Category Manager - F&O (9 month FTC)

We are recruiting for an experienced Category Manager to join our Procurement team for Facilities and Operations (F&O). This role is integral to ensuring the firm acquires the right goods and services at the best value, supporting our strategic objectives while maintaining operational excellence.

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Full job description (attached PDF)

Role overview

We are recruiting for an experienced Category Manager to join our Procurement team for Facilities and Operations (F&O). This role is integral to ensuring the firm acquires the right goods and services at the best value, supporting our strategic objectives while maintaining operational excellence.

As a Category Manager, you will lead and drive strategic procurement initiatives across facilities, shaping best practices and delivering commercial value across the organisation.

This role requires someone who thrives in an autonomous environment, bringing deep expertise, commercial acumen, and a forward-thinking approach to procurement. You will be part of a team fostering a high-performance culture and ensuring procurement strategies align with the firm's overarching business priorities.

Key responsibilities

The key responsibilities of this role are set out below and there may be others which are not listed. You may be required on occasion to work outside our normal working hours of 9:30am to 5:30pm.

Category Strategy Development

• Develop and execute category-specific sourcing strategies that align to F&O departmental business objectives and overall business goals.
• Perform spend analysis to identify areas of spend optimisation and return on investment.
• Monitor, collate and analyse supplier performance data, to assess value for money and supplier improvement opportunities.
• Monitor market trends and benchmarks to ensure competitiveness and market leading innovation.

Strategic Sourcing

• Lead end to end category sourcing activity.
• Build a fit for purpose supply chain to deliver departmental objectives.
• Support, and in some cases lead, all relevant negotiations.
• Ensure application of robust supplier approval.
• Draft, review, and agree all relevant third-party contracts.

Supplier Management

• Lead supplier performance reviews and development improvement initiatives.
• Identify and build plans mitigate risk in the short-, medium- and long-term horizon.
• Lead on segmenting suppliers and develop long term relationships and supply plans executed through cross-functional teams.

Stakeholder Management

• Collaborate in cross-functional teams such as finance, operations, and legal to align procurement goals.
• Provide procurement partnering support services within dedicated category department, and other categories when required.
• Manage and resolve supply chain performance related issues with the relevant department.
• Ensure compliance to internal policies, ethical standards, and regulatory requirements.

Data Analytics

• Use and build analytical dashboards to identify trends, risks, and opportunities within procurement.
• Provide regular reports on category performance, spend management, and procurement partner metrics.
• Develop dashboards and tools to enhance visibility of spend and performance.

Candidate profile

Candidates for this position must have:

• Comfortable using AI-enabled tools to support day-to-day work, with the ability to apply sound judgement and critical thinking when interpreting outputs.

Category Strategy Development:

• Develop and execute category specific sourcing strategies that align to F&O departmental business objectives and overall business goals.
• Perform spend analysis to identify areas of spend optimisation and return on investment.
• Monitor, collate and analyse supplier performance data, to assess value for money and supplier improvement opportunities.
• Monitor market trends and benchmarks to ensure competitiveness and market leading innovation.

Strategic Sourcing:

• Lead end to end category sourcing activity.
• Build a fit for purpose supply chain to deliver departmental objectives.
• Support, and in some cases lead, all relevant negotiations.
• Ensure application of robust supplier approval
• Draft, review, and agree all relevant third-party contracts.

Supplier Management:

• Lead supplier performance reviews and development improvement initiatives.
• Identify and build plans to mitigate risk in the short-, medium- and long-term horizon.
• Lead on segmenting suppliers and develop long term relationships and supply plans executed through cross-functional teams.

Stakeholder Management:

• Collaborate in cross-functional teams such as finance, operations, and legal to align procurement goals.
• Provide procurement partnering support services within dedicated category department, and other categories when required.
• Manage and resolve supply chain performance related issues with the relevant department.
• Ensure compliance with internal policies, ethical standards, and regulatory requirements.

Data Analytics:

• Use and build analytical dashboards to identify trends, risks, and opportunities within procurement.
• Provide regular reports on category performance, spend management, and procurement partner metrics.
• Develop dashboards and tools to enhance visibility of spend and performance.

Our recruitment process

We anticipate this being a two-stage process:

1st interview - Senior Procurement Manager and Recruitment Advisor

Practical assessment - Short-listed candidates will be asked to prepare a case study for discussion during the 2nd interview

2nd Interview - Senior Procurement Manager and Head of F&O

3rd interview - Chief Financial Officer

We are committed to ensuring that our recruitment processes are barrier-free and as inclusive as possible for everyone. This includes making adjustments for people who have a disability or long-term condition. If you have any questions or require any adjustments to be made to one or both of the application or interview processes, please contact the Recruitment Team.

We are a Disability Confident Committed employer and will offer an interview to applicants with a disability or long-term condition who best meet the minimum or essential criteria for our Business Services roles. If you would like to apply through the Disability Confident 'Offer An Interview' commitment, please apply via our online application form and not via LinkedIn. You are disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a 'substantial' and 'long-term' negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities. For more information about the Disability Confident scheme, please see the government website here.

We welcome applications irrespective of race, colour, ethnic or national origin, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, belief or marital status.

The purpose of this description is to provide guidance in relation to the general requirements of the position referred to. It is by no means an exhaustive list of the responsibilities that will be involved.

Any offer of employment with us is subject to the firm's receipt of a satisfactory report from its third party screening and vetting provider in respect of the successful candidate. Your adviser will be able to explain how this process works in practice in the event of any questions.

At Slaughter and May, we take the protection of your personal information seriously and we are committed to safeguarding the privacy of the personal information that you share with us, or is collected by us, during the course of our interactions with you. Our Recruitment Privacy Notice ("RP Notice") supplements, and should be read alongside, the firm's Privacy Notice.

These privacy notices are always available to view within the Legal and Regulatory section of our website.

Who we are

Slaughter and May is a leading international law firm, recognised throughout the business community for its exceptional legal service, commercial awareness, and commitment to clients. We advise across the spectrum of legal matters including high-profile, ground-breaking, and complex transactions, contentious matters and all aspects of risk. We deliver innovative and bespoke solutions to our clients, domestically and internationally. We provide clear legal advice that spans the globe whilst tackling the cultural nuances between jurisdictions. Our lawyers understand how to coordinate and manage matters in the jurisdictions most relevant to our clients.

Excellence is central to everything we do, and it remains one of the first words mentioned when others are asked about the firm. We are very proud of that reputation. One reason we are known for excellence is because we have always been guided by a set of values that have been an implicit part of who we are and how we operate.

Our four core values are:

1. The highest standards;

2. Independence of thought;

3. Collective endeavour;

4. Respect for all.

They are not simply a list of characteristics. They are part of a framework, as they demonstrate our commitment to our four stakeholder groups (Our clients; Our people; The firm; Society).

At Slaughter and May, with over 1,400 partners and staff worldwide, everyone's contribution is valued, and we all enjoy an open, friendly and supportive environment. We have an underlying sense of pride in who we are and what we do, and our inclusive culture gives rise to a unique diversity of thinking, which is critical to our success and helps maintain our position as a true market leader.

Business Services Development

We offer a variety of learning and development opportunities to members of our Business Services team, including sessions open to everyone on topics ranging from personal impact and resilience to written communication. We also run a series of development programmes for supervisors and managers, as well as various bespoke team and one-to-one sessions.

Our Network of Networks

The firm has eleven employee networks run by employees and supported by partners. Collectively, we form a Network of Networks, and our aim is to foster a spirit of inclusion, both amongst the networks and the firm more widely. We work collaboratively to create a more open minded and inclusive work environment.

We strive to make people feel comfortable about bringing their authentic selves to work.

Each network offers an informal support mechanism for employees with shared backgrounds, perspectives or interests and hosts a number of exciting formal and informal events throughout the year, which are open to everyone. They're a great way to meet new people in the firm, as well as to celebrate difference and learn about a variety of experiences and perspectives.