Category Manager – Indirects, Aftersales & NPD
Sector: Manufacturing
Location: Birmingham - Hybrid – 3 days on-site
Salary: Up to £55,000 + excellent benefits
Sector: Advanced Manufacturing
Contract: Permanent, Full-Time
A leading global manufacturer with a strong reputation for engineering excellence is seeking an experienced Category Manager to take ownership of a substantial spend portfolio across indirect goods and services, aftermarket components, and NPD support.
This is a key strategic role within a high-performing procurement function, based at the organisation’s European headquarters. Working within a collaborative and forward-thinking culture, you’ll play a pivotal part in driving value, ensuring supply continuity, and enabling innovation across the business.
The Role
You will lead category strategy development, supplier partnerships, and sourcing activity across a broad non-production portfolio. Key responsibilities include:
Develop and deliver category strategies across multiple indirect and aftermarket categories.
Conduct spend analysis, demand forecasting and market intelligence to identify optimisation opportunities.
Build multi-year plans for supplier development, sustainability, and risk mitigation.
Drive alignment across departments to optimise total cost of ownership.
Monitor KPIs and adjust strategies to deliver measurable value.
Integrate procurement into early-stage product development activities.
Engage suppliers early to influence cost, design and manufacturability.
Identify, evaluate and develop suppliers globally.
Lead RFP/RFQ processes and negotiate robust commercial agreements.
Ensure compliance with category strategy and internal requirements.
About You
Essential:
Minimum 2 years’ experience in a procurement leadership or management role.
Experience working in a manufacturing or engineering environment.
Strong commercial acumen with experience of managing significant spend and multiple projects.
Knowledge of ERP/MRP systems.
Excellent negotiation, problem-solving and stakeholder-management skills.
Highly accurate with strong attention to detail.
Desirable:
CIPS Level 4+ or relevant equivalent
Experience in technical manufacturing or food processing environments.
Project management experience.
If you feel this role aligns with you, we would love to discuss the role and your experience further and look forward to your CV / Application