Senior IT Category Manager

Senior IT Category Manager

Permanent

Location: Edinburgh (We believe in the power of in-person collaboration, and our hybrid model requires colleagues to be in the office a minimum of 40% of their time)  

Salary: A competitive salary from £63,440 – £95,150 depending on the experience you can bring  

Closing date: Monday 10th November

People are living longer and we're excited by the opportunities this brings to help people live their best lives. We're here for everyone who wants to make the most of their time on the planet and leave it a little better than they found it – however grand or humble their ambitions. 

We help people live their best lives. We help them with the big stuff, for the moments that matter: Pensions, Savings, Investments. At Aegon, we strive in creating a diverse organisation that plays a meaningful role in driving greater equity, inclusion and belonging. 

We're looking for a strategic and commercially minded Senior IT Category Manager to join our Finance function, with a specific focus on supporting our Technology function. This is a high-profile role, ideal for someone with deep experience in IT procurement, strong stakeholder management skills, and the ability to navigate complex supplier relationships.

As part of our Procurement team, you'll be responsible for leading sourcing initiatives, embedding governance, and driving value across third-party spend. You'll work closely with stakeholders across the business to ensure procurement activity aligns with commercial goals, delivers cost efficiencies, and supports operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities include:

• Develop and execute sourcing strategies that deliver commercial value, service improvements, and risk mitigation.

• Manage complex supplier negotiations, ensuring alignment with business goals.

• Act as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders, including the Chief Technology Officer and his leadership team.

• Support the Head of Procurement in embedding governance, policy, and reporting frameworks.

• Influence and challenge business decisions to drive cost-effective outcomes.

• Collaborate with the Cost Management team to support financial planning and expense control.

• Promote best practice supplier relationship management across the business.

We'd love to hear from you if you have:

• Proven experience in a procurement or category management role, within a financial services environment.

• Extensive experience in IT procurement, with a strong understanding of software applications, IT services, testing, maintenance, and development.

• Deep knowledge of software licensing models and commercial frameworks within the IT services space.

• Proven ability to manage complex supplier relationships, particularly with large, strategic vendors, including experience handling difficult negotiations.

• Strong negotiation and influencing skills, with a track record of delivering commercial value and managing risk in high pressure environments.

• A proactive, resilient mindset with the ability to thrive in a demanding, fast-paced, and strategically critical area of the business.

What's in it for you?

• We're serious about your future and our enhanced pension scheme is now in place.  We ask you to contribute 3% of your salary to your pension and we'll put in 9%.  If you decide to contribute more, we'll match it up to a combined total of 20% of your salary (that's 7% from you and 13% from us). 

• A discretionary bonus, depending on personal and company performance

• Annual car allowance

• 38 days leave per year (including bank holidays, pro-rated for part-time)

We also offer private medical cover, life assurance, critical illness cover, enhanced parental leave and a variety of lifestyle benefits to help our employees live their best lives, including retail discount vouchers, cycle2work scheme, subsidised restaurant and online GP appointments.  To find out more about what to expect at Aegon, visit our careers site.

You'll be part of a team that's committed to making a real impact – driving smarter sourcing decisions, improving cost efficiency, and supporting strategic business goals. We offer opportunities for professional development, and the chance to work with a supportive and forward-thinking team.

The legal bits 

We'll need you to confirm you have the right to work in the UK. If we offer you a job and you accept, there are some checks we need to complete before you can start with us. This will include a credit and criminal record check, as well as providing satisfactory references. 

Equal Opportunity Employer:  

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their age, disability, race, religion/belief, gender, sexual orientation or gender identity.