Category Manager

We’re a national law firm with a local reach. Our legal experts are here for you. Whether it’s personal or business, we understand that everyone’s situation is different. But we’re more than just a law firm – we’re a team of people working together to help individuals and businesses navigate life’s ups and downs. Working here you’ll feel a part of our friendly and inclusive environment.

We’ll value you for who you are and what you bring. We support each other and push boundaries to achieve incredible things and make a real difference to our clients and communities.

We're always looking to support our colleagues to work in a way that works best for them and everyone else, including our clients, the business and the regulators. Please speak to a member of our Recruitment and Onboarding team for more information.

Your Role and What You'll Be Doing

We’re now looking to appoint two Category Managers to join our Procurement & Supplier Management team. These roles will focus on either IT/Technology or Non-Technology spend areas.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a collaborative, evolving function where you’ll play a key role in shaping how we deliver commercial value across the business.

Your Role

As a Category Manager, you’ll support the delivery of sourcing activity and contribute to the development of category strategies across your assigned spend areas.

You’ll:

Deliver end-to-end sourcing activity including supplier selection, negotiation, and contracting

Partner with stakeholders to understand requirements and provide commercial insight

Build and maintain effective supplier relationships

Support supplier performance and contract management

Identify opportunities for cost optimisation and value delivery

Ensure all procurement activity aligns with governance and compliance requirements

Use data and market insight to inform sourcing decisions and strategy

About You

We’re looking for commercially minded professionals with a strong foundation in procurement and category management.

You’ll bring:

Experience delivering end-to-end sourcing and procurement activity

Strong commercial awareness and negotiation capability

Knowledge of contract management, supplier performance, and due diligence

Ability to manage multiple projects and stakeholders effectively

Understanding of procurement governance and compliance frameworks

For the IT role: experience across technology purchasing (software, hardware, services)

For the Non-Tech role: experience across indirect spend (e.g. marketing, FM, HR, professional services)

Our Benefits - What We Can Offer You

Benefits

25 days holidays as standard plus bank holidays - You can ‘buy’ up to 35hrs of extra holiday too.

Generous and flexible pension schemes.

Volunteering days – Two days of volunteering every year for a cause of your choice (fully paid)

Westfield Health membership, offering refunds on medical services alongside our Aviva Digital GP services.

We also offer a wide range of well-being initiatives to encourage positive mental health both in and out of the workplace and to make sure you’re fully supported. This includes our Flexible by Choice programme which gives our colleagues more choice over a hybrid way of working subject to role, team and client requirements.

We have been ranked in the Best Workplaces for Wellbeing for Large Organisations for 2024!

Our responsible business programmes are fundamental to who we are and our purpose. We’re committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace where our colleagues can flourish, and we have established a number of inclusion network groups across our business to support this aim.

Our commitment to Social Responsibility, community investment activity and tackling climate change is a fundamental part of who we are. It’s made up of four strands: Our People, Our Community, Our Environment and Our Pro Bono.

Additional Information

As part of the Irwin Mitchell Group’s on-boarding process all successful applicants are required to complete the group’s employment screening process. This process helps to ensure that all new employees meet our standards in relation to honesty and integrity therefore protecting the interests of the Group, colleagues, clients, partners and other stakeholders.

We carry out pre employment screening to establish your eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record and financial checks with our trusted 3rd parties.

The employment screening process will fully comply with Data Protection and other applicable laws.

Location

Birmingham

Bristol

Leeds

Manchester

Newbury

Reading

Sheffield

The Colmore Building, 20 Colmore Circus, Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom, B4 6AH

One Castlepark, Tower Hill, Bristol, Avon, United Kingdom, BS2 0JA 4 Wellington Place, Leeds, Yorkshire, United Kingdom, LS1 4BZ One St Peter's Square, Manchester, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom, M2 3AF Oxford House, 12-20 Oxford St, Newbury, Berkshire, United Kingdom, RG14 1JB Irwin Mitchell, Davidson House, Forbury Square, Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom, RG1 3EU Riverside East, 2 Millsands, Sheffield, Yorkshire, United Kingdom, S3 8DT