Category Strategy & Insights Manager (Procurement)

About us

Salary - "Competitive Salary".
Work Type - Hybrid
Job Location - Lingley Mere (UU), Lingley Green Avenue, Great Sankey, Warrington, WA5 3LP
Role Type - Fixed Term Contract - 9 Months
Employment Type - Full Time
Working Hours - 37

Benefits

• A generous annual leave package of 26 days, which increases to 30 days after four years of service (increases one day per year), in addition to 8 bank holidays
• A competitive pension scheme with up to 14% employer contribution, 21% combined, and life cover
• Up to 10.5% performance-related bonus scheme, as well as recognition awards for outstanding achievements
• A comprehensive healthcare plan through our company-funded scheme
• MyGymDiscounts - gym and wellness benefit that offers up to 25% off on gym memberships and digital fitness subscriptions
• Best Doctors
• Salary Finance
• Wealth at Work courses
• Deals and discounts
• EVolve Car Scheme
• Employee Assistance Plan
• Mental health first aiders
• ShareBuy
• MORE Choices flexible benefits
• Enhanced parental leave schemes

Job Purpose

United Utilities' Commercial function is seeking an experienced procurement and category professional to design, establish and embed a practical category strategy, market insight and reporting framework across a diverse portfolio of operational categories.

This is broader than a traditional Category Manager post and more delivery-focused than a standalone market intelligence role. Working alongside category and sourcing leads, operational stakeholders, Finance and supplier management colleagues, you will turn internal data and external insight into clear category positions, risks, opportunities, sourcing priorities and decision-ready reporting. You will not replace category owners; you will provide the common structure, challenge and insight that strengthens their strategies and commercial decisions

Accountabilities & Responsibilities

• Design and maintain a common category strategy framework covering scope, spend and demand baseline, supplier and contract landscape, market dynamics, strengths and constraints, risk, opportunity, innovation, sustainability and resilience, total cost of ownership, strategic options and delivery roadmap.
• Work with category leads and business stakeholders to develop and refresh insight-led category strategies across Bioresources, Energy, Fleet & Fuel, Chemicals and Scientific Services, prioritising activity according to business need and maturity.
• Conduct targeted market research and benchmarking covering supply market structure, peer approaches, cost drivers, capacity, supply chain risk, regulation, technology and innovation.
• Establish repeatable category reporting and structured data requests, with clear owners, definitions and timescales, bringing together spend, contracts, suppliers, demand, performance, risk, opportunities, benefits, milestones and decisions.
• Translate category and market insight into a prioritised commercial opportunity pipeline and well-defined sourcing requirements, supported by evidence, options and practical next steps.
• Support sourcing activity where required through market engagement, supplier landscape analysis, route-to-market options, sourcing briefs, business case inputs and evidence for evaluation or negotiation.
• Support the identification and tracking of savings, cost avoidance, risk reduction, resilience, sustainability and service benefits, while facilitating workshops and decision-making with senior stakeholders.
• Embed the framework through guidance, coaching, governance and handover materials so that the approach can be sustained and developed after the fixed-term assignment.

Technical Skills & Experience

You will bring a strong combination of category strategy, commercial insight and practical implementation experience. In particular, you will have:

• Substantial experience in procurement, category management, strategic sourcing, procurement excellence, commercial insight or commercial transformation within a complex organisation.
• A proven track record of developing category strategies and converting analysis into clear commercial choices, priorities and delivery plans.
• Strong analytical judgement and the ability to combine spend, demand, contract, supplier, operational and external market information without losing the commercial narrative.
• Experience creating practical frameworks, templates, governance and reporting that teams can use - not simply producing one-off recommendations.
• Strong senior stakeholder management and facilitation skills, with the confidence to challenge constructively and build alignment across functions.
• A sound understanding of sourcing and supplier management processes, enabling you to support procurement activity without owning every sourcing event end to end.
• Excellent communication, presentation, project and change delivery skills, with a completer-finisher mindset and the ability to manage several category workstreams in parallel.

Desirable experience:

• CIPS, a relevant degree or an equivalent professional qualification; equivalent practical experience will also be valued.
• Experience in utilities, infrastructure, engineering, manufacturing or another regulated and asset-intensive environment, including exposure to one or more of the role categories.
• Experience improving procurement reporting, data standards, dashboards or category management capability across a portfolio.

What success will look like

• A practical category strategy and insight framework is agreed, understood and consistently used.
• The category portfolio has a clear, current view of market context, spend, suppliers, contracts, risks, opportunities and priorities.
• Priority category strategies, dashboards and sourcing requirements are completed to an agreed standard and have clear ownership.
• A credible commercial opportunity and sourcing pipeline is visible, evidence-based and linked to business priorities.
• Reporting, data ownership and governance are embedded, with a clear improvement roadmap and sustainable handover.

Who this role may suit

Relevant backgrounds may include Category Strategy Manager, Procurement Insights Manager, Category Excellence Manager, Procurement Transformation Manager, Commercial or Market Intelligence Manager, or a senior Category Manager with a strong strategy and analytics focus.