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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead procurement strategies and manage supplier relationships for professional services.
- Company: Join BP, a global leader in energy with a commitment to sustainability.
- Benefits: Flexible working, generous parental leave, and excellent retirement benefits.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a diverse environment while driving innovative procurement solutions.
- Qualifications: Experience in category management and strong analytical skills required.
- Other info: Opportunity for career growth in a dynamic, multinational setting.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 ÂŁ per year.
Our purpose is to deliver energy to the world, today and tomorrow. For over 100 years, BP has focused on discovering, developing, and producing oil and gas in the nations where we operate. We are one of the few companies globally that can provide governments and customers with an integrated energy offering. Delivering our strategy sustainably is fundamental to achieving our ambition to be a net zero company by 2050 or sooner.
About The Role
The Procurement Manager / Senior Advisor provides category leadership for key sub‑categories of spend in support of their global category. They undertake category management and global supplier relationship management, driving end‑to‑end spend management to mitigate supply chain risk and improve value delivery, including sustainability, within their category. Through collaboration across procurement and beyond, they develop innovative strategies aligned with business objectives, ensuring efficient, compliant, competitive procurement outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
- Act as the procurement partner for Business Consulting and other Professional Services categories.
- Define and implement category strategies aligned with organisational goals such as cost optimisation, sustainability, and risk management.
- Analyse spend patterns, market trends and supplier landscapes to identify opportunities for value creation.
- Handle strategic and core suppliers, ensuring performance through Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
- Oversee supplier risk assessments and compliance with contractual obligations.
- Own end‑to‑end contract activities, including negotiation, amendments, dispute resolution and closure.
- Ensure operationalisation of contracts in ERP systems and maintain audit trails for compliance.
- Apply category management policies and frameworks to ensure conformance with organisational standards.
- Monitor adherence to procurement governance and risk mitigation processes.
- Act as a link between procurement, finance and business units to align category strategies with organisational objectives.
- Influence partners and lead change management initiatives.
- Track savings against category plans and report progress using dashboards and analytics tools.
- Capture lessons learned and continuously improve sourcing strategies.
Essential Experience
- Functional knowledge: Category management principles and experience in procurement processes and strategy development.
- Understanding of how strategies flow into execution across businesses and assets.
- Business expertise: Partner management and influencing skills, deep understanding of supported businesses and regional priorities, experience in a complex multinational procurement environment, market knowledge.
- Leadership: Subject Matter Expert in the relevant category who shares knowledge and delivers strategy.
- Experience leading international initiatives, analysing data‑driven trends, leveraging agile approaches, and promoting safety principles.
- Problem solving: Analytical thinking to develop and evaluate pragmatic solutions, translating business requirements into actionable plans, embracing industry challenges and technological disruption, building strong supplier relationships, and making data‑driven decisions.
- Interpersonal skills: Collaborating with category teams, engaging global participants, communicating across organisational levels, change management, and perseverance through complexity.
Nice to Have
- Experience in Professional Services, HR Services, People & Culture, or similar consulting/product areas.
- Leadership in driving a future vision for Professional Services programmes.
- Strong communication to align and secure support for strategy.
- Innovative mindset – actively seeking and embracing new challenges and change.
- Capability to gather partner strategies and translate them into business requirements.
- Value delivery – recommending opportunities for cost, revenue, carbon reduction or sustainability benefits.
- Project Management – building competitive project and programme strategies with an Agile approach.
- Leading through complexity in international, multi‑stakeholder, multi‑discipline environments.
Why Join Us
At BP, we support our people to grow in a diverse and exciting environment. We believe our team is strengthened by diversity. We offer benefits to enable your work to fit your life: flexible working options, generous paid parental leave, excellent retirement benefits, and more. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, perform essential job functions, and receive other benefits. Contact us to request accommodation.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on any basis listed in the EEO statement. If you are selected, employment may be contingent upon adherence to local policy, including pre‑placement screening and background checks.
Professional Services Category Manager in Sunbury-on-Thames employer: bp Launchpad
Contact Detail:
bp Launchpad Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Professional Services Category Manager in Sunbury-on-Thames
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the industry, attend relevant events, and don’t be shy about asking for introductions. We all know that sometimes it’s not just what you know, but who you know that can help you land that dream job.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its culture. We recommend diving deep into BP’s values and recent projects. This way, you can tailor your answers to show how you align with their goals, especially around sustainability and innovation.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice makes perfect! Conduct mock interviews with friends or use online platforms to get comfortable with common questions. We want you to feel confident when discussing your experience in procurement and category management.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to follow up after your interviews! A simple thank-you email can go a long way in showing your enthusiasm for the role. Plus, it keeps you on their radar as they make their decision.
We think you need these skills to ace Professional Services Category Manager in Sunbury-on-Thames
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the role of Procurement Innovation Advisor. Highlight your experience in category management and procurement processes, and don’t forget to showcase any relevant achievements that align with BP's goals.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're passionate about the role and how your skills can contribute to BP's mission of delivering energy sustainably. Keep it concise but impactful!
Showcase Your Analytical Skills: Since the role involves analysing spend patterns and market trends, make sure to include examples of how you've used data-driven insights in your previous roles. This will demonstrate your ability to create value through strategic thinking.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website for the best chance of success. It’s straightforward and ensures your application gets to the right people quickly. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take the initiative!
How to prepare for a job interview at bp Launchpad
✨Know Your Category Inside Out
Before the interview, dive deep into the specifics of category management and procurement processes. Familiarise yourself with BP's approach to sustainability and risk management in Professional Services. This will help you articulate how your experience aligns with their goals.
✨Showcase Your Analytical Skills
Be prepared to discuss how you've analysed spend patterns and market trends in previous roles. Bring examples of how your analytical thinking led to actionable plans that improved value delivery or mitigated risks. This will demonstrate your capability to handle the complexities of the role.
✨Demonstrate Strong Interpersonal Skills
Highlight your experience in collaborating with various teams and stakeholders. Share specific instances where your communication and influencing skills made a difference in achieving procurement outcomes. BP values teamwork, so showing you can engage effectively across levels is key.
✨Prepare for Change Management Questions
Expect questions about leading change initiatives and how you've navigated challenges in a multinational environment. Think of examples where you successfully influenced partners or implemented new strategies. This will showcase your innovative mindset and ability to drive future visions.
