Procurement Category Specialist

Bramwith Consulting Assistant Procurement Manager - Chemicals Global Engineering & Industrial Technologies Organisation Global Engineering & Industrial Technologies Organisation Location: Surrey (Hybrid - 2 days per week onsite) Salary: £50,000-£58,000 + Annual Bonus + Excellent Benefits Category Spend: c. £50m This is a compelling opportunity for an ambitious procurement professional to step into an Assistant Procurement Manager role within a highly specialised chemicals and industrial gases category. Working across special gases, packaged gases, electronic gases and chemicals, you will operate in a complex and technical environment where strategic procurement meets hands-on execution. The role offers genuine ownership across a high-value category, combining productivity delivery, supplier performance management and multi-functional stakeholder engagement. You will also collaborate closely with wider EMEA procurement teams, gaining exposure to international sourcing and benefitting from the practices, scale, and expertise of a global organisation. Key Responsibilities: Support and develop category strategies aligned with business objectives and productivity targets Lead and contribute to cost-reduction and value improvement initiatives (value engineering, alternative sourcing, process optimisation) Build, manage and develop strong supplier relationships, driving innovation and continuous improvement Identify and evaluate new suppliers to enhance category performance Negotiate competitive commercial agreements, pricing and contract terms Conduct market analysis covering supply conditions, pricing trends, regulatory shifts and emerging technologies Ensure best-practice contracting and compliance to mitigate sourcing risk Manage the end-to-end procurement lifecycle including contract drafting, review and execution Monitor supplier performance, oversee KPIs and support remediation where required Promote total cost of ownership and challenge embedded or legacy practices Work with production planning, inventory and logistics teams to maintain supply chain efficiency Engage and influence senior stakeholders across operations, finance, supply chain and business unit leadership Collaborate across EMEA/global procurement teams to share insights and align sourcing strategies Ideal Candidate Profile: You will be a capable and driven procurement professional with strong foundations in direct procurement and a desire to broaden your strategic influence within a global, technical environment. Essential Experience 3-5 years' procurement experience Background in direct procurement Strong stakeholder engagement-credible, persuasive and comfortable challenging constructively Experience supporting both strategic and tactical procurement delivery Commercially astute with strong negotiation capability Comfortable working in complex, fast-moving or ambiguous settings Exposure to international suppliers or multi-regional markets Desirable Experience: Knowledge of chemicals, industrial gases, special gases or engineering/technical categories Degree-level education (or A-levels with strong relevant experience) CIPS qualification (or working towards it) Understanding of contract drafting, contract law and contract management Experience within engineering, manufacturing or industrial environments What's on Offer: Competitive salary: £50,000-£58,000 9% annual bonus (50% individual / 25% business / 25% department) Additional annual 18% bonus Hybrid working - 2 days on site Monthly procurement team meeting in Woking Occasional UK travel; minimal global travel Broad visibility across the organisation with meaningful category ownership Clear progression pathway into a senior procurement leadership role Interview Process: Initial Call (30-45 mins): CV walkthrough and capability assessment Final Panel Interview