Manager, Category Management

natgridProd•Waltham, MA

3d•$147,000 - $184,000•Hybrid

About The Position

National Grid is hiring a US MRO, Logistics & Investment Recovery Category Manager, based in the US, to develop and implement category strategies and manage sourcing delivery across a US and UK portfolio. The portfolio covers Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO), Logistics, and Investment Recovery. MRO examples include PPE, tools, equipment, workwear, industrial gases, and catalog management. Logistics includes warehousing, freight, parcels, and international logistics services. Investment Recovery covers responsible resale, reuse, recycling, or other recovery of value from surplus and end-of-life materials and assets. The role provides commercial direction and assurance, leads a team across the US and UK, and partners with operational stakeholders and strategic suppliers to improve value, service, resilience, compliance, and sustainability. The position is hybrid and reports to the Head of Category & Procurement Business Partner for FM & Support Services.

Requirements

Significant procurement experience and a strong record of developing and implementing category strategies and leading complex sourcing portfolios.
Demonstrable category management experience across MRO, Logistics, Investment Recovery, operational products, warehousing, freight, or comparable supply-chain categories.
Understanding of MRO supply markets, including tools, equipment, PPE, workwear, industrial gases, catalogs, tail spend, and supplier or contract consolidation.
Understanding of logistics operating models and commercial arrangements across warehousing, transportation, freight, parcels, and international movements.
Understanding of Investment Recovery principles, including value recovery, resale, reuse, recycling, responsible disposal, and associated control requirements.
Experience leading and developing geographically dispersed or cross-regional teams, including recruitment, onboarding, coaching, and capability development.
Strong program and portfolio-management capability, including experience managing multiple sourcing activities, dependencies, and governance requirements.
Commercial expertise across sourcing strategy, tender design, evaluation, negotiation, contracting, supplier performance, and value realization.
Strong analytical capability and ability to translate spend, demand, item, market, and supplier data into category choices and actionable recommendations.
Ability to identify and manage supply-chain, service continuity, commercial, compliance, operational, and delivery risks across US and UK contexts.
Confident senior-stakeholder management and influencing skills, including the ability to challenge constructively and secure decisions.
Ability to work across time zones and organizational boundaries while coordinating Legal, Finance, business stakeholders, and specialist Procurement teams.
Degree-level education, a relevant professional qualification such as CIPS, or equivalent experience.

Nice To Haves

Relevant US procurement or supply-management accreditation is advantageous.

Responsibilities

Own the development, approval, implementation, and refresh of category strategies across the assigned US and UK MRO, Logistics, and Investment Recovery portfolio.
Build category plans that reflect regional requirements and identify opportunities for cross-regional aggregation, standardization, contract consolidation, and transfer of best practice.
Define category scope, demand profiles, supply-market dynamics, commercial opportunities, risks, and implementation roadmaps using spend, market, and supplier intelligence.
Lead MRO strategies to improve spend visibility, rationalize specifications and ranges, consolidate contracts and suppliers, and strengthen compliant buying channels and catalog management.
Lead Logistics strategies across warehousing, freight, parcels, and international logistics, supporting end-to-end delivery models, service continuity, and operational performance.
Establish commercially and environmentally responsible Investment Recovery routes to maximize value from surplus, scrap, and end-of-life equipment and materials.
Translate category strategies into prioritized and resourced sourcing and contract-management plans with clear outcomes, milestones, governance, and ownership.
Lead the sourcing delivery portfolio and ensure activities are prioritized, resourced, and delivered in line with applicable US and UK governance, policies, and regulatory requirements.
Provide direction and assurance across sourcing strategy, market engagement, tendering, evaluation, negotiation, approval, contracting, and award.
Review and assure sourcing outputs, including specifications, evaluation methods, commercial models, contractual positions, and recommendations.
Manage dependencies, risks, issues, and stakeholder decisions across regions, intervening and escalating as needed to protect outcomes and timescales.
Ensure effective handover into mobilization and contract management, with clear obligations, performance measures, governance, and value-realization plans.
Lead strategic supplier relationships to improve performance, resilience, innovation, continuous improvement, and responsible supply-chain outcomes.
Lead, motivate, and develop a geographically dispersed US and UK team, establishing accountability, connected ways of working, and delivery discipline.
Own recruitment and onboarding for team vacancies and provide coaching, feedback, capability development, and succession support.
Act as a senior Procurement partner to operational and business stakeholders across both regions, providing commercial insight, recommendations, and delivery updates.