Category Lead

Overview

In this Indirect Category Lead role, you will own category strategies and steer complex procurement activities to support McLaren’s development projects. You will negotiate with suppliers, manage risk, and ensure value, governance, and supply resilience across the spend portfolio. You’ll collaborate with stakeholders at all levels, including senior leadership, to drive cost savings and category optimisation. This is a hands-on role that shapes procurement strategy in a high-performance environment.

Pay / Benefits

• structured career development framework
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• annual buy & sell up to five days
• enhanced company pension
• discretionary annual bonus
• private medical insurance and health cash plan

Responsibilities

• Develop sourcing strategies across the category portfolio and identify commercial opportunities
• Deliver value-driven sourcing approaches focused on cost savings, supply assurance, and risk mitigation
• Apply contractual expertise to implement protections and performance metrics
• Collaborate with internal service owners for demand management and supplier performance
• Act as primary commercial interface with suppliers and lead high-value negotiations
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders up to C-suite and present sourcing plans
• Ensure compliant procurement processes, including due diligence, risk assessment, evaluation, negotiation and contract execution
• Lead strategic and complex sourcing projects with governance approvals and stakeholder engagement
• Apply contractual terms knowledge to keep contracts robust, budgets controlled, and risk managed

Key requirements

• Knowledge of global procurement landscape and regulatory context
• Strong negotiation and contract management capability
• Ability to manage multiple complex projects concurrently
• Excellent communication and senior stakeholder engagement skills
• Strong commercial awareness and risk assessment
• Collaborative and interpersonal skills
• Experience developing category strategies in a matrix organisation
• Proven track record delivering cost savings and spend optimisation
• Self-driven, outcome-focused with strong prioritisation abilities

• communication and stakeholder engagement
• collaborative mindset
• influencing at all levels
• negotiation
• contract management
• risk assessment

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