Category Manager

Procurement Category Manager – Specific Systems & Equipment

Location: Templecombe, United Kingdom – Hybrid Working.

Thales people provide armed forces customers with operational advantage at every decisive moment throughout the mission. Defence and armed forces customers rely on us to deliver the full range of defence mission systems solutions at land, sea, and air. Our platforms extend across the battlespace including Above and Sonar, Electronic Combat, and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance systems. Together we offer fantastic opportunities for committed employees to learn and develop their career with us. At Thales UK, we research, develop, and supply technology and services that impact the lives of millions of people each day to make life better, and keep us safer. We innovate across the major industries of Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space. Your health and well‑being matters to us and that’s why we offer you the flexibility to do what’s important to you; whether that’s part‑time hours, job sharing, home working, or the ability to flex your start and finish times. Where possible, we support a working pattern that suits your lifestyle and helps you reach your ambitions.

Key Responsibilities

• Take accountability for maintaining up‑to‑date knowledge of the supplier market, including innovations and emerging technologies relevant to the category.
• Lead major and business‑critical supplier selection processes to support business needs, as well as deploy, implement, and monitor category strategies.
• Oversee the acquisition process end‑to‑end, managing RFIs and/or RFPs.
• Collaborate with diverse stakeholders to ensure procurement decisions that deliver the best outcomes for Thales and its customers.
• Build and maintain strong supplier relationships, driving continuous improvement and managing strategic supplier performance in areas such as quality, cost, delivery, contractual obligations, and innovation.
• Ensure supplier competitiveness to support business objectives and facilitate supply base improvements that enhance our capabilities.
• Develop and utilise economic models to increase value for Thales and our supplier partners.

About You

• Has strong contractual knowledge, particularly with framework agreements and key clauses.
• Is confident leading complex negotiations, including import/export elements.
• Demonstrates experience managing stakeholders and influencing cross‑functional teams.
• Has experience in direct procurement categories, ideally collaborating with technical or engineering stakeholders.
• Has contributed to developing and executing category strategy initiatives.
• Understands supplier performance management and supplier development techniques.
• Has implemented procurement strategies from an operational perspective.
• Thinks creatively to challenge existing processes and bring innovative supply chain and procurement insights that add value to the business and our customers.

Benefits

We strive to create an environment where you can prioritise your wellbeing and have designed our benefits to give you the flexibility and power to do so. Our core benefits include a pension plan, private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection as well as an employee assistance programme. In addition, our flexible benefits platform gives you the power to customise your benefits to suit your needs. You can choose to add a number of optional benefits including: healthcare cash plan, health assessments, family cover private medical insurance, buying/selling annual leave, gym membership discounts and much more. You can also enjoy exclusive access to our discount site!

Alongside a competitive base salary, we offer a variable compensation plan bonus, 27 days annual leave + 1 company day + UK public holidays as well as the opportunity to volunteer up to 3 days to support local charities/communities in which we work.

Additional Information

In line with Thales\’ Baseline Security requirements, candidates will be asked to provide evidence of identity, eligibility to work in the UK and employment and/or education history for up to three years. Some vacancies may require full Security Clearance which can require further evidence to be provided. For further details of the evidence required to apply for Baseline and Security Clearance please refer to the Defence Business Services National Security Vetting (DBS NSV) Agency.

At Thales we provide CAREERS and not only jobs. With Thales employing 80,000 employees in 68 countries, our mobility policy enables thousands of employees each year to develop their careers at home and abroad, in their existing areas of expertise or by branching out into new fields. Together we believe that embracing flexibility is a smarter way of working.

Thales UK is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier‑free recruitment process. We will provide reasonable adjustments and support to ensure neuro‑diverse applicants or those with a disability or long‑term condition can be their best during the recruitment process. To request an adjustment, if you need this job advert in an alternative format or if you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Resourcing Ops for mid to senior roles, or the Early Careers Team for graduate and apprentice roles.

Job Details

Seniority level: Not Applicable

Employment type: Full‑time

Job function: Marketing and Sales

Industries: Aviation and Aerospace Component Manufacturing and Defense and Space Manufacturing

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