Category Lead/Manager – Fleet & Indirect Procurement
Location: Flexible / Hybrid (Finsbury Park, London)
Reporting to: Head of Procurement
About the Role
WPS is seeking an experienced Category Manager – Fleet & Indirect Procurement to take ownership of one of our most critical spend categories while supporting wider indirect procurement activities across the business.
This is a highly autonomous role, with approximately 60% of your time focused on fleet procurement and fleet management activities and the remaining 40% dedicated to broader indirect procurement categories such as IT, HR Services, Professional Services, Office Supplies, PPE and other overhead spend.
We are looking for a procurement professional who can operate independently, build strong stakeholder relationships, and bring proven experience managing a large operational vehicle fleet.
Key Responsibilities
Fleet Procurement (Primary Focus)
- Lead the procurement and category management of a fleet of approximately 2,000 operational vehicles.
- Develop fleet strategies that deliver cost savings, operational efficiency and compliance.
- Manage vehicle procurement, specification, fit-out and supplier selection.
- Evaluate and recommend funding options including leasing, purchasing and financing.
- Build robust business cases for fleet investment and replacement programmes.
- Manage key fleet spend areas including:
- Vans and operational vehicles
- Fuel and EV solutions
- Company cars
- Salary sacrifice schemes
- Vehicle maintenance and repair contracts
- Monitor supplier performance and drive continuous improvement.
Indirect Procurement
- Develop and implement category strategies across indirect spend areas.
- Identify opportunities for cost reduction, cost avoidance and value creation.
- Manage categories including:
- IT Services
- Recruitment
- HR Services
- Professional Services
- PPE
- Utilities
- Travel and associated overhead spend
- Collaborate with internal stakeholders to align procurement strategies with business objectives.
- Build strong relationships across the business and with external suppliers.
- Influence decision-making at all levels of the organisation.
- Support operational teams with supplier management and procurement best practice.
- Lead commercial negotiations and contract discussions.
About You
We’re looking for someone who can hit the ground running and confidently manage a large fleet category whilst balancing wider indirect procurement responsibilities.
- Proven experience in Fleet Procurement or Fleet Category Management.
- Experience managing operational fleet vehicles and vans.
- Previous responsibility for a fleet of approximately 2,000 vehicles or similar scale.
- Strong indirect procurement/category management experience.
- Experience delivering cost savings, rebates and commercial value.
- Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities.
Skills & Knowledge
- Excellent negotiation and supplier management skills.
- Strong analytical and commercial acumen.
- Experience using procurement and reporting tools.
- Knowledge of compliance, governance and risk management.
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
- Understanding of sustainable procurement and fleet strategies.
Qualifications
- Degree level education or equivalent experience preferred.
- CIPS qualification or working towards CIPS would be advantageous.
Why Join WPS?
- Opportunity to lead a significant fleet spend portfolio of approximately £18m annually.
- Influence procurement strategy across a broader indirect spend portfolio of approximately £60m annually.
- Work closely with senior business leaders.
- Be part of a collaborative procurement team driving meaningful business value.
If you are an experienced fleet procurement professional looking for a broad category management role with genuine strategic impact, we’d love to hear from you.
#J-18808-Ljbffr…