Category Manager - Marketing & Corporate Services

Overview

Role OVO-ViewTeam: Procurement & Supply (Finance)

Salary banding: £43,000 – £59,000. Experience: Individual Contributor. Working pattern: Full-Time. Reporting to: Senior Category Manager. Sponsorship: Unfortunately we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

Top 3 qualities for this role: Negotiator, Self-Solving, Entrepreneurial. Location: You\’ll be assigned to the closest hub office, Bristol or London. Hub locations offer accessible spaces and spaces to park your laptop, designed to inspire collaboration and innovation. You\’ll be expected to be in the office at least once a week depending on business needs and to attend OVO Connection events in person.

At OVO, we are on a mission to solve the climate crisis and we value diverse backgrounds. We operate under Plan Zero, focusing on sustainable and ethical sourcing as part of our procurement work.

Role in a nutshell

We are looking for an exceptional Category Manager to drive the strategic management of assigned procurement categories across marketing (media buying, direct marketing, creative & content production, sponsorships, print & PR) and corporate services (consultancy, professional services, people services and travel). You will develop and execute category strategies, manage supplier relationships, and oversee procurement processes to deliver maximum value and mitigate risks, aligning with OVO\’s Plan Zero ambitions. You will report to the Senior Category Manager and collaborate with stakeholders to drive projects and supplier performance.

Buying goods or services is an essential part of OVO\’s business, enabling the delivery of products to customers—from marketing campaigns to smart meters and beyond. The team\’s objectives include the following outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Drive significant commercial benefits to support OVO\’s EBITDA targets.
• Manage the end-to-end contract lifecycle, reduce risks, drive compliance, and maintain agility.
• Procure goods and services in a sustainable manner, aligning with Plan Zero.
• Become a knowledge base of relevant supply markets, products, technologies, and trends.
• Manage supplier relationships through the contract lifetime, ensuring delivery and rectifying issues.
• Continuously improve commercial value, process efficiency, and risk mitigation.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to align spend category objectives with organisational goals.
• Support the implementation of procurement systems that underpin opportunity execution while reducing risks and improving compliance.

Your key outcomes will include:

• Ensuring marketing and corporate service solutions are fit for purpose, aligned to OVO\’s brand and business needs, and represent best value and quality (with the Senior Category Manager).
• Lead end-to-end procurement processes for assigned sub-categories in the marketing space, ensuring efficiency and compliance.
• Negotiate contracts with suppliers to secure favourable terms and cost savings.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers and agencies to drive collaboration and innovation.
• Conduct market analysis to identify risks, opportunities, and trends for assigned sub-categories, informing the Marketing Spend Category Strategy.
• Monitor supplier/agency performance and conduct regular supplier performance reviews with the business.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to align spend category objectives with organisational goals.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across procurement activities.
• Support OVO\’s sustainability goals through ethical and environmentally responsible sourcing.
• Use data to maintain visibility of category spend and supplier activity.
• Execute RFx exercises, guiding stakeholders and ensuring strong project management practices.
• Lead material commercial initiatives, presenting to the C-suite in line with OVO\’s authority matrix.
• Deliver effective supplier management strategies and manage contract life cycles to reduce risk, scope creep, and ensure performance.
• Ensure adherence to procurement and contract policies and monitor compliance.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of procurement tools, processes, and customer journey management.
• Align sourcing activities with Plan Zero objectives, demonstrating measurable contributions.

Qualifications

• Strategic thinker with at least 3 years of experience in procurement, supplier management or category management.
• Strong negotiation skills with a proven track record of delivering material commercial benefits.
• Excellent at managing supplier relationships, driving performance, and fostering innovation.
• Analytical, capable of sourcing and interpreting data to inform decisions.
• Excellent communication with stakeholders and ability to build collaborative relationships.
• Commitment to sustainability and ethical procurement practices.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and manage multiple priorities.
• Team player, pragmatic and collaborative in approach.
• Desirable: CIPS qualification; familiarity with procurement systems (e.g., Workday Strategic Sourcing).

Benefits and pay

Salary: £43,000 – £59,000 depending on skills and experience. On-target bonus of 15%. A flexible benefits package includes a 9% flex pay, holiday entitlement (34 days including bank holidays), and a range of health, wellbeing, lifestyle, and home benefits. Eligibility for company-wide bonus and various policies support work-life balance and belonging at OVO.

Belonging and inclusion

We are committed to inclusion and belonging with eight Belonging Networks at OVO. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and experiences. If you have additional requirements, there is space on the application form to note them so we can make the process easier and more comfortable.