Category Manager

London/Hybrid

6 months contract

Day rate from £550 via Umbrella Company dependant on experience

Our commitment is to provide equal opportunity regardless of, for example, your gender, age, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or beliefs. We also engage with employers to develop programmes and pathways that embrace diverse talent and promote more inclusive employment worldwide through partnerships and other initiatives. We recognise and celebrate the value of difference and how it makes us faster, smarter and more innovative than our competition.

My client is one of the largest financial institutions headquartered in Japan, with an established presence across all consumer and corporate banking businesses. Through its subsidiaries and affiliates, they offer a diverse range of financial services, including commercial banking, leasing, securities, credit card, consumer finance and other services.

They are looking for a Category Manager on an initial 6 month contract with the potential to extend. You will be expected to work Monday to Friday standard office hours, however there will need to be flexibility to work outside of these hours as required. The position is hybrid working being in the office 2 days a week with the remainder of time working from home.

Purpose of Job

The Category Manager will be responsible in supporting the execution of Procurement tasks within their EMEA region.

Accountabilities and Responsibilities

This role reports into the Head of Procurement, within the Procurement team, will perform procurement activities for IT across all spend categories, in particular for projects supporting the execution of the EMEA IT Strategy.

IT supplier vendor selection using RFIs and RFPs and commercial negotiations
IT supplier contract finalisation in partnership with legal
Develop IT supplier consolidation towards target preferred supplier list determination
Analyse IT spend, identify cost saving opportunities
Ensure cloud and AI and other non core third party contractual clauses are included in respective contacts and oversee any required remediation
Support tracking of IT contract metrics including cost savings
Develop oversight and governance for key IT suppliers
Ensure optimisation of IT resources in particular Cloud services, AI and other IT strategic initiatives.
Collaborate with Technical teams to implement best practices
Act as a procurement business partner, build and maintain strong relationships and credibility with the business.
Maintain and build strong mutual beneficial relationship with key strategic suppliers.
Lead the delivery of sourcing projects and savings, including the responsibility for driving incremental IT savings through, and in partnership with external service providers.
Work closely with the Legal Department to ensure contracts are finalised appropriately.
Ensure category performance and project data (savings, pipeline, milestones, risks, issues, compliance) is accurate and report to line management and appropriate governance forums.

Knowledge, Skills, Experience and Qualifications

Experience in IT Procurement in a financial setting, with a deep understanding of Software, Infrastructure and Saas.
Expertise in IT cost optimisation.
Proven track record of managing IT spend and negotiation of contracts
Initiative-taking and organised with excellent time management skills and the ability to prioritise workload to deliver within set time frames to the highest quality.
Strong business awareness, researching, investigating and problem solving.
Demonstrable experience in governance and spend control in the banking industry necessary.
Strong analytical capabilities and critical thinking skills; ability to translate data into decision making.
Familiarity with procurement tools.
Experience of working within Europe would be an advantage

Candidates must show evidence of the above in their CV to be considered.

Please be advised if you haven't heard from us within 48 hours then unfortunately your application has not been successful on this occasion, we may however keep your details on file for any suitable future vacancies and contact you.

We use generative AI tools to support our candidate screening process. This helps us ensure a fair, consistent, and efficient experience for all applicants. Rest assured, all final decisions are made by our hiring team, and your application will be reviewed with care and attention