Global Category Manager – Panels and Mountings (Central Team) in Huddersfield

Reporting to: Global Head of Category Management and Supply Chain and Operations

Location: Any UK Segen office - hybrid working (2 days/ week in the office, occasional business travel required)

Scope of role

This is a high-impact leadership role at the heart of Segen's commercial engine. You will own and drive integrated category strategies that deliver real business value — partnering with senior stakeholders, leading cross-functional teams, and building supplier relationships that create genuine competitive advantage. You'll bring a proactive, right-first-time mindset to everything you do; challenging the status quo, unlocking innovative solutions, and ensuring strategic intent translates into measurable commercial outcomes.

Responsibilities:

• Category management
  • Lead cross-functional category teams to maximise supply chain value through:
  • Developing and executing category strategies to hit sales and margin targets.
  • Analysing market trends & competitor activity to identify opportunities and make informed decisions.
  • Monitor category cost indices, implementing optimisation strategy to maximise profitability.
  • Collaborate with Marketing on promotional plans to grow category sales and brand visibility.
  • Identify low-demand products and supporting range rationalisation decisions.
  • Assessing commercial risk and opportunity across the category supply chain, with mitigation plans in place.
  • Delivering annual cost reduction targets through structured cost-down strategies.
• Supplier relationship management
  • Build a cross-functional environment that maximises mutual supply chain value through:
  • Identifying and developing strategic suppliers to create differentiated, industry-leading value for Segen Group.
  • Negotiating and maintaining best-in-class terms, pricing, rebates, and contracts.
  • Conducting regular supplier and product reviews in line with the strategic supplier programme cadence, driving performance, continuous improvement, and contract value realisation.
  • Partnering with the Head of SSV & Compliance to embed SSV into category strategies and supplier value propositions.
• Procurement
  • Lead cross-functional procurement activity to secure the right suppliers, products, and stock positions:
  • Lead RFI/RFP processes for global/cross-regional supplier and product selection.
  • Monitor global inventory against sales forecasts and stock targets, minimising stockouts and overstock.
  • Act as first escalation point with strategic suppliers, supporting in-market teams with day-to-day procurement.
  • Report trends and issues to senior management and stakeholders.
• People
  • Create an environment where the category team thrives in both wellbeing and performance:
  • Guide, develop, and support cross-functional teams to execute category strategies effectively.
  • Build a continuous improvement culture that challenges activities, behaviours, and processes — embedding learning that delivers measurable business benefit.
• Continuous improvement & Innovation
  • Drive a culture of continuous improvement by leveraging AI, automation, and digital tools to make category management smarter and more agile:
  • Identify and adopt tools that streamline processes, reduce manual effort, and accelerate insight.
  • Embed data-driven ways of working across the team to sharpen decisions and improve responsiveness.
  • Continuously challenge existing processes, building scalable and repeatable workflows.
  • Foster an agile mindset — iterating quickly and adapting strategies in response to market signals.

Qualifications and experience:

• Committed to, studying for, or achieved MCIPS or equivalent.
• Leadership and coaching skills.