Closing Date: 2026-05-15
Job Title: Category & Sourcing Manager – Business Services (Customer & Facilities)
Location: Worthing Hybrid (2 days in Worthing)
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours: 37 hours per week
Salary: Up to £60,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience, plus excellent benefits including hybrid working and CIPS sponsorship for the right candidate
About the Role
This is a high-impact role with ownership of complex, service-led categories across Customer Services and Facilities Management, supporting a significant transformation agenda and a changing operating model. You’ll play a critical role in ensuring our supply chain doesn’t just keep pace with change, but actively enables it.
Working closely with senior stakeholders across Customer, Facilities, Digital and Transformation, you’ll bring commercial insight, challenge and innovation to how we source, contract and partner with suppliers – driving value far beyond cost.
What You Will Be Responsible For
- Leading the end-to-end category strategy and sourcing for key Business Services categories, with a strong focus on Customer Services and Facilities Management
- Partnering with senior stakeholders to translate transformation ambitions into robust, commercially sound sourcing strategiesShaping and influencing the supplier landscape, moving towards outcome-focused and value-led commercial models
- Managing significant, high-profile contracts and complex supplier relationships, ensuring performance, resilience and alignment to customer outcomes
- Driving value beyond cost, including improved service quality, customer experience, sustainability and operational performance
- Acting as a trusted commercial advisor, bringing insight, challenge and clarity to complex and ambiguous sourcing decisions
Essential
- Proven experience in category management and strategic sourcing, ideally within complex, service-led environments
- Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with confidence operating and influencing at senior levels
- The ability to balance strategic thinking with practical delivery, even in fast-moving or ambiguous environments
- Commercial confidence, with the ability to develop, justify and communicate sourcing strategies and recommendations
- A proactive, delivery-focused mindset—comfortable taking ownership and shaping outcomes rather than waiting for direction
Desirable
- Experience across customer-facing services, facilities management, or other large-scale outsourced service models
- Exposure to regulated or public-sector environments, including awareness of the Procurement Act 2023
- MCIPS or working towards CIPS accreditation
About Southern Water
Southern Water is at the forefront of transforming Britain’s water industry, investing significantly to enhance resilience, sustainability, and service excellence. With £7.8bn planned investment for 2025–30, this is an unparalleled opportunity to join a business committed to delivering a generational shift in how water services are managed.
You’ll be joining at a time of significant change, working alongside a highly skilled leadership team with a clear vision for the future. We offer an environment where professionals can make a meaningful impact, influence major strategic decisions, and drive long-term value for the communities we serve.
At Southern Water, we believe diverse perspectives drive innovation. If you’re passionate about making a positive impact and think you can bring value to our team, we’d love to hear from you — even if you don’t tick every box.
Our Commitment to Diversity
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences and do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or any other protected characteristic. If you need any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.
Additional Information
In line with Southern Water’s security requirements, successful candidates will be required to provide evidence of their identity, eligibility to work in the UK, a criminal record check (DBS), and verification of their employment and/or education history for the past three years. Appointment to this role is subject to the successful completion of all pre-employment checks, including security vetting.
#J-18808-Ljbffr”, “datePosted”: “2026-05-06”, “hiringOrganization”: { “@type”: “Organization”, “name”: “Southern Water”, “sameAs”: “https://uk.whatjobs.com/pub_api__cpl__424703374__4861?utm_campaign=publisher&utm_medium=api&utm_source=4861&geoID=625” }, “jobLocation”: { “@type”: “Place”, “address”: { “@type”: “PostalAddress”, “addressLocality”: “Worthing” } } }Closing Date: 2026-05-15
Job Title: Category & Sourcing Manager – Business Services (Customer & Facilities)
Location: Worthing Hybrid (2 days in Worthing)
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours: 37 hours per week
Salary: Up to £60,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience, plus excellent benefits including hybrid working and CIPS sponsorship for the right candidate
About the Role
This is a high-impact role with ownership of complex, service-led categories across Customer Services and Facilities Management, supporting a significant transformation agenda and a changing operating model. You’ll play a critical role in ensuring our supply chain doesn’t just keep pace with change, but actively enables it.
Working closely with senior stakeholders across Customer, Facilities, Digital and Transformation, you’ll bring commercial insight, challenge and innovation to how we source, contract and partner with suppliers – driving value far beyond cost.
What You Will Be Responsible For
- Leading the end-to-end category strategy and sourcing for key Business Services categories, with a strong focus on Customer Services and Facilities Management
- Partnering with senior stakeholders to translate transformation ambitions into robust, commercially sound sourcing strategiesShaping and influencing the supplier landscape, moving towards outcome-focused and value-led commercial models
- Managing significant, high-profile contracts and complex supplier relationships, ensuring performance, resilience and alignment to customer outcomes
- Driving value beyond cost, including improved service quality, customer experience, sustainability and operational performance
- Acting as a trusted commercial advisor, bringing insight, challenge and clarity to complex and ambiguous sourcing decisions
Essential
- Proven experience in category management and strategic sourcing, ideally within complex, service-led environments
- Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with confidence operating and influencing at senior levels
- The ability to balance strategic thinking with practical delivery, even in fast-moving or ambiguous environments
- Commercial confidence, with the ability to develop, justify and communicate sourcing strategies and recommendations
- A proactive, delivery-focused mindset—comfortable taking ownership and shaping outcomes rather than waiting for direction
Desirable
- Experience across customer-facing services, facilities management, or other large-scale outsourced service models
- Exposure to regulated or public-sector environments, including awareness of the Procurement Act 2023
- MCIPS or working towards CIPS accreditation
About Southern Water
Southern Water is at the forefront of transforming Britain’s water industry, investing significantly to enhance resilience, sustainability, and service excellence. With £7.8bn planned investment for 2025–30, this is an unparalleled opportunity to join a business committed to delivering a generational shift in how water services are managed.
You’ll be joining at a time of significant change, working alongside a highly skilled leadership team with a clear vision for the future. We offer an environment where professionals can make a meaningful impact, influence major strategic decisions, and drive long-term value for the communities we serve.
At Southern Water, we believe diverse perspectives drive innovation. If you’re passionate about making a positive impact and think you can bring value to our team, we’d love to hear from you — even if you don’t tick every box.
Our Commitment to Diversity
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences and do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or any other protected characteristic. If you need any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.
Additional Information
In line with Southern Water’s security requirements, successful candidates will be required to provide evidence of their identity, eligibility to work in the UK, a criminal record check (DBS), and verification of their employment and/or education history for the past three years. Appointment to this role is subject to the successful completion of all pre-employment checks, including security vetting.
#J-18808-Ljbffr…