Category Manager

A leading insurance and asset management business based in Sussex, is recruiting a Category Manager to oversee marketing spend. At the heart of this company is its customers. By stepping into this role, you will be joining a business with a social purpose that drives the business forward, working amongst a collaborative and highly effective team. This supportive environment will help your career thrive as you constantly develop your skills and capability.

Your role as Category Manager (Marketing) involves strategically managing and optimising procurement’s influence on marketing, print and postage spend. You will take responsibility for a marketing category with a value of c.£60m, working to develop effective stakeholder relationships and maintain supply market expertise to drive best overall value for money and minimise supply chain risk.

The Procurement team are highly ambitious and have a shared commitment to continuously improve and grow. You will work in a supportive environment and alongside a Procurement Director who is accessible and approachable. Throughout the course of your career here you will be developed to achieve the best you possibly can. 

Sound interesting? Read on to learn more about the day to day responsibilities you could expect in this role.

As Category Manager (Marketing) your key responsibilities will include:

• Ownership of the Marketing / Digital Coms, Print and postage Category
• Proactively managing and addressing spend via RFP`s, E Sourcing and Supplier / Market engagement, providing expert-level market intelligence and best practice procurement
• Business Partnering with key stakeholders to develop robust internal relationships and develop an accurate project pipeline
• Provide thought leadership and sourcing strategy regarding category

Skills and experience required:

To be successful in this role you will have existing experience of the marketing category and the ability to operate at a strategic level. You will be capable of driving procurement excellence for the marketing stakeholders you work closely alongside, maintaining commercial acumen as you act as a credible procurement advisor.

In applications for the Category Manager (Marketing) role we will be looking for:

Extensive marketing procurement experience, specifically Digital Coms/ Print experience essential, including:

• Multi-channel marketing disciplines including SEO, PPC, Media Buyer (TV, OOH, Sponsorship, Radio and Press), PR and Display Advertising)
• Knowledge of cold list data purchasing and GDPR regulations
• Credible market knowledge of Postage, Print, Transactional and Acquisition direct mail
• Knowledge of Postage, Print, Transactional and Acquisition direct mail

In addition to this you will be:

• A strong team player, with the ability to also work on own initiative
• Strong contract drafting and negotiation skills
• Robust stakeholder management skills
• MCIPS ideal but not essential
• Degree ideal but not essential
• Working knowledge of P2P/E Procurement tools
• Some team/people management skills ideal but not essential
• Ability to work in an Agile/Flexible manner
• Openness and ability to drive change

If you feel your experience aligns to the above, we would love to hear from you and tell you more about the company, the role and the team you would be working alongside.

In securing this role you will be embarking on a great opportunity to develop yourself, but not only this, you’ll receive a range of fantastic benefits too.

Benefits of the Category Manager (Marketing) role include:

• Generous pension scheme, up to 15% contribution
• Annual bonus
• Share schemes
• Agile working
• Save as you earn scheme
• Childcare vouchers
• High street and supermarket discounts
• Season ticket loan available
• Study support and learning hub
• Private medical including eye care
• Private dental
• 27 days annual leave
• Charity fundraising matching
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee assistance programme