Category Manager - Hr Services & Indirects
Business Area/Function: Central Function - Central Procurement TeamReports To: Category HUB Leader - Indirects & Professional ServicesLocation: Hybrid - London (national travel required)
Role Purpose
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.
Category Scope
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HR Services: Recruitment, training, travel, meetings & events, employee rewards and benefits
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Fleet Management: Leasing, rental, fuel, telematics, vehicle services
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General Goods & Services: Office supplies, postal and distribution services, support functions
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IT & Telecoms: Technology solutions and telecommunications
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Professional & Financial Services: Consultancy, insurance, banking and related services
Key Accountabilities
Category & Strategic Management
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Lead strategic management of the HR Services category through spend analysis, demand forecasting, supplier market analysis and category strategy development
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Develop and deploy procurement strategies in collaboration with business operations and procurement stakeholders, activating all cost reduction and value levers
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Define and implement action plans to reduce external spend and mitigate market cost pressures across BUs
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Adapt category strategies in response to market trends, budget changes, and technological developments
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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
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Lead end-to-end RFP/RFQ processes, contract renewals and extensions
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Steer supplier performance, manage rebates (including retrospective recovery), set annual rebate targets and promote utilisation across the group
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Protect the company's commercial and legal interests within contractual engagements
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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
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Monitor category spend, trends, risks and supplier performance
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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
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Engage with Group, affiliate and sister-company stakeholders domestically and internationally
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Support bid activity, mobilisation and demobilisation requirements
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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
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Ensure compliance with UK&I procurement strategy, policies and processes
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Champion sustainability, CSR, DE&I and IT commitments within category strategies
Leadership & Continuous Improvement -
Support team development through collaboration, coaching and leading by example
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Ensure procurement processes are embedded and aligned with Group standards
Role Dimensions
Guidant, Carbon60, Lorien & SRG - The Impellam Group Portfolio are acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.
