Closing Date
2026-04-16
Job Title: Category & Sourcing Manager (Operations)
Location: Durrington, Worthing (Hybrid - 2 days per week on site)
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours: 37 hours per week, flexible working options considered
Salary: Up to £55,000 per annum + excellent benefits
About the role
There's never been a more exciting time to join Southern Water. We're on a mission to create a more sustainable and resilient future - tackling climate change, reducing our carbon footprint, and delivering long-term value for our customers and communities.
As part of this journey, we are strengthening our Procurement Division and investing in talent that can influence change at scale. We're now looking for a Category & Sourcing Manager (Operations) to support our operational teams by delivering effective, compliant, and value-driven procurement solutions across goods and services critical to our asset base.
In this role, you'll take ownership of operational procurement categories, running multiple sourcing activities in parallel and working closely with internal stakeholders to ensure Southern Water achieves the best possible commercial and sustainability outcomes.
What you will be responsible for:
* 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
What you'll bring to the role
Essential
* 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
* CIPS qualification (or working towards)
* Experience procuring operational goods, equipment, hardware, or services within a regulated environment
About Southern Water
Southern Water is at the forefront of transforming Britain's water industry, with £7.8bn of planned investment for 2025-2030 to enhance resilience, sustainability, and service excellence. This is a unique opportunity to join a business committed to making a generational difference in how water services are delivered.
You’ll be joining at a time of significant change, working alongside experienced leaders with a clear vision for the future. We offer an environment where talented professionals can influence important decisions, develop their careers, and make a meaningful impact.
At Southern Water, we believe diverse perspectives drive innovation. If you are passionate about making a difference and feel you could add value to our team, we’d love to hear from you – even if you don’t tick every box.
Our Commitment to Diversity
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
In line with Southern Water's security requirements, 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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