Procurement Category Manager - Mission Investment in London

The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation. We improve health for everyone by funding science, leading policy and advocacy campaigns, and building partnerships. We plan to spend £16bn over the next ten years, funding new discoveries in life, health, and wellbeing, and taking on three global health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate and health.

We are looking for a Procurement Category Manager to join our Procurement team. You will be working in the Procurement team who enable the delivery of a professional value driven procurement service to Wellcome’s internal teams. Procurement sits under the Finance umbrella with this role reporting to the Head of Procurement. The procurement service model is evolving in 2026 to be centralised for the whole of Wellcome. This is a significant change for the procurement team and for the wider organisation that procurement supports. This role is critical in guiding the organisation through this period of change and embedding the new centralised category management service delivery model.

You will partner with the areas of Wellcome who directly deliver Wellcome’s strategy. These teams are: Discovery Research, Climate and Health, Infectious Disease, Equity, Policy & Partnerships. You will play a crucial role in creating and deploying a category management model into this area for the first time and deliver their ongoing procurement needs. The Mission Investment category is predominantly scientific professional services spend where Wellcome contracts for scientific based research which helps inform how and where Wellcome invests to achieve its mission of improving health for everyone.

As the Procurement Category Manager, you will play a pivotal role in embedding procurement strategy into the organisation to ensure we effectively manage resources and maximise value. You will be responsible for developing and implementing comprehensive procurement strategies and systems, working closely with budget holders to ensure decisions are both commercially sound and aligned with departmental objectives. Your expertise in strategic category management will be essential as you guide stakeholders in adopting category and supplier strategies that support our goals.

As a Procurement Category Manager, you will:

• Drive the strategic procurement agenda by developing and implementing best practice procurement strategies, systems, and procedures, ensuring commercial effectiveness.
• Own and implement strategic category plans, aligning with the department's objectives, and engage stakeholders to build consensus on category and supplier strategies.
• Manage supplier relations to optimise spend, reduce costs, and mitigate commercial and legal risks, including conducting business reviews and performance assessments.
• Lead the end-to-end procurement process for key service contracts, from supplier evaluation to contract implementation, while championing continuous improvement and compliance in procurement practices.
• Support the training and upskilling of Procurement Officers to ensure high standards of delivery and facilitate career progression to Category Manager, fostering an inclusive culture.

Are you experienced in building and maintaining strong internal and external relationships across all stakeholder levels, with the ability to facilitate cross-functional collaboration? Do you have robust communication skills and can adapt to fluctuating priorities using effective problem-solving? This position is ideal for individuals who have a proven track record in contract development, negotiation, and the creation and implementation of category plans from end to end.

We are looking for professionals with significant procurement experience in the private sector, and capable of delivering high-quality projects within tight deadlines. Whether working independently or as part of a team, your analytical and negotiation skills will be pivotal. Familiarity with Oracle P2P processes or a CIPS qualification is advantageous, as you will contribute significantly within a supportive and inclusive work environment. If these criteria resonate with your skills and experience, we encourage you to apply.

To apply for this role please submit an updated CV and answer 2 application questions to demonstrate that you meet the minimum requirements for the role.

Minimum Criteria:

• Category Management: Able to create and implement category plans from end to end including gaining buy-in from senior management.
• Interpersonal: Able to build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels and facilitate cross-functional collaboration.
• Adaptability: Able to adapt to changing priorities utilising strong problem-solving skills to identify issues and find effective solutions.
• Contracting: Strong ability in contract development and negotiation area.
• Background: Ability to operate in a private sector procurement role.

Our Hybrid Way of Working: We understand that our colleagues have commitments and personal interests outside of work and we strive to build a flexible working environment, in which people can perform at their best. At Wellcome we have a hybrid way of working which is 3 days in our Euston Road offices (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) with the remaining 2 days working either remotely or in the office.

Diversity and Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. Diversity and Inclusion is a priority at Wellcome. We are committed to cultivating a fair and inclusive environment, where everyone can be themselves and thrive. We are happy to discuss flexible working options for all roles. We work to ensure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible to everyone. This includes making adjustments for people who have a disability or long-term condition.