Job Description - The Role
The Interim Category Specialist supports Category Managers by providing commercial, sourcing and analytical expertise to help deliver category strategies, supplier negotiations and cost-saving initiatives.
The role involves analysing spend and market data, building business cases and savings opportunities, managing sourcing activities with UK stakeholders, and collaborating with the India Procurement team, which handles procurement execution at scale.
Main Responsibilities
- Identifying and delivering cost-saving opportunities through spend analysis, including price variances, supplier consolidation, off-contract spend, unused licences, auto-renewals and demand management opportunities.
- Quantifying and tracking savings against agreed baselines, maintaining savings pipelines and ensuring realised benefits are accurately recorded.
- Analysing spend data, supplier pricing, rate cards and total cost of ownership to support commercial decision-making and negotiation strategies.
- Preparing negotiation materials, leading lower-value supplier negotiations and supporting complex commercial negotiations.
- Conducting supplier and market research, monitoring pricing trends and maintaining category intelligence and fact packs.
- Managing sourcing and tender activities through Market Dojo, including engaging stakeholders, managing supplier clarifications, evaluating bids and maintaining audit trails.
- Collaborating with the India Procurement team, providing clear requirements, overseeing execution activities and validating outputs before stakeholder engagement.
- Managing day-to-day stakeholder relationships, gathering business requirements and supporting procurement activities.
- Coordinating supplier performance reviews, tracking performance metrics and following up on commercial actions.
- Managing contract renewals, notice periods and contractual obligations to maximise leverage and create competitive tension during renewals.
- Supporting third-party risk management and governance activities, coordinating due diligence and maintaining accurate procurement records.
- Using spend analytics tools, Power BI and AI-enabled analysis to generate insights, challenge data assumptions and support category strategies.
- Maintaining accurate procurement data across procurement systems, contract repositories and eSourcing platforms.
The skills you'll need
- Procurement, sourcing or category management experience, preferably within indirect spend categories.
- Knowledge of Consulting & Professional Advisory procurement, including professional services frameworks, rate cards, statements of work (SOWs), consultant utilisation and supplier panels.
- Understanding of HR, Recruitment and Contingent Labour categories, including agency models, MSP/VMS arrangements, rate structures, IR35 and Agency Worker Regulations.
- Strong commercial and analytical skills, including spend analysis, rate card benchmarking, cost modelling and total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis.
- Experience managing sourcing and tender processes, supplier evaluations and negotiations.
- Advanced Excel skills for data analysis and reporting.
- Ability to monitor supplier performance, contract compliance and consultant/contractor utilisation.
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to challenge business demand using data and insights.
- Experience using eSourcing platforms such as Market Dojo, along with Power BI and AI-enabled analysis tools.
- Knowledge of procurement governance, third-party risk management and contract lifecycle management.
- Experience working with offshore procurement teams and managing outsourced delivery activities.
- Understanding of regulated environments, ideally within financial services or insurance.
- Working towards or holding a professional procurement qualification such as CIPS.
Next steps
We have a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture at M&G plc, underpinned by our policies and our employee-led networks who provide networking opportunities, advice and support for the diverse communities our colleagues represent.
Regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, nationality, disability or long term condition, we are looking to attract, promote and retain exceptional people.
We also welcome those who take part in military service and those returning from career breaks.