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About the Role

The Category Specialist provides UK-based commercial and analytical support to Category Manager(s). This role builds evidence for category strategy, savings, and negotiation, manages sourcing activities with UK stakeholder interaction, and collaborates with the India Procurement team for execution. It directly contributes to the category savings plan and provides a responsive service to the business.

Responsibilities

Find savings opportunities through spend analysis, such as price variance, fragmented suppliers, off-contract spend, unused licences and auto-renewals.
Quantify savings using the agreed methodology and baselines, keep pipeline and savings records accurate, and track realised benefits against plan.
Use usage and consumption data to identify where demand exceeds need and prepare evidence for the Category Manager to challenge the business.
Analyse spend, compare rate cards, and model bids, prices and total cost of ownership.
Prepare negotiation packs, run lower-value negotiations and support the Category Manager in complex negotiations.
Research markets and suppliers, maintain category fact packs and track market and price movements.
Run sourcing events that require UK stakeholder involvement, managing timelines and clarifications, scoring responses and keeping the audit trail.
Work with the India Procurement team on execution activity, giving clear requirements and checking outputs before they go to stakeholders.
Manage day-to-day stakeholder contact on assigned activity and gather requirements clearly.
Coordinate supplier reviews, track performance data and follow up commercial actions.
Track renewal and notice dates and contract obligations to ensure timely planning for competitive tension.
Coordinate TPRM due diligence with the TPRM team and business owners, and keep procurement records accurate in the relevant systems.
Use spend cubes, Power BI and AI-assisted analysis and drafting to build insight for the Category Manager, and question data rather than accept it at face value.
Keep procurement data accurate in the system of record and eSourcing tooling.

Requirements

Working knowledge of per-user and subscription licensing and of auto-renewal and notice terms.
Able to use licence usage data to identify unused licences and support demand challenge.
Experience in procurement, sourcing or category support, ideally within indirect spend.
Working knowledge of the assigned category, or a closely comparable spend area.
Strong analytical skills, including spend analysis, rate card comparison and total cost of ownership modelling, with advanced Excel.
Experience running sourcing events and evaluating supplier responses.
Able to work from the London or Kildean (Stirling) office for the majority of the working week.
Experience in a regulated environment such as financial services or insurance.
Experience with Market Dojo or similar eSourcing platforms, Power BI and AI-assisted analysis.
Experience working with offshore teams.
Studying towards CIPS or an equivalent professional qualification.

Skills

Spend analysis
Price variance analysis
Supplier fragmentation analysis
Off-contract spend identification
Unused license identification
Auto-renewal identification
Savings quantification
Pipeline and savings record management
Benefit tracking
Usage and consumption data analysis
Demand challenge
Rate card comparison
Total cost of ownership modelling
Advanced Excel
Negotiation pack preparation
Market research
Supplier research
Market movement tracking
Price movement tracking
Sourcing event management
Stakeholder management
Requirement gathering
Supplier performance tracking
Commercial action follow-up
Contract renewal tracking
Notice date tracking
Contract obligation tracking
TPRM due diligence coordination
Procurement record keeping
Spend cube utilization
Power BI utilization
AI-assisted analysis
AI-assisted drafting
Data questioning
eSourcing tooling utilization
Per-user licensing knowledge
Subscription licensing knowledge
Auto-renewal terms knowledge
Notice terms knowledge

Location

London
Kildean (Stirling)

Work Type

Flexible working arrangements considered
Majority of the working week from base office

Experience Level

Experience in procurement, sourcing or category support
Experience in a regulated environment (desirable)
Experience with Market Dojo or similar eSourcing platforms, Power BI and AI-assisted analysis (desirable)
Experience working with offshore teams (desirable)

Education Level

Studying towards CIPS or an equivalent professional qualification (desirable)

Benefits

Pension scheme of up to 18% (13% employer, 5% employee)
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 for maternity, adoption, surrogacy, and paternity)
Private Healthcare
Critical Illness cover
Life Assurance
Additional family options for Health & Protection cover

About the Company

M&G's purpose is to give everyone real confidence to put their money to work.
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.
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.
M&G Procurement is on a transformation journey aiming to identify and deliver cost reduction and improve the business's experience of Procurement.
Procurement is moving from a business unit aligned, generalist model to a category structure operating as an internal commercial consultancy.
The UK Procurement team offers deep category knowledge, strategic sourcing capability, and negotiation expertise.

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 – including 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.
All candidates have the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments when applying.
Offer workplace adjustments to ensure you have the support you need to succeed in your role.