Category & Sourcing Manager

2 days ago

Lewes, East Sussex, United Kingdom Southern Water Full time

Closing Date

14/11/2025Overview

Southern Water's Category Management & Sourcing discipline strategically and proactively manages category spending and supply sourcing in alignment with value management strategies and demand profiles to optimise total cost of ownership.

The Category & Sourcing Manager develops and implements specific demand and category strategies, engaging with internal customers to understand requirements, volume demands, and specifications. The Category Manager also supports on all associated commercial activity to achieve value creation and minimise total cost of ownership, including executing the full sourcing lifecycle and deliver against procurement and value management strategies.

Accountabilities
  • 50% - Work with Senior Category Manager and collaboratively with business leads to deliver category specific strategies, including sourcing and contracting
  • 30% - Drive cost reduction through standardisation, aggregation of demand, and actions to minimise tail spend within the category
  • 10% - Drive continuous improvement and translate external best practices, innovation, and ideas into actionable proposals and plans for the business, building them into category strategies
  • 10% - Monitor operational performance and ensure compliance to policies, processes, and governance framework
Skills & Competencies

· Excellent communication skills – including verbal, written and presenting to a group

· Ability to develop and maintain effective relationships, internally with other business areas and externally with suppliers

· Ability to demonstrate a proactive/can do style of work

· Continuous improvement mind-set

· Performance and delivery orientated – ability to work with others to obtain critical information and achieve common goals

· Commercial awareness and excellent analytical, planning, organisational, and problem-solving skills

· Strong negotiation skills (setting, defining and implementing strategies and tactics, conflict resolution and objection handling) with the ability to influence at senior levels

· Excellent category strategy development skills – ability to develop compelling category and sourcing strategies

· Strong project management ability (including use of relevant tools)

 KnowledgeTechnical
  • Strong category management experience
  • Good knowledge of leading-practice tools, techniques and processes covering category strategy development
  • In depth category experience for at least one of the below categories:
    • E&C
    • Asset purchase and hire (process & hire)
    • Indirect (IT, telecoms, HR, professional services, facilities & business services)
    • Operational service delivery
  • Evidence of successful development and delivery of category strategy
  • Proven experience of successful internal and external stakeholder management
     
Risk & Compliance
  • Knowledge of UCR requirements and ABC (Anti-Bribery & Corruption) legislation

Essential

  • Bachelor's degree in a business administration, commerce, finance, engineering or other relevant discipline (and/or qualified by demonstrable experience).
  • Recognised qualification in procurement e.g. CIPS or equivalent

Desirable

  • Microsoft Office suite including advanced MS Excel and PowerPoint

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