Sourcing & Category Manager — Direct Materials | Europe

A global engineering and manufacturing group is building out its Integral Procurement function and is looking for a Sourcing & Category Manager to take ownership of a portfolio of direct material categories across Europe.

This is a genuinely commercial role. You will run the end-to-end sourcing lifecycle for your categories — strategy, RFx, negotiation, contracting and supplier relationship management — with a clear mandate to deliver validated EBIT and working capital improvement. The business is part-way through a multi-year procurement transformation, so you will be shaping the way sourcing is done rather than inheriting a finished playbook.

The scale
c.£115m third-party spend across c.3,600 suppliers spanning UK&I;, Europe, the USA and Asia
A live sourcing pipeline of £100m+
Categories covering direct components, secondary operations (raw materials, tooling, plating) and selected indirect spend (packaging, IT, professional services, freight)
End markets including automotive, smart infrastructure, medical and general industrial
A multi-year transformation programme running through FY27–29

What you'll own
Delivery of validated savings and working capital targets, reconciled with Finance and tracked on the balanced scorecard
Category strategy execution, sourcing wave plans, specification standardisation and make/buy decisions
RFx, supplier evaluation, negotiation and full contract lifecycle coverage, underpinned by should-cost modelling, TCO and benchmarking
Supplier segmentation, SRM scorecards,



QBRs and corrective action where performance slips
Category risk registers, dual and multi-sourcing, geographic diversification, tariff and CBAM considerations
ESG due diligence, compliance evidence and audit-ready governance
eProcurement adoption, data accuracy and clear MI for senior stakeholders
Mentoring or line management of senior sourcing specialists (potential for 3–4 reports)

What we're looking for
5–7+ years in procurement, including at least 3 years in category management and strategic sourcing at global or multi-region scale
A demonstrable track record of cost savings and margin improvement delivered through sourcing strategy and negotiation
Exposure to engineered raw materials, components or the automotive / smart infrastructure sectors, with the ability to balance commercial and technical drivers
Strong end-to-end sourcing toolkit: RFx, bid evaluation, negotiation, contracting, TCO and should-cost
Real SRM capability — segmentation, QBRs, scorecards, corrective actions
Risk management, ERP and eProcurement experience, plus solid ESG and compliance knowledge
Degree in business, engineering, supply chain or similar; MCIPS / ISCM strongly preferred
The influencing skills to operate credibly in a global matrix

Practicalities Based at a European distribution or manufacturing site. Preferred locations are Budapest, Barcelona, Umbria, West Germany or Holland with occasional home working. Periodic travel across UK&I;, Europe, the USA and Asia, including supplier visits. Reporting into the regional Head of Procurement, with visibility of the senior leadership team.

📌 Category Manager (Barcelona)
🏢 Teare Selection
📍 Barcelona