Senior Category Manager- Marketing

Overview

In this role you will lead global category management for Marketing, Media, Digital, Creative, and Agency spend, shaping strategic sourcing and supplier partnerships. You will partner with senior stakeholders across Marketing, Digital, Finance and Operations to deliver value, innovation, and risk mitigation in a fast-paced, manufacturing-FMCG environment. You will drive end-to-end sourcing programmes, supplier performance, and governance, translating objectives into actionable category plans. This is a high-visibility opportunity to influence significant spend and support business transformation.

Pay / Benefits

• Competitive Salary
• Car
• Bonus

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute global category strategies for Marketing, Media, Digital, Creative and Agency spend
• Translate business objectives into sourcing strategies delivering value, innovation and supplier performance improvements
• Identify market opportunities and emerging trends to gain competitive advantage
• Lead category planning, pipeline development and procurement governance activities
• Manage end-to-end sourcing programmes including RFI/RFP/RFQ, supplier selection and contract negotiations
• Deliver measurable savings, cost avoidance and value creation across the portfolio
• Build robust commercial models and negotiate complex contracts
• Drive transparency across agency and media spend
• Partner with senior stakeholders across Marketing, Digital, Procurement, Finance, Legal and Operations
• Develop performance frameworks, KPIs and governance models
• Conduct supplier reviews and implement continuous improvement programmes
• Analyse spend and market data to identify opportunities and risks
• Develop benchmarking, dashboards and insight reports for decision-making
• Use procurement analytics to inform strategic recommendations
• Identify opportunities to drive innovation across marketing tech, media platforms and agency models

Key requirements

• Experience in senior category management and marketing planning
• Proven track record delivering end-to-end procurement and driving strategy
• Ability to use category insight to guide decisions
• Experience creating and reviewing category plans
• Confident in interpreting category performance information
• Experience working across marketing and related business teams
• Significant procurement experience in Marketing, Media, Digital, Agency or Professional Services
• Strong sourcing, tendering, negotiation and contract management
• Experience managing complex supplier relationships and driving performance improvements
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders in a global matrix organisation
• Strong analytical capability with data-driven decision making
• Excellent communication, negotiation and relationship-building skills
• Ideally experience with media agencies, marketing services, digital platforms or ad-tech
• Knowledge of media buying, media planning, digital marketing, content production or creative agency services
• International or global procurement experience in manufacturing, FMCG or pharma
• Professional procurement qualification (CIPS or equivalent)

• Excellent communication
• Stakeholder management
• Analytical thinking
• Category management
• Sourcing (RFI/RFP/RFQ)
• Contract negotiation and management

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