Digital Senior Category Manager

As a Digital 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 Cybersecurity and Networks, supporting the delivery of major projects for Digital Turnaround initiatives. 

Thames is planning for a future where our technology solutions enable us to achieve our goal of protecting our greatest natural resource and allow our customers, communities and the environment to thrive. 

What you’ll be doing as a Digital Senior Category Manager

• Supporting Information Security, Networks and Telecoms Suppliers with all commercial requirements, including project delivery contracts, software renewals and new software sourcing activities. 
• Working with stakeholders to provide commercial advice and ensure commercial compliance is embedded across the category. 
• Produce category plans for the categories in this space to support pipeline planning and ongoing commercial strategy. 
• Responsible for managing a portfolio of suppliers to ensure contracted expectations continue to be improved throughout the contract life cycle and to support these suppliers in delivering additional value to Thames Water.
• 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 category strategies and sourcing events, providing SME support and identifying/managing category-level risks. 
• Becoming the commercial expert for the category enables Thames to quickly adapt to market changes.

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 digital commercial role, understanding key Digital Commercial Models, including for Software and Project Delivery.  
• 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.

What’s in it for you? 

• 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.
  • Competitive salary of £63,000 - £75,000 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

​Who are we?
We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers daily relying on us 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 fast-tracked career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

Whether you’re interested in a role in one of our call centres or science labs, we’re looking for people like you with real passion and a burning desire to make things better.

So, 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.

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

Our overarching aim is to ensure that Thames Water is a great, diverse and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process. We aim to remove any real or perceived barriers to success, so if you need assistance, we’re here to help and support you.

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 enriching experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business, meet colleagues and earn some extra money along the way.

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.