Category Specialist

Job Description

Job Title: Category Specialist
Location: Bristol, Portsmouth or Rosyth + Hybrid Working Arrangements
Compensation: Competitive Salary + Benefits
Role Type: Full time / Permanent
Role ID: SF58595

At Babcock we're working to create a safe and secure world, together, and if you join us, you can play your part as a Category Specialist at our Bristol, Portsmouth or Rosyth sites.

The Role
As a Category Specialist, you'll have a role that's out of the ordinary. Supporting the development of Purchasing / Category / Supplier strategies within IT that will provide a structured approach to managing spend that will identify savings opportunities whilst supporting the current and future needs of the business.

Day-to-day, you'll be involved in working closely with the key stakeholders within the IT department to determine business requirements, following appropriate commercial strategies that will deliver cost efficiencies:

  • Build knowledge of the supply market within the business.
  • Execute sourcing strategies by working with key stakeholders to develop supplier evaluation and selection criteria, as appropriate for each spend category as part of agreed procurement strategy.
  • Engage with IT and Business stakeholders to identify areas of opportunity for Procurement support, and to ensure stakeholder's are engaged and satisfied.
  • Refinement of existing sourcing strategies and recommend suggestions for improvement.
  • Lead the negotiation with suppliers, working closely with technical, commercial and legal support.

This role is full time, 37.5 hours per week and requires regular travel to Bristol, Portsmouth or Rosyth, on a weekly / monthly basis alongside home working arrangements.

Agile working may be available to employees in some instances, applying the principles of fairness and consistency whilst ensuring that the overriding business needs can be appropriately met. We are happy to consider flexible, blended working, including part-time, condensed hours, and job sharing. Please ask about alternative patterns of work at interview.

Essential Experience of the Category Specialist:

  • Experienced procurement professional with a proven background in Sourcing & Procurement roles.
  • Demonstratable track record of identifying and delivering procurement savings.
  • Good communication ability, both written and orally.
  • Commercial understanding, with ability to use procurement to unlock value for the business.
  • Delivery focussed with a pragmatic, hands-on approach that enables strategies to be fully executed.

Qualifications for the Category Specialist

  • MCIPS or equivalent professional qualifications is desired but, not essential.

Security Clearance
The successful candidate must be able to achieve and maintain Security Check (SC) security clearance for this role.

Many of the positions within our company are subject to national security clearance and Trade Control restrictions. This means that your eligibility for certain roles may be affected by your place of birth, nationality, current or former citizenship, and any residency you hold or have held. Further details are available at United Kingdom Security Vetting: clearance levels.

What we Offer

  • Generous holiday allowance
  • Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance
  • Employee share scheme
  • Employee shopping savings portal
  • Payment of Professional Fees
  • Reservists in the armed forces receive 10-days special paid leave
  • Holiday Trading is a benefit that allows the majority of employees to buy additional leave or to sell up to one working week of annual leave from their annual entitlement
  • 'Be Kind Day' enables employees to take one working day's paid leave a year (or equivalent hours) to undertake volunteering work with their chosen organisation or registered charity
  • Flexible working - we give people more options to better integrate their work and personal life, whilst ensuring that business needs are met.
  • Autonomy to perform the role.
  • Excellent development opportunities and benefits package including an employee assistance programme supporting physical, mental and financial wellbeing.

Babcock International
For over a century Babcock, has helped to defend nations, protect communities and build a better world. To continue, we must adapt, advance and be a sustainable business with a shared goal.

We are a disability confident committed employer. If you have a disability or need any reasonable adjustments during the application and selection stages, please email with the subject header 'Reasonable adjustments requirement'. We're committed to building an inclusive culture where everyone's free to thrive. We are happy to talk about flexible working - please ask about alternative patterns of work at interview.