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Credible procurement partner. Sustainable supplier management. Impacting the future. Procurement Category Manager (Marketing) £48,000 - £53,000 (+ Benefits) Grade: P2 Reports to: Senior Procurement Manager Contract: Permanent Hours: Full time 35 hours per week Location: Stratford, London . Office-based with high flexibility (1-2 days per week in the office) Visa sponsorship: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK is not able to offer visa sponsorship. External closing date: 21 January 2026 23:55 Internal closing date: 28 January 2026 23:55 This vacancy may close earlier if a high volume of applications is received or once a suitable candidate is found, therefore we strongly recommend that you apply early to avoid disappointment. If you require more time to apply as part of a reasonable adjustment, please contact recruitment@cancer.org.uk as soon as possible. Recruitment process: Two competency-based interviews (potentially with an exercise) Interview date: From the week commencing 02 February 2026 How do I apply? We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. CVs are required for all applications; but we won’t be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to fully complete the work history section of the online application form for us to be able to assess you quickly, fairly, and objectively. At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer. We are professionals with purpose, beating cancer every day. But we need to go much further and much faster. That’s why we’re looking for someone talented, someone who wants to develop their skills, someone like you. Cancer Research UK’s Procurement team plays a critical role in ensuring the charity has the resources it needs to operate and deliver on our mission. Managing around £200m of annual spend, we are driving an ambitious transformation to create a strategic, data-driven procurement function that delivers value, mitigates risk, and fosters innovation. By embedding procurement best practice across the organisation, we aim to maximise value for money, enhance quality, improve efficiency, and uphold our promise to direct 80p of every £1 donated towards beating cancer. As a Category Manager, you’ll lead all procurement activity for the Marketing, Fundraising & Engagement (MFE) directorate, driving high‑impact sourcing, contract management, and supplier performance. You’ll shape category strategy, deliver end‑to‑end procurement projects, and partner with stakeholders to unlock value, drive innovation, and champion ethical and sustainable buying. This is an opportunity for you to raise the profile of Procurement and influence key decisions to enable our mission to beat cancer. If you’re an experienced procurement, buying, or supplier management professional with strong sourcing and contract management expertise, we would love for you to join our mission. What will I be doing? Leading and managing procurement activities within the Marketing, Fundraising & Engagement (MFE) directorate, ensuring value for money, compliance, and alignment with Cancer Research UK’s mission to beat cancer. Developing and implementing category strategies aligned with organisational goals and procurement best practices. Leading end-to-end sourcing activities (including tenders, supplier evaluations, and contract negotiations). Collaborating with business stakeholders to become a trusted and valued business partner, leading to early engagement, and ultimately raising the profile of the Procurement function. Maintaining status updates and reports for key procurement activities and contracts within the category of spend. Engaging with stakeholders to identify opportunities for cost optimisation, innovation, and process improvements within the MFE category. Delivering business objectives by providing competent, professional, and expert leadership across the contract management lifecycle. This includes contract tendering, renewals, performance reviews, and risk mitigation. Contributing to procurement transformation initiatives and cross-functional projects. Building high-functioning, trusting relationships with stakeholders to develop the organisation’s understanding of procurement and contract compliance. Promoting ethical sourcing, sustainability, and value for money in all procurement activities. What skills will I need? Experienced professional in Category Management, Strategic Procurement, Supplier Relationship Management, or Buying, with a track record of operating in large, complex organisations. Backgrounds in marketing, fundraising, charity, retail, or logistics are beneficial but not essential. We welcome applicants from procurement and/or buying roles who are ready for a step up or a lateral move, provided they meet the requirements of this position. Experience supporting and/or managing the end-to-end procurement process and projects. Commercially minded with a successful track record of managing supplier relationships with experience in drafting, negotiating, and managing high-value supplier contracts and RFPs (Request for Proposal). Has built credible and collaborative cross-functional stakeholder relationships with excellent interpersonal, communication, influencing, and negotiating skills. A proactive problem-solver with a continuous improvement mindset for encouraging innovation while promoting best practices and strong governance. Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills with a successful track record of managing multiple priorities and delivering to deadlines within a fast-paced and changing environment. Demonstrates curiosity and a proactive approach to learning, taking ownership of personal development and continuously seeking opportunities to build knowledge and capability. Experience in developing procurement strategy and category plans would be desirable, but is not essential. Our organisation values are designed to guide all that we do. Bold: Act with ambition, courage and determination Credible: Act with rigour and professionalism Human: Act to have a positive impact on people Together: Act inclusively and collaboratively We’re looking for people who can believe in and embody these organisation values and can use them to drive forward progress against our mission to beat cancer. If you’re interested in applying and excited about working with us but are unsure if you have the right skills and experience we’d still love to hear from you. What will I gain? We create a working environment that supports your wellbeing and provide a generous benefits package, a wide range of career and personal development opportunities and high-quality tools. Our policies and processes enable you to improve your work-life balance, take positive steps in your career and achieve your personal wellbeing goals. You can explore our benefits by visiting our careers web page. Additional Information For more information about working with us please visit our website or contact us at recruitment@cancer.org.uk. For more updates on our work and careers, follow us on: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube. Our vision is to create a charity where everyone feels like they belong, benefits from and participates in, the work we do. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, in particular those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under-represented. We want to see every candidate performing at their best throughout the job application process, interview process and whilst at work. We therefore ask you to inform us of any concerns you have or any adjustments you might need to enable this to happen. Please contact recruitment@cancer.org.uk or 020 3469 8400 as soon as possible. Unfortunately, we are unable to recruit anyone below the age of 18, so that we can protect young people from health & safety and safeguarding risks. We’re the world’s leading cancer charity, dedicated to saving and improving lives with our research. We work to reduce the impact of cancer on people’s day-to-day lives through our research, influence and information. We are beating cancer – step by step, day by day. Our work means that people with cancer live better lives through earlier diagnosis and kinder, more effective treatments. Find a purposeful career that will empower you to grow and collaborate with like-minded experts.