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About the Role

The Category Manager is the commercial owner of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) category, acting as an internal commercial consultant. This role requires deep category knowledge, strategic sourcing capability, and negotiation expertise to build and own the category strategy and savings plan, compete with vendors on commercial strategy, and influence business purchasing decisions. Success is measured by realized cost reduction and the value placed on Procurement's advice.

Responsibilities

Build, own, and execute the category strategy for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO).
Maintain category plans covering market analysis, supply base segmentation, demand profiling, route to market, and savings opportunities.
Develop commercial strategies for key vendors well in advance of renewal.
Lead high-value sourcing events and negotiations, including setting negotiation strategy, BATNA, and walk-away position.
Manage senior supplier relationships under commercial pressure.
Design sourcing events and evaluation criteria, determining the appropriate process based on value, risk, and complexity.
Introduce competitive tension into renewals and new commitments.
Build and own the category savings plan against an agreed share of the group cost reduction target.
Agree baselines and savings methodology with Finance and track savings realization.
Build total cost of ownership and should-cost models, and model the budget impact of sourcing options.
Use price, volume, and demand levers, including rate reduction, volume aggregation, supplier consolidation, and specification change.
Challenge demand and specification using category and industry knowledge.
Report savings and cost avoidance accurately and maintain a forward pipeline.
Act as a trusted commercial adviser to senior business owners within the BPO spend area.
Influence stakeholder decisions on sourcing, demand, and specification without formal authority.
Present category insight, evaluation, and commercial recommendations to governance forums.
Act as the Procurement relationship lead for nominated senior stakeholders.
Seek and act on stakeholder feedback to improve the business experience of Procurement.
Set the commercial direction for key suppliers in the category and lead commercial input to vendor strategy.
Influence and partner with in-business vendor management and vendor performance teams.
Find value in the existing supply base through rate review, supplier consolidation, and contract optimization.
Direct category execution work delivered by the India team, providing clear briefs, priorities, and commercial context.
Review the quality of execution outputs from the India team and work with India leads to maintain a responsive service.
Shape commercial terms, including pricing mechanisms, indexation, service credits, and exit provisions, in collaboration with Legal.
Apply third-party risk management, outsourcing, and regulatory requirements specific to BPO.
Identify regulatory risks such as material outsourcing.
Apply procurement standards and governance proportionately.
Record activity in the system of record and eSourcing tooling.
Use spend data, Power BI dashboards, and AI tools to analyze trends and anomalies.
Identify future sourcing opportunities and present commercial insights from management information.
Question data accuracy and work with India colleagues to maintain data integrity.
Coach and develop Category Specialists and India colleagues.
Plan the utilization of onshore and offshore capacity for maximum value.
Share category intelligence across the Procurement team and support cross-category opportunities.

Requirements

Substantial category management or strategic sourcing experience.
Track record of delivering measurable savings in a complex organization.
Demonstrable experience of planning and leading negotiations on high-value contracts with major vendors.
Experience setting negotiation strategy and BATNA.
Credibility with senior stakeholders.
Evidence of influencing business decisions without formal authority.
Experience presenting commercial recommendations to senior governance forums.
Strong commercial and financial judgment, including total cost of ownership and should-cost analysis.
Ability to explain budget and P&L impact to stakeholders.
Confident using spend data and management information to identify trends, anomalies, and sourcing opportunities.
Able to work from the London or Kildean (Stirling) office for the majority of the working week.

Skills

Category management
Strategic sourcing
Negotiation
Commercial strategy
Supply market analysis
Vendor management
Stakeholder management
Financial analysis
Data analysis
Spend data utilization
Power BI
AI tools

Location

London
Kildean (Stirling)

Work Type

Flexible working arrangements considered
Majority of working week in base office

Experience Level

Senior

Benefits

Pension scheme (up to 18% employer/employee contributions)
Share Save and Share Incentive Plan
Financial wellbeing and support services
38 days annual leave (including bank holidays)
Opportunity to purchase up to five extra days of leave
Time Off When You Need It policy
Inspiring Families policy (comprehensive support and paid parental leave)
Private Healthcare
Critical Illness cover
Life Assurance
Additional family options for Health & Protection cover

About the Company

M&G has a heritage dating back more than 175 years with a long history of innovation in savings and investments.
Combines asset management and insurance expertise to offer a wide range of solutions.
Two distinct operating segments: Asset Management and Life.
Focuses on giving everyone real confidence to put their money to work.
Values telling it like it is, owning it now, and moving it forward together with care and integrity.
Creating an exceptional place to work for exceptional talent.

Equal Opportunity

Strive to have a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture.
Welcome applications from people of all backgrounds – across gender, ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation and more.
Include neurodivergent individuals, career returners, and those with military service experience.
Proud to be Level 3: Disability Confident Leader under the UK Government Disability Confident employer scheme.
Welcome applications from candidates with disabilities and long-term health conditions.
Committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process.
Candidates have the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments when applying.
Support available for additional assistance at any stage of the application process.