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Category Manager

Job Posted: 7 days ago

Salary: £ 40,000 - 40,000 / Annum
Job Type: Permanent
Location: Preston

Expire in: 21 days

Job Description

Senior Commercial Category Manager
£40,000 + 20% Annual Bonus
 Supplier Partnerships | Category Strategy | Margin Improvement

The Opportunity
Our client is a successful and growing business operating within the flooring, interiors and construction supply sector. They are seeking a commercially driven Senior Commercial Category Manager to lead supplier relationships, optimise product categories and drive commercial performance across the business.
 This is a highly visible role, working closely with Operations, Estimating, Finance and Sales to improve margins, strengthen supplier partnerships and support future growth.
 The position would suit someone with experience in category management, commercial procurement, supplier management or product range ownership within construction supply, merchanting, distribution, flooring or interiors.

The Role
You will be responsible for managing supplier relationships, commercial agreements and category performance, ensuring the business maximises value from its supplier base while maintaining a competitive product offering.
 This role combines strategic thinking with a hands-on approach and offers genuine influence across the business.

Key Responsibilities
Supplier Management

Build and maintain strong supplier and manufacturer relationships.
Conduct supplier reviews and monitor performance against KPIs.
Manage supply, service and product-related issues.
Drive supplier accountability, service improvements and responsiveness.
Commercial Negotiation

Negotiate pricing, rebates, payment terms and commercial agreements.
Manage supplier discussions around price increases and market changes.
Identify opportunities to improve margins and supplier value.
Work with Finance to support commercial returns and cash flow.
Category & Product Management

Manage product categories across multiple sales channels.
Optimise product ranges to support customer demand and profitability.
Identify opportunities for innovation, upgrades and range improvements.
Work closely with operational teams to ensure products are practical and efficient to deliver.
Margin & Performance

Analyse supplier and category profitability.
Support pricing strategies and margin protection initiatives.
Monitor inflationary pressures and cost recovery opportunities.
Provide commercial insight and performance reporting.
Stakeholder & Supplier Partnerships

Collaborate with Commercial, Operations, Finance, Customer Service and Sales teams.
Develop strategic supplier partnerships to support future growth.
Secure supplier support including marketing contributions, training, promotional activity and showroom support.
About You
We're looking for someone who is:

Commercially astute and confident.
Experienced in supplier management and negotiation.
Skilled in category management and profitability analysis.
Relationship-focused with strong stakeholder management skills.
Organised, proactive and hands-on.
Comfortable influencing at all levels of a business.
Able to balance operational realities with commercial objectives.
Ideal Background
Experience in one or more of the following sectors would be advantageous:

Flooring
Interiors
Builders Merchants
Construction Supply
Distribution & Wholesale
Housebuilder Supply Chains
Home Improvement Products
Retail Category Management
Experience in category management, procurement, supplier negotiations, pricing, margin improvement and commercial performance analysis is highly desirable.

Salary & Benefits

£40,000 per annum
20% annual bonus
Private healthcare
23 days holiday, rising to 25 days after 5 years' service
5 paid sick days per year
4% matched pension contribution
Monday to Friday working pattern
40-hour working week
Long-term career development opportunities
Opportunity to shape a growing commercial function
Supportive leadership team with ambitious growth plans
If you're looking for a role where you can make a genuine commercial impact and help shape the future of a growing private equity-backed business, we'd love to hear from you.

To Apply
Please send your up-to-date CV to (url removed) or call (phone number removed) for a confidential discussion

Before You Apply

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Bank details.
National Insurance number.
Date of birth.

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