Category Lead

Salary

Our Procurement team plays a vital role in ensuring Stagecoach gets the very best value from our supplier partnerships while supporting the delivery of services that matter most to our people and customers.

Who better to help shape our approach to People and Marketing procurement than a commercially minded procurement professional who enjoys building relationships, negotiating value and driving continuous improvement?

We're looking for a Category Lead to join our Central Services team, supporting procurement activities across a diverse portfolio including People, Learning & Development, Occupational Health, Recruitment, Employee Benefits, PPE, Travel. Marketing, Media and Legal Services.

Working closely with stakeholders across the Group, you'll develop sourcing strategies, manage supplier relationships and ensure we achieve the right balance of value, quality, compliance and service delivery. You'll play a key role in helping Stagecoach maximise commercial opportunities whilst supporting operational excellence across our operating companies.

This is a fantastic opportunity to work across a broad range of spend categories, collaborate with senior stakeholders and influence procurement decisions that support the future success of the business.

The role is based in our corporate office in Stockport, with occasional travel as required.

What you'll do:

• Develop and deliver sourcing strategies across People and Marketing-related spend categories.
• Lead end-to-end procurement activity, from category planning and tender execution through to supplier management and contract renewal.
• Build strong relationships with suppliers and stakeholders to ensure service quality, value and performance expectations are met.
• Negotiate commercial terms, pricing and contracts to secure the best outcomes for the business.
• Analyse spend, market trends and supplier performance to identify opportunities for improvement and cost efficiencies.
• Manage supplier performance through KPIs and SLAs, ensuring service delivery remains effective.
• Ensure procurement activity aligns with company policies, legal requirements and regulatory obligations.
• Support risk management activities and help identify opportunities to strengthen supplier resilience.
• Promote sustainable sourcing and supplier diversity initiatives where appropriate.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of procurement processes and ways of working.

What we need from you:

• Experience in procurement, strategic sourcing or category management, ideally within indirect spend categories.
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to negotiate effectively and achieve positive outcomes.
• Excellent analytical skills and confidence working with data, contracts and commercial information.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to build positive working relationships at all levels.
• Experience managing suppliers and driving performance improvements.
• Strong organisational and project management skills with excellent attention to detail.
• Knowledge of procurement processes, contract management and supplier governance.
• Familiarity with procurement systems and technology would be beneficial.
• Understanding of procurement regulations and compliance requirements.
• A CIPS qualification, or working towards one, would be advantageous.

Click apply now to start your Stagecoach journey today. We can't wait to welcome you on board!

Stagecoach is proudly an inclusive employer, striving for a culture where everyone can be themselves and where all the differences people bring are truly appreciated. We welcome applications from all, irrespective of gender, ethnicity, race, religion, beliefs, disability, neurodiversity, sexual orientation or age.

We also live by our five values across Stagecoach; We plan for the future, We do the right thing, We are stronger together, We are down to earth and We support communities.

Stagecoach is proudly an inclusive employer, striving for a culture where everyone can be themselves and where all the differences people bring are truly appreciated. We welcome applications from all, irrespective of gender, ethnicity, race, religion, beliefs, disability, neurodiversity, sexual orientation, or age.

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