Procurement Heads
Senior Category Manager

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Senior Category Manager - Corporate Services
Overview
Our client is one of the UK's leading financial services and insurance organisations, serving millions of customers and operating as part of a global group. With a strong focus on innovation, sustainability and customer outcomes, the business is investing in its procurement function to ensure it remains a strategic driver of value, risk management and operational excellence. An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Senior Category Manager to join the Procurement Leadership Team. This role will take ownership of category strategies across People & Culture (HR), Professional Services, Travel, Fleet and Engineering-related spend, while leading a team of procurement professionals to deliver best-in-class sourcing outcomes across the business.
Role & Responsibilities
- Develop and execute category strategies that align with corporate objectives and deliver measurable value
- Act as a trusted business partner to senior stakeholders, influencing decision-making and supporting strategic initiatives
- Lead a team of Sourcing Managers and Specialists, fostering a high-performance culture and supporting professional development
- Drive sourcing, tendering and contract management activities across multiple indirect spend categories
- Build and maintain strong supplier relationships to enhance innovation, performance and long-term value creation
- Collaborate with supplier relationship management teams to improve supplier performance, manage risk and identify opportunities for innovation
- Monitor and deliver against savings targets, procurement KPIs and business objectives
- Ensure robust procurement governance, compliance and adherence to best practice sourcing standards
- Identify, assess and mitigate supply chain risks while supporting business continuity objectives
- Champion sustainability, ethical sourcing and continuous improvement throughout procurement activities
- Keep abreast of market trends, emerging technologies and industry best practice to inform category strategies and commercial decisions
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.
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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.
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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.
Skills & Experience
- Significant experience within strategic sourcing, category management and procurement leadership roles
- Proven track record managing complex indirect spend categories, ideally including HR, Professional Services, Travel and Fleet
- Experience leading and developing procurement teams within a large, complex organisation
- Strong commercial acumen with the ability to deliver value through strategic supplier management and negotiation
- Excellent stakeholder management skills, with experience engaging and influencing senior executives and board-level stakeholders
- Strong analytical capabilities, including data interpretation and performance management
- Experience using modern procurement and sourcing technologies
- Demonstrable success driving procurement transformation, innovation and continuous improvement initiatives
- Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
- Knowledge of responsible AI practices within a procurement environment would be advantageous


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Benefits
- Salary circa £80,000 plus 10% bonus
- 30 Days Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays
- PMI and much more
- Hybrid - 2 days in office - Surrey, Birmingham or London (please note multi site travel will be required)
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