Category & Sourcing Manager (Operations)
Durrington, Worthing (Hybrid – 2 days per week on site)
Permanent, 37 hours per week, flexible working options considered.
Salary: Up to £55,000 per annum + excellent benefits.
About the role: Southern Water focuses on sustainability and resilience. The Category & Sourcing Manager (Operations) supports operational teams by delivering effective, compliant, value‑driven procurement solutions across goods and services critical to the asset base. The role owns operational procurement categories, runs multiple sourcing activities in parallel, and works closely with internal stakeholders to achieve commercial and sustainability outcomes.
Responsibilities
* Developing and delivering category strategies aligned to operational and organisational objectives.
* Managing end‑to‑end sourcing activities, including tendering, evaluation, and contract award across operational goods and services.
* Partnering with stakeholders across operations to understand demand, challenge requirements, and shape effective sourcing solutions.
* Driving value through cost optimisation, standardisation, and demand aggregation, while ensuring compliance with procurement regulations.
* Managing supplier relationships to support performance, resilience, and continuous improvement.
* Championing best practice, innovation, and continuous improvement within the procurement function.
Essential Qualifications
* Proven experience in a Category or Sourcing role within an operational, engineering, manufacturing, construction, or asset‑focused environment.
* Knowledge of public sector procurement regulations, including PA23 (experience with UCR is also advantageous).
* Experience running multiple procurement exercises concurrently and managing competing priorities.
* Confident stakeholder management and negotiation skills.
* A proactive, solutions‑focused mindset with strong commercial and analytical capability.
Desirable Qualifications
* CIPS qualification (or working towards).
* Experience procuring operational goods, equipment, hardware, or services within a regulated environment.
EEO Statement
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or any other protected characteristic. If you require reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know.
Additional Information
Successful candidates will be required to undertake pre‑employment checks, including identity verification, right‑to‑work checks, DBS, and employment/education history verification.
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