Senior Category Manager in Isleworth

hackajob is collaborating with Heathrow to connect them with exceptional professionals for this role.

Heathrow’s Energy & Utilities Transformation team are seeking a Senior Category Manager to drive delivery across a fast‑growing energy portfolio and help shape the airport’s long‑term utilities strategy. In this role you will lead end‑to‑end procurement for critical operational categories, shape how the airport sources, contracts and manages the goods and services that keep its energy systems running. It involves designing and delivering smart procurement strategies that unlock value, reduce risk and strengthen operational performance, from market intelligence and options analysis through to sourcing, negotiation and post‑contract delivery.

In this role you will translate complex technical and commercial information into clear, actionable plans that support Heathrow’s short‑ and long‑term energy ambitions. It builds category plans, pre‑contract strategies, total cost of ownership assessments and commercial models, ensuring every decision is robust and aligned with governance requirements and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Managing end‑to‑end procurement for Heathrow’s Energy & Utilities category, including strategy development, sourcing, negotiation, contract award and post‑contract management.
• Developing category strategies, market intelligence, commercial models and options analysis to maximise value, minimise risk and support operational and long‑term business objectives.
• Running competitive sourcing processes for complex, high‑value spend areas, including market engagement, evaluation design, tendering and ensuring compliance with procurement governance and competition law.
• Working closely with operational, engineering and commercial stakeholders to align procurement strategy, challenge business plans and ensure robust, defensible decision‑making.
• Managing supplier performance through contract management, KPIs, service levels and continuous improvement, while coaching and supporting colleagues within the procurement function.
• Lead key contractual and commercial negotiations, engaging with relevant internal advisors (legal, insurance) upholding the best interests of Heathrow with the ability to assess and articulate risks.

Qualifications

• Strong technical grounding in energy utilities and renewable procurement, with experience across electricity, water, gas, fuel or desalination.
• Proven experience delivering long‑term renewable energy contracts such as Power Purchase Agreements, with understanding of commercial, regulatory and technical factors.
• Ability to translate complex engineering and market information into clear commercial insight for senior, non‑technical stakeholders.
• Strong commercial and contractual capability, including experience using recognised contracting models such as NEC or similar industry‑standard forms.
• Experience delivering procurement or commercial outcomes within large programme or matrix environments, influencing multiple stakeholder groups.
• Demonstrated leadership experience, with the ability to grow talent, motivate teams, and enable high‑performance delivery in a fast‑paced, operational environment.

Ideally you will have

• Experience working within energy suppliers, brokers or TPIs (e.g., Amber Energy, Inspired Energy), or within utilities, renewables, oil & gas or National Grid‑type organisations.
• Exposure to multi‑year renewable procurement cycles, commercialisation models or regulated/unregulated energy delivery routes.
• Experience contributing to large programme environments or multi‑workstream delivery.
• Familiarity with supplier‑partnering environments and integrated delivery models.
• Experience coaching and developing early‑career team members.
• Broader experience with industry‑standard contracting models beyond NEC.