Senior Category Manager

As a Senior Category Manager, you should be a commercial expert for the category that you lead. You should be able to utilise this market expertise to develop and deliver strategies, ensuring that Thames is market-leading in their commercial arrangements.

This role will support all commercial activity for the Control and Automation category, supporting the delivery of major projects for Thames Water.

We’re growing our dynamic, forward- thinking procurement team and offering a unique opportunity to be part of our most significant investment programme in over 100 years. 

What you’ll be doing as a Senior Category Manager

• Leading commercial activities supporting Operational Technology, ICA and Engineering requirements, including Systems Integrators, Low Voltage Assemblies and associated Control & Automation services for Projects and Programmes to help us deliver our AMP requirements. Accountable for supplier performance across the category, holding suppliers to account on cost, quality, delivery and capacity, and intervening where performance or value is at risk.
• Actively lead, develop, and manage end-to-end category strategies for the short, medium, and long term. Identify a pipeline of initiatives to maximise value and outcomes for Thames Water, balancing commercial risk and value opportunities.
• Providing extensive category knowledge and supply market insight to internal stakeholders. Delivering sourcing events through mini competitions, providing SME support and identifying/managing category-level risks.
• Own and manage the Control & Automation Framework, a multi-lot, multi-supplier agreement supporting Thames Water’s AMP8 capital programme, ensuring the framework delivers capacity, value for money, quality, and performance across its full lifecycle.
• Establish and operate a robust framework of governance, including spend compliance, route to market controls, leakage identification, and corrective actions to protect value and contractual integrity.
• Define, implement, monitor and enforce framework-level SLAs and KPIs, working with suppliers and internal stakeholders to drive continuous improvement in cost, quality, delivery and resilience.
• Work with Engineering, Capital Delivery and Programme teams to understand demand pipelines, manage supplier capacity, and ensure the framework can support AMP delivery priorities.
• Lead the embedding of new commercial and delivery ways of working associated with the framework, supporting internal teams and suppliers through change and ensuring consistent adoption.

Base Location: Reading - Hybrid.

Working Pattern or hours: 36 Hours.

What you should bring to the role 

• Experience in Influencing Senior Stakeholders to support embedding best practice commercial governance.
• Ability to manage multiple projects within the category, ensuring effective prioritisation of tasks.
• Experience in a Category Management role with complex requirements and multiple different stakeholder groups.
• Have detailed knowledge of the external supply market, including suppliers, trends, innovation, market changes and dynamics that enable the identification of new suppliers of value to Thames Water.
• Have strong engagement skills which allow you to support, influence and constructively challenge stakeholders to deliver the best commercial outcomes for Thames.
• A clear understanding of Category Management principles with a track record of delivering results across several different category areas, building fantastic supplier and stakeholder relationships.
• Ability to lead and provide insight for the business on all aspects of supply market dynamics, regulatory and internal frameworks, suppliers, and technical innovations.
• Be able to identify market insights, trends, opportunities, and risks.
• Manage Categories up to £100m in value with significant strategic risk to the organisation.
• Experience in negotiating with suppliers on all commercial and contractual matters and applying judgment as to what constitutes an acceptable level of contractual risk and supply resilience.
• Track record in continuous improvement and ability to deliver against stretching targets.
• Good understanding of pre and post deal processes and how better information and improvements in process can deliver value to the organisation.
• Proven ability to influence delivery teams, engineers and senior stakeholders without direct authority to drive compliance and outcomes.
• Comfortable using data and MI to inform decisions, challenge suppliers, and prioritise commercial intervention.

What’s in it for you? 

This is an exciting time to join Thames Water as we continue to deliver on our turnaround plan, offering the opportunity to become part of our strategic journey

• Up to £78,000 per annum, depending on experience.
• Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service. (Plus bank holidays) 
• Car Allowance - £5,800.
• Annual Bonus.
• Private Medical Health Care.
• Contributory pension – Defined Contribution - Maximum of 12% -2x employee contribution.
• Personal Medical Assessments – Open to all once a year.
• Wider benefits scheme including our benefits hub, which is packed full of offers and information to save you money and support your wellbeing.

Find out more about our benefits and perks (Please note different T&Cs apply if on secondment)

Who are we?

We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job, and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.

Learn more about our purpose and values.

Working at Thames Water

Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

If you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region, and our planet.

Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.

We’re committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, whether that’s extra time, accessible formats, or anything else, just let us know. We’re here to help and support.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues.

Disclaimer: Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.