Category Manager - Utilities in Reading

Job Description

Category Manager - Utilities

£50,000 - £62,000 + bonus + benefits

Reading (Hybrid) 2 days/week on site

We’re working with a utilities company embarking on a huge business wide upgrade programme and investing heavily in infrastructure, digital, and retail operations.

As part of this evolution, we’re searching for a commercially sharp Procurement Category Manager to lead a strategically critical portfolio.

This is a highly visible role where category-specific experience is less important than your potential and your ability to be strategic and put together intelligent category plans and build relationships with stakeholders and the supply chain. You will act as the commercial authority across one of 5 key categories, ensuring market-leading commercial models and robust supplier governance.

The Opportunity

As Category Manager, you will:

• Lead and deliver end-to-end category strategies
• Support major infrastructure and technology project delivery contracts
• Provide commercial insight across supply markets
• Own a high-value supplier portfolio
• Embed best-practice commercial governance across senior stakeholder groups
• Balance value creation with commercial risk and supply resilience
• Influence, challenge and partner with senior business leaders

What you'll need:

• Proven experience in category management role putting together category plans
• Experience managing complex, high-value categories
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to influence at senior level
• Deep awareness of market and supply chain dynamics, trends and risk management
• Strong negotiation capability across complex contractual environments
• This is a role for someone who recognises that slick category management is central to strong operational resilience and doesn't see category management as a function of buying - but more as an essential strategic role and an 'enabler' to the wider business

Package includes:

Excellent salary, annual bonus, generous holiday allowance, private medical cover, competitive pension scheme, plus a flexible benefits platform.

If you’re an experienced category manager looking to step into a high-impact role, we’d be pleased to arrange a confidential discussion.