Procurement Category Specialist - Global Engineering & Industrial Organisation
Locations: Manchester / Surrey / Yorkshire (Hybrid: 2 days per week on site)
Salary: £50,000–£56,000 +Discretionary bonus + excellent benefits
Category Spend: c. £50m
Step into a high-impact role within one of the world’s most respected engineering organisations, operating at the cutting edge of chemicals, gases and technical manufacturing. This is a standout opportunity for a rising procurement professional looking to accelerate their career within a complex, strategic, and commercially critical category.
You will manage end-to-end procurement activity across special gases, packaged gases, electronic gases and chemicals, blending strategic category ownership with hands-on delivery. Expect exposure to high-value negotiations, supplier optimisation, cross-functional stakeholder influence, and international collaboration across EMEA.
If you’re driven, commercially sharp, and ready to develop into a true category leader, this role will give you depth, visibility, and progression you won’t easily find elsewhere.
Key Responsibilities
* Develop and deliver category strategies aligned to business priorities, productivity targets and risk mitigation
* Lead value improvement initiatives (cost optimisation, alternative sourcing, process efficiencies, value engineering)
* Build, develop and manage supplier relationships, driving continuous improvement and innovation
* Identify, evaluate and onboard new suppliers to support category growth and resilience
* Negotiate pricing, commercial terms and contract agreements
* Conduct robust market and supply analysis to monitor trends, regulation, and competitive positioning
* Ensure strong governance, contract compliance and risk management
* Oversee procurement lifecycle activities including contract drafting, review and execution
* Manage supplier KPIs and performance reviews, implementing corrective actions where necessary
* Champion total cost of ownership thinking and challenge historic practices
* Work closely with supply chain, logistics, planning and operations teams to support business continuity
* Engage with senior leaders (Finance, BU Heads, Operations, Supply Chain) to align procurement strategy and delivery
* Collaborate across EMEA/global procurement networks to leverage best practice and scale advantages
About You:
You’re a proactive, curious and commercially driven procurement professional with foundational experience and a desire to develop into a strategic category leader.
Essential:
* 3–5 years’ procurement experience (direct spend)
* Confident stakeholder engagement and influencing skills
* Proven experience supporting both tactical and strategic procurement activity
* Strong negotiation ability and commercial acumen
* Comfortable navigating complex environments with multiple priorities
* Exposure to international suppliers or multi-regional markets
Desirable:
* Experience within chemicals, industrial gases, special gases, technical or engineering categories
* Degree or equivalent professional experience
* CIPS qualification (or currently studying)
* Understanding of contract drafting and management
* Background in industrial, manufacturing or engineering environments
What’s on Offer
* £50,000–£58,000 base salary
* 10% annual bonus
* Hybrid working (2 days per week on site)
* Occasional UK travel (minimal global travel)
* Meaningful ownership of a specialist, high-value category
* Clear progression path into a senior procurement position
Why This Role?
* Visibility: Direct exposure to senior leadership and strategic decision-making
* Growth: The organisation actively develops procurement talent into senior roles
* Scale: Work within a global function and learn best practice from a world-class procurement network
* Impact: Every project you deliver will be measurable, commercial, and business-critical
Interview Process
1. Initial 30–45 min call: CV overview, motivations, capability alignment
2. Final panel interview: Technical, behavioural, and scenario-based assessment
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If you’re ambitious, commercially minded and excited by the prospect of owning a technical, high-value category in a global engineering business, we’d love to hear from you. This role offers genuine development, senior support, and the opportunity to make a visible impact from day one.
Apply now and build a procurement career with scale, purpose and progression.