Category Manager HR Services & Others -

Business Area/Function: Central Function - Central Procurement Team
Reports To: Category HUB Leader - Indirects & Professional Services
Location: Hybrid - London (national travel required)

Category Managers play a critical role in maximising procurement value across Company UK&I through a structured, collaborative, and category-led approach. This position sits within the UK BU Central Procurement Team and focuses on the Indirects & Professional Services HUB, with primary accountability for HR Services and oversight across a broad indirect spend portfolio.

The role delivers a unified, centralised procurement service across a diverse and nationally dispersed organisation, driving efficiency, compliance, innovation, and measurable value for the business.

• HR Services: Recruitment, training, travel, meetings & events, employee rewards and benefits

• Fleet Management: Leasing, rental, fuel, telematics, vehicle services

• General Goods & Services: Office supplies, postal and distribution services, support functions

• IT & Telecoms: Technology solutions and telecommunications

• Professional & Financial Services: Consultancy, insurance, banking and related services

• Lead strategic management of the HR Services category through spend analysis, demand forecasting, supplier market analysis and category strategy development

• Develop and deploy procurement strategies in collaboration with business operations and procurement stakeholders, activating all cost reduction and value levers

• Define and implement action plans to reduce external spend and mitigate market cost pressures across BUs

• Adapt category strategies in response to market trends, budget changes, and technological developments

• Deliver large-scale procurement programmes (e.g. P2P system renewal, telecoms renegotiation, LMS appointment, printer transformation)

Supplier & Commercial Management

• Manage supplier relationships to ensure alignment with quality, functionality, cost and performance standards

• Lead end-to-end RFP/RFQ processes, contract renewals and extensions

• Steer supplier performance, manage rebates (including retrospective recovery), set annual rebate targets and promote utilisation across the group

• Protect the company's commercial and legal interests within contractual engagements

• Provide pre-tender commercial input and cost benchmarking to support accurate net cost pricing and margin improvement

Value Creation & Reporting

• Drive value chain optimisation and transparent, measurable cost savings

• Monitor category spend, trends, risks and supplier performance

• Maintain and publish accurate reporting demonstrating contribution to efficiency plans and profit improvement

Stakeholder Management & Collaboration

• Partner closely with HR leadership, operational teams, divisional stakeholders and the wider procurement function

• Engage with Group, affiliate and sister-company stakeholders domestically and internationally

• Support bid activity, mobilisation and demobilisation requirements

• Promote category-led framework agreements and procurement compliance across the business

Risk, Sustainability & Compliance

• Support regular risk reviews, identifying and managing procurement-related opportunities and threats

• Ensure compliance with UK&I procurement strategy, policies and processes

• Champion sustainability, CSR, DE&I and IT commitments within category strategies

Leadership & Continuous Improvement

• Support team development through collaboration, coaching and leading by example

• Ensure procurement processes are embedded and aligned with Group standards

• Direct Reports: None

• Procurement Portfolio: c. £110m+ indirect spend

• Scope: Multi-BU projects (lead and support roles)