Category Manager

Job Description

We’re hunting for a Category Manager to join our dynamic Procurement team. In this adventurous role, you'll drive commercial benefit by delivering top-notch contract and commercial support. You'll dive deep, working closely with legal, into contracts, renewals, support the wider team, offering cross-functional challenges to boost our procurement performance and savings. Your mission includes developing a keen understanding of our suppliers, internal partners, and their needs, delivering in line with these, along with forging strong peer relationships plus managing the commercial facets of our supplier engagement. Alignment with the Procurement & Finance strategy being your guiding star. Ready to embark on this journey? We're open to having you on board from Reading office base.

Who we are

The UK’s fastest broadband network. The nation’s best-loved mobile brand. And, one of the UK's biggest companies too.

Diverse, high performing teams - jam packed with serious talent. Together, we offer the UK more choice and better value, through our boundary-pushing, customer-championing values, and ambitions.

Together, we are Virgin Media O2, and we can't wait to see what you can do.

Accessible, inclusive, and equitable for all

Virgin Media O2 is an equal opportunities employer, and we're working hard to remove bias and barriers for our people and candidates. So, we build equity and inclusion into everything we do, from the policies we craft to the relationships we shape. We support and encourage you to be your authentic self throughout your application journey with us.

The must haves

In order to be considered, you must have the following experience.

• Proven experience in procurement environment, working to defined and often challenging timescales with interdependency with other functions/workstreams
• Work in partnership with commercial finance to understand cost drivers & budgets/forecasts and to align strategic sourcing activities and procurement plans to the latest plans.
• Track and report savings, in-life supplier operational performance and other commercial benefits for each responsible category / supplier and how these compare to targets
• Demonstrable experience in managing suppliers and contracts, ideally wholesale and carrier partners
  
• Numerate plus keen financial focus

The other stuff we are looking for

We'd also love you to bring;

• Managing change within a fast-paced organisation
• Experienced in working in a global parent Procurement matrix model
• Understanding, application and delivery of Strategic Sourcing, in-life contract performance and Supplier Relationship Management and Total Cost of Ownership principles.
• Development and maintaining of long-term relationships with key strategic suppliers through structured SRM.
• Experience of business partnering in a people focused organisation
• Previous experience in the Telecoms market

What's in it for you

Our goal is to celebrate our people, their lives and everything in-between. We aim to create a culture that empowers everyone to bring the best versions of themselves to work each and every day. We believe the most inclusive and diverse culture makes for a better business and a brighter world.

Working at Virgin Media O2, you get a bumper reward package bursting with benefits, and loads of extras you can add if you’d like to. These are designed to support both you and your loved ones, making sure that you’re covered no matter what life throws your way.

Next steps

If we feel like a place where you can belong, we'd love to learn more about you as a person and your experience to date. Once you've submitted an application the next steps of the process, if successful, are likely to include completing a Saville Way Assessment, two interview stages on Teams' and Face to Face.

When you apply, you'll be asked about any adjustments you might need to support the recruitment process. Let us know, and we'll be sure to discuss it with you.

Please note: Applications will be reviewed, and interviews conducted throughout the duration of this advert, therefore we may bring the closing date forward. We encourage all interested applicants to apply as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience and for showing an interest in joining the Virgin Media O2 family.

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