Category Manager - Professional Services

Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices. We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do. With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual.

The role will be responsible for developing and executing category strategies for professional services, including consulting, legal, financial, and other related services. This role requires a strategic thinker with strong negotiation skills and the ability to build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders and suppliers. The Category Manager – Professional Services will also work on master agreements with our suppliers to ensure streamlined procurement activities globally. You will report to the Procurement Manager – Professional Services and will work alongside a team of Category Managers – IT and Purchasing Specialists. All activities will be in line with Group Procurement guidelines and principles, ethics and sustainability objectives to deliver lowest total cost of ownership for solutions.

Key duties and responsibilities include:

• Develop and implement category strategies to optimise cost, quality, and service levels for professional services.
• Conduct market analysis and benchmarking to identify trends, opportunities, and best practices.
• Lead the sourcing process, including RFPs, RFQs, and contract negotiations.
• Manage supplier relationships, including performance management, risk assessment, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to understand business needs and ensure alignment with category strategies.
• Monitor and report on category performance, including savings, compliance, and supplier performance metrics.
• Stay informed about industry trends, market conditions, and regulatory changes that may impact the category.
• Comply with all Group Procurement policies and procedures in conjunction with department leads and department-specific requirements.

Operational Management:

• Direct and manage sourcing strategies from beginning to end.
• Define purchasing recommendations that support business goals, in collaboration with management and stakeholders.
• Negotiate pricing and terms and conditions of contracts with contractors and/or service providers.
• Monitor service provider, outsourcer, and/or contractor performance to ensure quality of service.
• Provide periodic oversight and execution of vendor requalification.
• Establish and maintain regular written and in-person communications with the organisation’s executives, department heads, and end users regarding pertinent sourcing activities.
• Effectively communicate procurement strategies to team members and stakeholders in a timely and clear way.
• Manage escalated issues between the service provider and the company and coordinate key mitigation actions.

Experience / Knowledge:

• Extensive experience in professional services procurement.
• Experience / Knowledge of category, supplier, and contract management (specifically contracts over £1m).
• Experience of marking up statements of work, and the ability to translate and communicate the effect of contractual language to stakeholders.
• Experience of procuring and negotiating contracts.
• Experience running end-to-end RFPs for senior stakeholders.
• Experience of implementing procurement policy, procedures, and governance.
• Experience operating at both a tactical and strategic level with a track record of success in delivering financial savings.
• Working knowledge of the Category Management process.
• MCIPs qualified or willing to work towards a CIPS qualification.
• Experience working in an environment where customer needs are variable.
• Experience working under category management-based approaches.
• Experience implementing best practice contract and supplier management.
• Proficient using PowerPoint and Excel.
• Experience of presenting to senior stakeholders.
• Using self-directed work to draw insights in support of influencing senior stakeholders.

Personal Attributes:

• Passionate about professional services and confident in managing your own category area.
• Ability to balance demands and priorities and think clearly under pressure.
• Attention to detail and a focus on quality.
• Excellent conflict resolution, communication, and collaboration skills.
• Logical and analytical approach to solving problems.
• High degree of numerical literacy.

We are actively recruiting a diverse workforce that is reflective of the communities we serve. We recognise that differences in ability, skills and experience are a strength and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds.

At Mott MacDonald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team, and personal commitments. We offer a hybrid working policy that embraces your well-being, flexibility, and trust.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion: We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

Accessibility: We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at reasonable.adjustments@mottmac.com and we will talk to you about how we can support you.

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

• Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
• Health cash plan to support you with everyday health costs and treatments.
• Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
• A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
• Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.
• We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
• Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
• Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long-term illness or injury.
• Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
• A minimum of 33-35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
• Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service.
• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
• Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.
• A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self-development options.

Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.