Category Manager

Ref Number

B

Professional Expertise

Commercial and Procurement

Department

Finance, Commercial and Estates (B28)

Location

London

Working Pattern

Full time

Salary

£54,931-£64,644

Contract Type

Permanent

Working Type

Hybrid

Available for Secondment

No

Closing Date

17-Nov-2025

We spend £600 million per year at UCL and are in the process of applying a new sustainable strategic plan to our spend by building a new team. Creating sustainable savings at UCL enables us to spend our funds on teaching the next rocket scientists or finding cures for Alzheimer's or Cancer, which are some of the activities at the heart of our mission as one of the best universities in the world.

Please note this role is within the STEMed category. The role of Sub-Category Manager will involve developing a robust sub-category procurement plan which meets the needs of both the category and central commercial drivers (including sustainability). You will be able to impact our divisions aims by prepping negotiation strategies to deliver Value for Money (VfM) commercial arrangements for the category, manging competitions, as well as advising on compliance matters. You will also assess demand on existing contracts and develop transition plans for new suppliers where appropriate. As well as negotiations and new strategies you will also manage the Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) process for the sub-category, tailored to identify specific types of suppliers needing slightly different SRM approaches. In addition to this you will provide line manager support where necessary. You will own and drive non pay saving initiatives across the sub-category. Continuously improving business processes across the category and faculties, putting in place innovative new ways of working. We will consider applications to work on a part-time, flexible and job share basis wherever possible. A job description and person specification can be accessed at the bottom of this page.

The ideal candidate for this role will be commercially astute, with a collaborative approach to working alongside internal stakeholders and external suppliers. You will have a commercial or procurement background and hold a degree (or the equivalent level of experience gained in the work environment) with evidence of delivery and impact across plans, metrics and targets. You should have previously managed small to medium individual tenders, including contract negotiations, SLAs and contract drafting, as well as experience monitoring and assessing supplier performance, whilst keeping information accurate and up to date.

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:
• 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Additional 5 days' annual leave purchase scheme
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• Immigration loan
• Relocation scheme for certain posts
• On-Site nursery
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insurance Visit to find out more.

As London's Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent.We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.