Senior Category Procurement Manager in Desford

Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc. When you join Caterpillar, you’re joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do – but also about each other. We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. Together, we are building a better world.

The Opportunity: Senior Category Procurement Manager to drive innovation, supplier excellence, and strategic impact across our Cab, Cab Component, and Non-Metallics categories. This is more than a procurement role — it’s a chance to lead a high-performing global team, influence enterprise-wide sourcing decisions, and deliver measurable results across quality, cost, logistics, development, and management.

What You’ll Do (Job Duties): As a key member of the Global Category Procurement team, reporting directly to the Director, you will:

• Own and execute a worldwide sourcing strategy for Cab, Cab Components, and Non-Metallics.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with site leaders and product managers to build a competitive advantage through a world-class supply base.
• Serve as the strategic liaison to platform leaders and enterprise partners, ensuring alignment and excellence in local service delivery.

Who You’ll Manage: You’ll lead a dynamic, multi-site team of Buyers, Supplier Development Engineers, and Advanced Purchasing Analysts. Your leadership will:

• Build, develop and mentor a high performing team to execute global supplier strategies.
• Drive performance improvements across the supply base using relevant tools and Six Sigma methodologies.
• Ensure a robust supplier strategy and resiliency.
• Foster a culture of excellence and ethical leadership across a diverse global organisation.

What You’ll Influence:

• Customer Success: Ensure outstanding service to Caterpillar facilities worldwide, managing supplier performance and responsiveness.
• Supplier Development: Build senior-level relationships with global suppliers, driving continuous improvement and trust.
• Strategic Impact: Apply macroeconomic insights and cost modeling to optimise sourcing decisions and deliver enterprise value.

What You Have (Core Skills):

• Effective Communications: Extensive experience and ability to effectively transmit, receive, and accurately interpret ideas, information, and needs through the application of appropriate communication behaviours.
• Negotiating: Extensive experience and knowledge of successful negotiation concepts and techniques; ability to negotiate successfully across the organisation and with external vendors and clients in a constructive and collaborative manner.
• Business Intelligence: Extensive experience utilising business processes and technologies for gathering, storing, analyzing, and providing access to data that helps the organisation make better business decisions.
• Category Management: Expert level knowledge of category management within an organisation's goods and services sector; ability to use this knowledge to analyze and improve the end-to-end procurement process and maximise business profitability.
• Supplier Management: Extensive experience and knowledge of processes and methods to effectively manage business relationships and transactions with suppliers of raw materials or product components; ability to apply related knowledge, experience and skills into real practice.
• Strategic Sourcing: Extensive experience and knowledge of strategic sourcing methods, technologies and processes; ability to analyse, improve and re-evaluate organisational procurement processes continuously.

Top Candidates Will Also Have:

• Demonstrated expertise in global sourcing strategies.
• Proven success in developing and executing category and supplier strategies aligned with enterprise goals.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience in contract negotiation and management of complex supplier agreements.
• Effective leadership capabilities with a track record of building and developing high-performing teams.
• Collaborative approach to working with engineering and manufacturing teams to optimise supply chain performance.
• Bachelor’s degree in related field.

If you’re a strategic thinker with a passion for global leadership, supplier excellence, and cross-functional collaboration, we want to hear from you! Apply now and help us build what matters.

What You Will Get: One Company, Limitless Opportunities. Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. Careers at Caterpillar are limitless, we have opportunities in Engineering, Human Resources, Manufacturing, Marketing, Sales, Supply Chain and so much more.

Our Sustainability Commitment: Caterpillar has a long-standing commitment to sustainability, one of our five Values in Action. We actively lead sustainable green initiatives to preserve the environment, help reduce poverty with the Caterpillar Foundation and stay involved in the communities we help build.

Benefits: 27 days annual leave + bank holidays, opportunity to buy additional holiday, 31% bonus, Car Allowance £675pm, contributory pension scheme - Caterpillar will double the employee's contribution up to 10%, contributory share scheme - Caterpillar will match 50% of the employee's contribution, Employee Support Networks – join groups that offer support, connection, and a sense of community, optional flexible benefits including access to private health and dental care plans, EV car lease etc.

Travel: 25-50% Domestic and International.

Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply.