Financial & Professional Services Category Manager

Full Description

Job Introduction:

As a Professional & Financial Services procurement Category Manager at our client, you will play a critical role in managing professional and financial services categories, driving efficiency, and enhancing commercial competitiveness across the UK and Ireland. Your efforts will help identify and increase the usage of preferred suppliers, actively reducing the supply chain in the relevant categories. This role will challenge you to innovate and implement strategies that contribute to sustainability goals and commercial performance.

Why This Role Excites You:

Being in this role means devising and implementing sourcing strategies that significantly improve commercial performance while ensuring compliance and risk mitigation. You will have the opportunity to work collaboratively with global supply management teams, ensuring seamless integration and alignment across regions. Your contributions will drive leadership in sustainability through responsible sourcing practices. Building and maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders and suppliers will be essential, providing a platform to influence and innovate within a dynamic and inclusive environment that values your unique contributions.

What You’ll Do:

• Manage the assigned categories autonomously, establishing close relationships with the supply relationship management and deployment teams.
• Ensure good alignment and onboarding of key stakeholders within the Service Operations platform.
• Generate savings and increase revenues by optimising agreements and aligning with global contracts.
• Negotiate regional agreements to secure the best net prices and improve commercial terms.
• Set up, initiate, and maintain professional relationships with the regional supplier network to reinforce Sodexo’s image and credibility, and to identify technological developments and innovations from the supplier base.
• Work with Supply Management Finance to ensure robust reporting and measurement of the Global Supply Management performance.

What You Bring:

• Experience in Buying/Category Management (3-5 years) with a proven track record in contract negotiation.
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural and matrix environment.
• Strong presentation skills, both verbally and written.
• Graduate calibre and working towards CIPS/ISM or equivalent qualification.
• Team player with excellent communication and influencing skills.
• Financial acumen and result-oriented.
• Fluency in English; French or Spanish a plus.
• Flexibility for international travel where required.
• Indirect experience is a must-have, including experience in services procurement and indirect categories such as Recruitment, Temporary Labour, consulting, audit services, payments, or financial services.
• Experience in multi-site procurement across diverse sectors such as Healthcare, Public Sector, Corporate Services, and Pharma.

The Procurement Hive is a procurement consultancy and procurement recruitment business.

Transform your talent – Our People on Demand service utilises over four decades of combined experience, recruiting supply chain and procurement talent for a wide range of organisations across the globe.

The Procurement Hive celebrates and supports diversity and is committed to ensuring equal opportunities for both employees and applicants.