Category Manager - Hr Services & Indirects
Business Area/Function: Central Function - Central Procurement Team
Reports To: Category HUB Leader - Indirects & Professional Services
Location: 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
1. HR Services: Recruitment, training, travel, meetings & events, employee rewards and benefits
2. Fleet Management: Leasing, rental, fuel, telematics, vehicle services
3. General Goods & Services: Office supplies, postal and distribution services, support functions
4. IT & Telecoms: Technology solutions and telecommunications
5. Professional & Financial Services: Consultancy, insurance, banking and related services
Key AccountabilitiesCategory & Strategic Management
6. Lead strategic management of the HR Services category through spend analysis, demand forecasting, supplier market analysis and category strategy development
7. Develop and deploy procurement strategies in collaboration with business operations and procurement stakeholders, activating all cost reduction and value levers
8. Define and implement action plans to reduce external spend and mitigate market cost pressures across BUs
9. Adapt category strategies in response to market trends, budget changes, and technological developments
10. Deliver large-scale procurement programmes (e.g. P2P system renewal, telecoms renegotiation, LMS appointment, printer transformation)
Supplier & Commercial Management
11. Manage supplier relationships to ensure alignment with quality, functionality, cost and performance standards
12. Lead end-to-end RFP/RFQ processes, contract renewals and extensions
13. Steer supplier performance, manage rebates (including retrospective recovery), set annual rebate targets and promote utilisation across the group
14. Protect the company's commercial and legal interests within contractual engagements
15. Provide pre-tender commercial input and cost benchmarking to support accurate net cost pricing and margin improvement
Value Creation & Reporting
16. Drive value chain optimisation and transparent, measurable cost savings
17. Monitor category spend, trends, risks and supplier performance
18. Maintain and publish accurate reporting demonstrating contribution to efficiency plans and profit improvement
Stakeholder Management & Collaboration
19. Partner closely with HR leadership, operational teams, divisional stakeholders and the wider procurement function
20. Engage with Group, affiliate and sister-company stakeholders domestically and internationally
21. Support bid activity, mobilisation and demobilisation requirements
22. Promote category-led framework agreements and procurement compliance across the business
Risk, Sustainability & Compliance
23. Support regular risk reviews, identifying and managing procurement-related opportunities and threats
24. Ensure compliance with UK&I procurement strategy, policies and processes
25. Champion sustainability, CSR, DE&I and IT commitments within category strategies
Leadership & Continuous Improvement
26. Support team development through collaboration, coaching and leading by example
27. Ensure procurement processes are embedded and aligned with Group standards
Role Dimensions
28. Direct Reports: None
29. Procurement Portfolio: c. £110m+ indirect spend
30. Scope: Multi-BU projects (lead and support roles)