Procurement Manager – Senior Buyer / Category Manager position with a well-established manufacturing business in Manchester, offering a salary of £60,000 – £65,000 plus bonus and a hybrid working arrangement.
This role is within the FMCG – Manufacturing industry and is based in Manchester.
We’re seeking a commercially astute Indirect Procurement / Senior Buyer / Category Manager to join a growing procurement function, driving strategic sourcing initiatives across a diverse range of indirect categories. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys combining strategic category management with stakeholder engagement, supplier development, and delivering measurable business value.
Working in a hybrid environment, you’ll partner with manufacturing sites and business functions across multiple locations to optimise spend, mitigate risk, and support operational excellence.
Description
As Procurement Manager/ Senior Buyer / Category Manager, you will develop and execute sourcing strategies across a broad indirect spend portfolio, including:
- Facilities Management
- Utilities
- Site Services
- PPE
- Professional Services
- Other indirect expenditure categories
You will play a key role in delivering cost optimisation, supplier performance improvements, contract governance, sustainability objectives, and long-term procurement value.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Sourcing & Category Management
- Develop and implement category strategies aligned to business objectives.
- Lead end-to-end sourcing projects, tenders, RFQs and negotiations.
- Identify opportunities for cost optimisation and efficiency improvements.
- Apply Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) principles when evaluating suppliers and procurement solutions.
- Ensure procurement activity complies with company policies, governance standards and delegated authorities.
- Build and maintain effective supplier partnerships.
- Negotiate robust commercial agreements and contracts.
- Drive supplier performance, service improvements and innovation.
- Manage supplier risk, business continuity and contractual compliance.
- Support responsible sourcing and ESG objectives across the supply base.
Stakeholder Engagement
- Partner with operational, engineering, manufacturing and corporate stakeholders.
- Understand business requirements and translate them into procurement strategies.
- Influence decision-making and provide commercial procurement expertise.
- Collaborate across functions to deliver procurement and operational objectives.
Cost & Value Delivery
- Deliver validated savings and cost avoidance initiatives.
- Support annual budgeting and spend forecasting processes.
- Identify opportunities for supplier consolidation and specification improvements.
- Track and report procurement benefits and performance metrics.
Market Analysis & Reporting
- Monitor market trends and supplier developments.
- Analyse spend data and procurement performance.
- Maintain accurate supplier, contract and sourcing records.
- Provide regular reporting and procurement insights to leadership teams.
Profile
We’re looking for a proactive procurement professional who combines strong commercial acumen with excellent stakeholder management skills.
- Minimum 4 years’ experience within Indirect Procurement, Strategic Sourcing or Category Management.
- Experience within a manufacturing, FMCG, industrial or engineering environment.
- Proven track record delivering savings and procurement value.
- Experience managing indirect spend categories and supplier relationships.
- Strong negotiation and contract management skills.
- Experience leading tender and RFQ processes from inception through to implementation.
Skills & Attributes
- Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills.
- Commercially minded with excellent analytical capabilities.
- Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
- Proactive and self-motivated approach.
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
- Resilient, adaptable and solutions-focused.
- Passion for continuous improvement and supplier innovation
Job Offer
- Competitive salary of £60,000 + Car Allowance + Bonus
- Opportunity to influence procurement strategy across multiple sites
- Exposure to a substantial indirect spend portfolio
- Career development within a dynamic manufacturing environment that is growing the team
- Collaborative and supportive leadership team
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