategic sourcing, demand management, and value delivery, working collaboratively with internal stakeholders to optimise spend and minimise total cost of ownership
• Develop and implement category-specific sourcing strategies aligned with Procurement and Value Management strategies
• Work closely with business leads to understand requirements, volume demands, and specifications
• Analyse category spend and demand patterns to inform robust strategies and pipelines
• Lead supplier and spend profiling across the category
• Deliver strategic (and where required tactical) initiatives to support aggregation and standardisation opportunities
• Identify and reduce tail spend and spot buying activity, implementing sustainable solutions
• Support sub-category opportunity assessments and value analysis
• Engage early with projects/programmes to identify and manage third-party spend
• Collaborate with Commercial, Supplier Engagement, and Contract Management teams to ensure alignment and continuous improvement
• Drive innovation and continuous improvement, leveraging market insight and best practice
• Track and report on value delivery and financial benefits
• Ensure compliance with procurement governance and processes

About You

You will be a commercially driven procurement professional with:

• Proven experience in Category Management / Strategic Sourcing
• Strong ability to develop and execute category strategies
• Experience working with complex stakeholder environments
• Demonstrated success in cost optimisation and value creation
• Excellent analytical and spend analysis capability
• Strong supplier engagement and commercial negotiation skills
• Knowledge of governance, procurement frameworks, and best practice

Adecco acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and an employment business for the supply of temporary workers. The Adecco Group UK & Ireland is an Equal Opportunities Employer.

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