Procurement Manager

Contract: Permanent

Recruitment Partner: Vyoma Gandhi

What you'll be doing

As a full-time, permanent Category Manager in Marketing Procurement, you’ll help shape how Boots, Opticians and No7 Beauty Company partner with agencies and suppliers across a spend area of around £200m. Based in Nottingham and reporting to the Category Director for Marketing Procurement, this is a high-impact role with real ownership of category strategy, sourcing activity and supplier performance.

You’ll work closely with senior stakeholders across the business, bringing commercial thinking, market insight and procurement expertise to decisions that influence value, innovation and compliance. It’s a strong fit for someone who wants variety, visibility and the chance to make a measurable difference in a well-known consumer brand.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and develop category strategies across marketing sub-categories, using data, market insight and spend analysis to make fact-based recommendations
• Partner with stakeholders, including senior leaders and CxO-level contacts, to shape strategies that balance value, service, quality and risk
• Bring in external innovation by using supplier capability, emerging technology and industry best practice to improve marketing effectiveness and customer outcomes
• Drive procurement-led sourcing activity and RFx programmes across Boots, Opticians and No7 Beauty Company
• Project manage procurement initiatives to ensure delivery to timeline, objectives and governance requirements
• Work closely with teams including Finance Business Partners, Legal, InfoSec and Data Protection to support sound commercial decisions
• Lead negotiations, supplier selection and contracting to help the business achieve its objectives
• Track and report on savings, ROI and other procurement KPIs
• Support the management of key supplier relationships, including performance, value delivery and long-term strategic partnerships
• Oversee contracts through their lifecycle, ensuring compliance, risk mitigation and alignment with business needs, while supporting sustainability, diversity and ESG objectives

What you'll need to have (our must-haves)

• Experience developing category strategies within procurement, with the ability to turn insight into clear commercial recommendations
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including the ability to assess value, build business cases and use analysis to support decisions
• Confidence leading negotiations and securing outcomes that work for the business and suppliers
• Knowledge of commercial contracting and the ability to negotiate terms for local and regional arrangements
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to lead initiatives through to delivery
• Proven ability to work across a complex business and build credibility with a wide range of stakeholders
• Clear communication and influencing skills, with the confidence to challenge constructively
• Experience managing risk appropriately and supporting category management through the full lifecycle

It would be great if you also have

• Experience in retail, FMCG, beauty or healthcare
• CIPS qualification, or currently working towards it
• Experience working in a business unit structure
• Understanding of agency remuneration and commercial models

Where your brilliance can take you

This role offers the chance to deepen your expertise in a specialist marketing category while building broader experience across strategy, supplier management, sourcing and stakeholder leadership. You’ll gain exposure to senior decision-makers, complex commercial challenges and cross-functional working across multiple well-known Boots brands.

At Boots, you’ll be trusted to make an impact and supported to keep growing. From here, your experience could open the door to broader category leadership opportunities or more senior strategic roles across procurement and commercial functions.

Rewards designed for you

• Boots Retirement Savings Plan

• Discretionary annual bonus

• Generous employee discounts

• Enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption leave pay and gift card for anyone expecting or adopting a child

• Flexible benefits scheme including option to buy additional holiday, discounted gym membership, life assurance, activity passes and much more.

• Access to free, 24/7 counselling and support through TELUS Health, our Employee Assistance Programme.

There’s lots more in our benefits and discounts, MyBoosts - there to give you that little lift in your everyday. Find out more at http://boots.jobs/rewards. Exclusions may apply; eligible roles only. Please note that any salary estimates provided on third-party sites are not endorsed by Boots and may not be accurate.

A bit about us

At Boots, we're proud to be an equal opportunity employer, creating a place where everyone feels welcome, supported and free to be themselves. We believe that when our people feel valued and included, they thrive, so we're committed to creating a brilliant Boots for our people so they can make a difference for our customers and colleagues every time.

What’s next?

If you apply, our team will be in touch to let you know the outcome of your application or to arrange next steps. Where a role is advertised as full-time, we are open to discussing part-time and job share options. If you require additional support as part of the application and interview process, we are happy to provide reasonable adjustments to help you be at your best.

Boots is a Ban the Box employer and will consider the suitability of applicants with criminal convictions on a case-by-case basis.

We hope to hear from you soon.

Be brilliant with Boots.