Category Manager

Category Manager
South County Dublin
€70k-€90k + Benefits

I am recruiting in South County Dublin for a Category Manager who will own the end to end strategy and performance of one or more spend categories.

As a Category Manager you will define category strategies, lead sourcing projects, negotiate commercial value, manage supplier risk and performance, and partner with stakeholders to deliver savings, resilience, and innovation aligned to business objectives.

Category Manager Key Responsibilities:

Category Strategy & Market Intelligence

• Develop 3 year category strategies and annual operating plans, covering demand, supply markets, make/buy, risk, sustainability, and value levers.
• Continuously monitor market trends, cost drivers, FX/commodity impacts, and regulatory changes; translate insights into actionable sourcing and contract strategies.
• Build and maintain a robust category pipeline with quantified benefits, risk mitigation actions, and milestones.

Sourcing & Negotiation

• Lead end to end sourcing events (RFI/RFP/RFQ) including requirements gathering, evaluation design, total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis, and scenario modelling.
• Run strategic negotiations; secure optimal commercial terms, service levels, and protections (e.g., SLAs, KPIs, LDs, benchmarking, indexation).
• Drive demand management, specification optimisation, and supplier consolidation where appropriate.

Contracting & Supplier Management

• Own contract lifecycle: drafting with Legal, redlining, approval workflows, and execution; ensure accurate contract repository and metadata.
• Implement supplier performance management: SBRs, scorecards, corrective action plans, innovation reviews, and continuous improvement.
• Proactively manage supplier risk (financial, operational, ESG, compliance) with appropriate controls and contingency plans.

Stakeholder & Change Leadership

• Partner with budget owners to align strategies with business goals and forecasted demand; communicate plans and progress transparently.
• Lead cross functional teams (Finance, Legal, IT, Operations, HSE, Compliance) to land sourcing outcomes and embed new ways of working.
• Promote procurement policies, category playbooks, and buying channels; drive adoption and user enablement.

Value Delivery & Governance

• Deliver cost savings (hard/soft), cost avoidance, value creation, and working capital benefits; validate with Finance and track to P&L.
• Ensure adherence to procurement policy, approvals, and schedule of authorisation; support audits and remediation actions.
• Champion responsible procurement, including sustainability (Scope 3 where relevant), DE&I supplier inclusion, and ethical sourcing.

Category Manager Essential Skiils:

• Extensive experience in procurement/sourcing with direct accountability for category strategy and complex negotiations.
• Proven success delivering measurable savings and value across medium to large spend portfolios.
• Strong commercial contracting experience and supplier performance management.
• Advanced analytics and Excel/Business Objects; ability to build cost models and scenarios.
• Excellent stakeholder management, influencing, and communication skills.
• Comfortable working in a matrix, fast paced environment with multiple priorities.

Category Manager Desirable Skills:

• Industry experience relevant to assigned categories
• Experience with ERP (SAP Preferred).
• Knowledge of sustainability/ESG in supply chains and supplier risk frameworks.
• Professional certification (e.g., CIPS, ISM) and/or relevant degree (Business, Supply Chain, Engineering, Finance).

Category Manager Education & Certification

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's preferred (or equivalent experience).
• CIPS/ISM or similar professional qualification advantageous.

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