Category Management Lead

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Role Summary:

The Category Management Lead role sits within our UK and Ireland (UK&I) Sourcing and Procurement Team, with direct reporting to the Head of Sourcing and Procurement for UK and Ireland, and a matrix reporting line to the EMEA Regional Category Management Lead. Operating within this dual reporting structure, the role holder will align closely with EMEA regional strategy while delivering UK and Ireland business objectives.

This is a pivotal role that will provide strong leadership to our Category Management team and build the end-to-end strategy to manage our Supply Chain and Category Management related activities. Working in close collaboration with both UK&I and EMEA leadership, the role holder will ensure regional alignment whilst maintaining focus on in country / local market requirements.

The successful candidate will possess a proven track record of building and leading high performing teams, deep market knowledge across all service lines and sectors where we currently operate, and the ability to develop a Category Management strategy which supports and facilitates the business in delivering optimal solutions and benefits. Experience operating effectively within matrix reporting structures and balancing regional and local priorities will be essential.

Key Responsibilities and Deliverables:

Team Leadership & Development: Build and lead a high-performing UK&I Category Management team. Provide strategic direction, mentorship, and coaching. Set clear objectives, conduct regular performance reviews, and develop talent through structured career development plans that foster collaboration and excellence.

Strategic Category Management: Develop and execute comprehensive category strategies aligned with UK&I business needs and EMEA regional direction. Drive preferred Supplier list (PSL) consolidation, leverage economies of scale, and deliver measurable value. Maintain strong market intelligence and engage cross-functional SMEs to ensure strategies reflect operational requirements and emerging opportunities.

Supply Chain Optimisation: Lead UK&I supply chain strategy across PSL and non-preferred suppliers. Right-size the supply chain to deliver local, regional, and national solutions. Develop make-vs-buy scenarios across categories and drive conversion of non-preferred spend to PSL through stakeholder influence and supplier rationalization. Support new business pursuits, transitions and client renewals by defining optimal supply chain solutions.

WPM UK&I Self-Delivery: Partner with WPM UK&I self-delivery business to ensure the PSL effectively supports operational requirements across all business sectors (National Engineering, Hall and Kay, Integral Cooling Technologies, WPM Soft Services, etc.), working closely with sector leads to drive supplier performance, enable efficient self-delivery operations, and deliver continuous improvement aligned to business objectives.

Financial Performance & Value Delivery: Deliver financial targets while proactively identifying additional value opportunities. Lead the Alliance Programme to drive deeper supplier partnerships and achieve annual revenue targets. Provide monthly programme tracking and collaborate with finance partners to manage delivery and control bad debt. Mitigate external impacts including inflation and material shortages.

Supplier Relationship Management: Execute a robust SRM programme to maximize PSL value through insights into supplier capabilities, new business pipelines, responsible procurement initiatives, innovations, and HSSE compliance. Engage stakeholders as relationship sponsors and promote PSL capabilities through targeted events and communications to drive business adoption.

Business Partnership & Stakeholder Engagement: Build strong relationships with Sourcing and Procurement, EMEA Category Management and key stakeholders across JLL. Establish a network of SMEs and integrate them into supply chain activities.

Governance, Compliance & Reporting: Manage supplier onboarding and challenge new supplier requests where PSL coverage exists. Ensure compliance with Responsible Procurement and HSSE standards. Partner with specialist teams to deliver social value opportunities and maintain contractor compliance. Maintain current Buyers Guides and Category Dashboards. Serve as primary escalation point for Category Management enquiries.

Strategic Planning & Alignment: Contribute to annual strategy development in alignment with EMEA Category Management team to maximize regional leverage opportunities. Develop and maintain Sourcing and Procurement Playbooks, including innovation. Provide monthly reporting on Category Management activities, metrics, and performance to Board and EMEA S&P Leadership Team.

Key Expectations:

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Lead a high-performing UK&I Category Management team with clear objectives.

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Develop and execute market-leading category strategies aligned with UK&I and EMEA direction.

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Drive PSL consolidation, supply chain optimisation, and deliver financial targets.

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Execute robust SRM programmes to maximize supplier value and performance.

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Lead Alliance Programme and Responsible Sourcing initiatives.

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Build strong cross-functional stakeholder relationships and support WPM UK&I operations.

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Ensure governance and compliance with Responsible Procurement and HSSE standards.

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Provide monthly performance reporting to Board and EMEA S&P Leadership.

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Demonstrate data-driven decision making, strong negotiation capability, and innovation development.

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Serve as primary escalation point for Category Management matters.

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Operate within matrix reporting structure, balancing EMEA regional and UK&I local priorities.

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Proven ability to deliver results in challenging environments.

Requirements & Qualifications:

Education:

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Bachelor's degree required; MBA or relevant Master's degree preferred.

Certifications:

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Professional procurement certifications highly valued: CIPS (Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply), MCIPS, or equivalent.

Previous Experience:

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10+ years progressive procurement / category management experience with minimum 5 years in senior leadership roles.

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Proven track record managing and developing high-performing teams, ideally 3-5+ direct reports.

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Experience of working within a Hard Services or an Engineering discipline.

Targeted Competencies:

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Deep expertise in strategic sourcing, category strategy development, and supplier relationship management within an FM Services or engineering discipline across the UK market is essential.

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Proven track record managing $200M+ portfolios with expertise in category analysis, market intelligence, and spend analytics,

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Strong commercial negotiation skills for complex, high-value supplier agreements with contract law and risk management expertise.

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Demonstrated success developing and executing multi-year category strategies that deliver measurable P&L impact.

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Advanced financial acumen including TCO modelling, business case development, and ROI analysis.

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Proficiency with procurement technology platforms and data-driven decision-making approach.

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Exceptional communication and presentation skills for board-level interactions with knowledge of UK/Ireland regulatory and commercial environment.

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Advanced knowledge of MS Office (Excel, Word and PowerPoint essential).

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Experience of working with CAFM systems and e-Sourcing tools is desired