First Military Recruitment
Senior Category Manager

How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Senior Category Manager (9 Months FTC)
Clearance: SC Cleared
Location: Reading/Hybrid – Max 3 x day on site per week
Overview:
The role as Senior Category Manager is to drive, implement and execute Category Management, Strategic Sourcing, Contract Management and Supplier Relationship Management within an assigned sub-group of categories. With the ultimate objective of leveraging and securing the client’s supplier base to support its current and future business requirements, whilst mitigating risks. Provide Commercial and Contract Performance support to the business to allow management of project and commercial risk.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Develop and implement Category Strategies for assigned sub-group of categories, balancing short and long-term objectives to meet business strategy and efficiencies (savings) in alignment with business stakeholders.
- Support and execute complex strategic sourcing activities in line with approved category strategies and preferred suppliers list, including the execution of the RFx process, supplier evaluation and selection, contract negotiation, business award and contract handover to the business, in compliance with the business requirements as well as the business policies and directives, including Code of Conduct and Code of Business Ethics.
- Responsible for contractual and commercial management and effective contract administration to the relevant team providing commercial assurance to deliver commercial value.
- Support and execute Supplier Relationship Management for key and critical suppliers within the sub-group of categories, including supplier segmentation, contract management, supplier risks identification and mitigation and suppliers performance. Identify and develop supplier value including planning and participating to external management review meetings with segmented suppliers (Management Business Reviews and Executive Business Reviews) in accordance with client’s Supplier Relationship Management framework and the agreed supplier strategy.
- Support and provide input to the Process and Performance team as appropriate. Support the development and interface with the Service Centre.
Reasons to use Rodeo
I’m in my final year doing Economics and I don’t know whether to apply for grad schemes now or do a masters first. What do you think?
Honest answer — it depends on where you want to end up. A lot of top grad schemes (Big 4, civil service, banking) don’t need a masters. Let’s look at the ones you’d be competitive for now, and we can decide if a masters actually adds anything.
Also worth knowing: most autumn 2026 applications are open now. Timing matters more than you think.
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
Graduate Consultant — 2026 Scheme
Why you're a good match
StrongYour economics background and your summer at a regional bank line up with what PwC looks for on the consulting scheme. Applications close in four weeks.
See breakdownIt searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Why you're a good match
You’ve got the grades and the economics background, and your bank internship is exactly the experience this scheme looks for. Apply soon — deadlines close within the month.
Experience fit
Your summer at the bank plus your econometrics coursework map directly to the day-one responsibilities on this scheme — client modelling, market briefings, and deal support.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Experience and Key Skills:


Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
- Consistently demonstrating positive behaviours in line with the company's environmental, sustainability, safety, health, security, quality and ethics standards.
- Category Management: Drive and implement Category Strategy to deliver cost effective category solutions and business models.
- Supplier base management and supplier classification (Preferred Supplier List – PSL), securing competition in the supplier base.
- Implement ways of working according to the Category Management Framework including the delivery of Category targets and KPI’s for assigned group of spend categories. Business Intelligence, benchmark and market insight to support category development.
- The Senior Category Manager, with the sub-category Team, are responsible for securing and tracking cost reduction, contract management and continuity of Supply Chain.
- Strategic Sourcing: Prepare & execute the RFx process in collaboration with stakeholders including supplier evaluation and selection, supplier negotiations (costs and contract).
- Contribute to the long-term business ensuring competitive initial cost and total cost development in the product and service life cycle and maintenance of the specific supplier contract for products and services.
- Contract Management: Prepare and execute a Contract which is appropriate to the scope, value and risk outlined in the sourcing strategy, ensuring all relevant stakeholders have contributed and approved as appropriate. Administer the Contract in accordance with all of the terms and conditions ensuring contract compliance.
- Ensure appropriate management of commercial risks, forecast spend and change impacts with key stakeholders.
- Supplier Relationship Management: Suppliers segmented and managed (quality, performance, risk) in accordance with the Supplier Relationship Management Framework. on the supplier), make corrective action plans for the identified risks.
- Supplier Strategies for key suppliers within assigned group of spend categories.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills
Location