Contract - Category Manager Indirect Sourcing - Business Operations in Bracknell

At Honda we embrace inclusion in our various policies, so whilst our contracts state that the hours are as required to fulfil the role with a minimum of 35 hours per week, we offer flexibility for when you work. The regular office hours are 08:00 – 16:00 Monday to Thursday with a half hour lunch break & 08:00 – 13:00 on a Friday. However, we offer flexibility of when you work with our daily flex‑time start of between 07:00 and 11:00 providing that there is no business requirement. Whilst there is no contractual right to work from home, the flexibility we offer is that you can request to work from home 2 days per week, again providing there is no business requirement to attend the office. This role is offered on a 12 month contract.

This role contributes to the vision, strategy and objectives of the Indirect Sourcing Department across the Pan‑E region. The role is responsible for the development and execution of category strategies that deliver cost optimisation, risk mitigation, supplier performance improvement, and innovation across assigned Business Operations indirect spend categories (including; Facilities, HR, Professional Services, Finance, Legal and Customer). The role acts as a strategic business partner to stakeholders, ensuring sourcing aligns with organisational objectives, driving measurable value, and maintaining compliance with governance frameworks. This includes the leadership and management of a small team of Sourcing Specialists (2x BPO team members) in the planning and execution of sourcing events to deliver maximum total value to the business.

Main Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a Business Operations category plan that aligns with business priorities
• Identify and deliver cost reduction, value creation, and efficiency opportunities
• Lead end‑to‑end Business Operations sourcing events (RFx’s) in line with related policies and business requirements
• Define Business Operations sourcing strategies, evaluation criteria, and negotiation approaches
• Negotiate commercial terms, pricing models, and contractual frameworks
• Ensure robust supplier selection and due diligence, including ESG considerations
• Translate business needs into procurement strategies and sourcing activities
• Drive adoption of procurement best practices across the organisation
• Support strategic supplier relationships
• Identify and drive supplier innovation and continuous improvement initiatives
• Identify supplier risks and propose countermeasures
• Ensure sourcing events fully comply with related policies, legal standards, and audit requirements
• Maintain accurate documentation and audit‑ready sourcing records
• Track and report procurement benefits (hard savings, cost avoidance, value‑add)
• Support budgeting and forecasting activities with Finance
• Monitor category spend and identify optimisation opportunities
• Manage Category Specialists to support category strategies and sourcing events
• Develop an environment of continuous improvement where the team can challenge the status quo and identify opportunities for improvement
• Contribute to the drafting and review of contracts in collaboration with Legal and the business stakeholders
• Support stakeholders from a Procurement perspective with the creation of a business case to enter into a contract for specific services/goods
• Work with Indirect Sourcing colleagues on achieving departmental objectives

Qualifications, skills and experience Required

• Previous category management experience in Business Operations or similar (Facilities, HR, Professional Services, Finance, Legal and Customer)
• Strategic mindset
• Ability to translate business requirements into sourcing strategies
• Ability to identify Procurement related risks such as within the supply chain, supplier profiles and industry landscapes
• Experience running a full tender process is essential
• Possess skills to realise value beyond savings
• Excellent stakeholder and supplier relationship management skills
• Ability to work to tight timelines whilst maintaining good stakeholder communications
• Ability to manage multiple priorities concurrently
• Strong data analysis, influencing and decision‑making skills
• Ability to be trusted to work on your own initiative
• Knowledge of contract law and procurement governance
• Team player mentality
• Familiarity with eProcurement / CLM systems
• Understanding of ESG, supplier risk management, and sustainability frameworks
• Management of outsourced staff

Honda is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in the workplace for all employees, temporary workers, contractors, applicants and visitors. Honda also encourages respect for the individual differences and talents of others while making full use of one's own abilities, based on Honda's philosophy of respect for the individual. At Honda, we value and celebrate diversity and are committed to being a fair, non‑discriminatory company that promotes and welcomes the uniqueness and differences of people around the world. We recognise that a diverse workforce allows for different ideas and perspectives, and we encourage everyone to share them. We strive to foster a culture of belonging that is consistent with Honda's core values and lived out in the way we work and respect each other. For us at Honda, diversifying our workforce means increasing its overall strength by providing people with equal opportunities - regardless of personal characteristics or previous careers. This commitment flows directly from the Honda philosophy and the belief that we are all working towards a common goal. Honda recruits, hires, trains and promotes the most qualified/experienced individuals at all levels without regard to race, origin, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability or any other protected characteristic.