Category Manager - Construction & Goods

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If you would like to know a bit more about this opportunity, or are considering applying, then please read the following job information.

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We're on an exciting procurement transformation journey, and we're growing our team to help make it happen. As part of this, we're introducing key new roles and looking for talented, motivated procurement professionals who want to make a real impact.

If you're passionate about driving value, building strong stakeholder relationships, and shaping the future of procurement, this is a fantastic opportunity to be part of a team that's evolving, ambitious, and central to our business success.

More about the role

The Category Manager is responsible for leading procurement activity specifically within the Construction & Goods category, ensuring value, efficiency, and innovation are delivered across the organisation.

The role will oversee the development and implementation of robust category strategies tailored to the unique needs of Construction, materials and goods, manage a team of procurement professionals, and ensure all procurement activity complies with organisational policies and relevant regulations.

The role is working in our Armitage, South Rings Office in Preston 1-2 days a week

More about you

You will work alongside a team of Category Managers and will bring your experience in Construction categories to drive value in our supply chain.

Strong stakeholder engagement and leadership skills are essential, along with the ability to influence and collaborate across all levels.

You'll need commercial acumen and analytical thinking to interpret data, assess opportunities, and drive performance.

As part of your role you will manage and support a team of Procurement Professionals, focusing on fostering performance, collaboration and improvement

The Essential criteria for this role is listed below

• Experience in procurement, with demonstrable experience in category management and strategic sourcing.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to deliver value and influence business decisions.
• Skilled in developing and implementing category strategies, sourcing plans, and robust procurement recommendations in the Construction and Goods categories including materials and contractors.

The benefits?

We are a large diverse and ambitious business, which will give you all the challenge you could wish for.

We know that there's always more we can do to make you smile, that's why we offer a comprehensive benefits package with each role, yours will include:

• Competitive salary, with a salary review yearly
• Pension with matched contributions up to 7%
• Excellent holiday package up to 35 days annual leave with the option to buy or sell leave
• Cashback plan for healthcare costs up to £500 saving per year
• A bonus scheme for all colleagues at 2%
• Training and development
• Extra perks including huge discounts and offers from shops, cinemas and much more

What's next?

If you meet the criteria and are ready to make the next step in your career then click apply. You will be redirected to our careers site where you can discover more about the role, read a full job description and apply directly to us.

As part of ourcommitment to diversity and inclusion, we offer a guaranteed interview to candidates who are disabled, neurodiverse, or have served in the Armed Forces, provided they meet the essential criteria for the role. If you would like to be considered under this scheme, please indicate this in your application. We are dedicated to creating a supportive and accessible recruitment process for all.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview experience, please let us know. We're happy to work with you to ensure you have the opportunity to perform at your best.

If you are a Places for People customer and you're looking for support with your application, please contact our skills and employment team on .

We understand the importance of a supportive and inclusive work culture so please talk to us at interview about flexibility you may need. We can't promise to give you exactly what you want, but we promise not to judge you for asking. For this role we are open to discussing the possibility of reduced hours, flexible start and finish times or compressed hours.

If you are a recruitment agency please note we operate a PSL and do not take cold calls

Safeguarding

At Places for People, safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. We are committed to creating safe communities for our customers and colleagues by protecting children, young people, and adults at risk from harm, abuse, and neglect.

We follow robust safeguarding policies and procedures, ensuring all employees, volunteers, and contractors uphold the highest standards of safeguarding and accountability. xrnqpay Our recruitment process includes pre-employment checks, including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks where applicable, to promote a safe and secure working environment.

By joining Places for People, you are expected to contribute to our safeguarding culture, following our policies and reporting concerns to protect those in our communities