Indirect Category Manager / Indirect Category Manageress

Indirect Category Manager - Manufacturing

Location: Derbyshire | Salary: £Competitive + Excellent Benefits

A leading UK manufacturing business is on the lookout for an Indirect Category Manager to take charge of a diverse indirect spend portfolio across a complex, multi-site operation. This is a fantastic opportunity for a commercially focused procurement professional eager to broaden their category management experience, influence senior stakeholders, and advance their career within a company that actively invests in its people.

Please note: We are also considering Supplier Relationship Managers. If your experience aligns more with strategic supplier management than category management, we would still love to hear from you.

The Role

Reporting to the Procurement Manager, you will manage approximately £5 million of indirect spend across a wide range of categories, including:

• MRO
• Engineering consumables
• Tooling
• Fleet
• Leasing
• Facilities management
• Soft services
• Oils
• IT
• Capital expenditure

In collaboration with Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Finance, and senior leadership teams, you'll develop sourcing strategies, lead competitive tender processes, negotiate commercial agreements, and drive measurable cost savings while ensuring operational continuity.

Your responsibilities will also include:

• Leading sourcing projects and category reviews through structured RFP processes.
• Managing supplier performance, contracts, and service level agreements.
• Identifying opportunities for cost reduction, cost avoidance, and working capital improvements.
• Taking ownership of key supplier relationships and contract negotiations.
• Supporting group-wide procurement initiatives and presenting progress to senior leadership.
• Managing one direct report and supporting their ongoing development.
• Analyzing procurement data and producing meaningful reporting to support business decisions.

The Successful Applicant

You will be an experienced indirect procurement professional with a proven ability to influence stakeholders and deliver commercial value within a manufacturing or engineering environment. Ideally, you will have:

• Experience managing indirect procurement categories.
• Strong sourcing, tendering, and contract negotiation skills.
• A track record of delivering cost savings and supplier performance improvements.
• Experience in the manufacturing, engineering, or industrial sector.
• MCIPS qualification or be actively working towards it.
• Experience using ERP systems and advanced Excel.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• A proactive, self-motivated approach with the ability to manage multiple priorities.

What's on Offer

This role offers genuine autonomy, allowing you to take ownership of your categories while working alongside experienced procurement professionals in a collaborative environment. Benefits include:

• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Investment in professional development, including support towards MCIPS.
• Exposure to strategic sourcing and capital investment projects.
• Clear opportunities for career progression within a growing manufacturing group.
• The chance to influence procurement strategy across a high-profile industrial business.

If you're an ambitious procurement professional looking to take the next step in your career—or if your background is stronger in Supplier Relationship Management—we would be delighted to discuss these opportunities with you.

Apply online using the form below.

Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.