Category Manager

Your new role
Category Manager

To contribute to the objectives for Strategic Procurement/Category Management (CM) by owning strategies for assigned categories and ownership for existing arrangements.

What you’ll be doing
- Develop specific strategic procurement strategies/plans to deliver National Highways’ category management approach within assigned product areas.
- Manage and build effective relationships with key internal and external supply chain stakeholders to promote, influence and support the embedment of strategic procurement/category strategy arrangements and initiatives (including frameworks).
- Identify and manage category risks that impact performance and delivery, and ensure that Corporate Governance is maintained at all times.
- Analyse, manage and promote supplier performance improvement within assigned category areas.
- Use a network of internal/external and supply chain stakeholders to build and maintain a high level of market insight to effectively deliver current strategies and shape National Highways future strategic procurement/category approach.
- Build team capabilities and ensure talent development is achieved by coaching, guiding and providing timely feedback to the team members to drive performance improvement.

To be successful
- Passionate about Procurement with demonstrable experience of working in a Procurement/Commercial or Supply Chain environment - with a working knowledge of the procurement lifecycle (end to end process).
- Seek to drive changes in the market through implementation of strategies, cost reduction/efficiencies and environmental improvements. Improving supplier performance, collaboration and engagement.
- Establish and use sector insights to inform procurement/and category strategy
- Manage multiple strategic projects with an awareness of risk management.
- Actively build, maintain and nurture relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders and manage stakeholder relationships effectively.

Why you should join us
An informal blended working approach has been adopted for many of our roles across National Highways. We offer many different ways to work flexibly and we’re open to discuss part-time working, job shares, and flexible start and finish times.

Please wait until the interview stage before asking us about flexibility, and we will explore what is possible.

Our benefits package
- Our total reward package includes basic salary, the potential for a performance related bonus, and employer pension contributions of up to 10%.
- Annual Leave starting at 26 days (plus Bank Holidays) rising by 1 day each year up to 31 days (plus Bank Holidays)
- Flexible hours and blended working between base location/home
- Life assurance of 4 times annual salary
- Health and wellbeing support, including an Employee Assistance Programme, available 24/7 365 days and network of mental health first aiders. Plus, access to a wellbeing app to enhance your self-care 24/7, Occupational health service and flu vaccines
- A cycle to work scheme for the purchase of a bicycle and equipment for healthy, low carbon travel
- Significant investment in your career development, through learning and development, talent management, coaching, mentoring and on job experience

And we are:

- Family friendly with enhanced maternity leave and pay, paternity leave (15 days), shared parental leave, adoption leave. Plus access to financial support for holiday play schemes and paid special leave (up to 5 days pa), eg for caring responsibilities
- Money friendly with access to a discounts platform including over 3000 discounts for supermarkets, eating out, leisure, holidays. Alongside a financial wellbeing programme
- Community friendly - offering paid leave to volunteer, 3 days basic/year plus an extra 3 days to support the national Covid effort

And finally