Category Manager

We are all about Being Your Best Barr None and having a career with real Moments that Matter!

Employing around 950 people across the UK, we are proud to be a responsible business that takes care of our people, values diversity, gives something back to our communities and works to minimise our environmental impact.

For 150 years AG Barr has been building great brands and is home to some of the nations favourite flavours.

At our core is  IRN-BRU, launched in 1901 and still going strong today, the vibrant RUBICON fruit based brand, Boost making every moment better with a caffeine kick, hydration hit or tasty treat, and FUNKIN where real fruit means authentic taste.

We also have a number of exciting owned brands within our portfolio including MOMA, which crafts quality oats into great tasting oat drinks and porridges.

There's never been a better time to join us!

As a Category Manager (Maternity Cover), you will step into a high-visibility, strategic procurement role, taking full ownership of our 3-year category roadmap while leading an established team through key negotiations, ESG initiatives, and high-value sourcing strategies. In this role, you will take full ownership of raw material procurement, focusing on the day-to-day management and strategic execution of key juice contracts. You will directly lead and mentor the procurement team responsible for sourcing flavours, colours, and functional ingredients, ensuring seamless supply chain continuity, cost efficiency, and strict quality compliance across all product lines.  

• →Strategic Execution: Drive and refine our existing 3-year category roadmap to align spend with annual financial, ESG, and business targets.
• →Commercial Negotiations: Lead high-stakes negotiations for Master Service Agreements (MSAs) and key contracts, managing indexation, liability caps, and performance rebates.
• →Team Leadership: Line manage, mentor, and support Category Specialists and Assistants to ensure project continuity and robust RFP outputs.
• →Stakeholder Engagement: Act as a trusted commercial partner to Department Heads and Directors, influencing budget allocations and decision-making.
• →Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): Apply full life-cycle TCO principles across all active sourcing projects, balancing risk, cost, and innovation.
• →Market Intelligence & Risk Management: Monitor global supply market shifts and macroeconomic factors to proactively adjust category tactics and protect business continuity.

• Progressive experience in Strategic Sourcing or Procurement, with proven category leadership skills.
• Demonstrated experience in direct line management and developing junior team members.
• A proven track record of negotiating complex, high-value commercial contracts and MSAs.
• Strong executive-level stakeholder management skills with the ability to constructively challenge and influence senior leaders.
• Hands-on experience driving Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) evaluation and embedding ESG/sustainability criteria into sourcing.

• MCIPS accreditation (Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply).
• Advanced proficiency in using AI tools and software for market research, process optimisation, and strategic presentations.
• Agility in stepping into a fixed-term contract role and building fast credibility across a matrixed organization.