Category Sourcing Manager

Nationwide’s procurement function is undergoing a significant and successful transformation, ensuring we deliver the best possible outcomes for the organisation. Our operating model combines category alignment with strong business partnering, focused on achieving business and member value.

As a Category Sourcing Manager, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping how we source, negotiate, and manage supplier relationships. You’ll bring a passion for procurement and a clear understanding of the value it creates—balancing commercial excellence with strong governance and compliance.

In this role, you will lead category strategies that optimise cost, mitigate risk, and enable innovation. You’ll work closely with stakeholders across the business, building trusted relationships that deliver tangible benefits. You’ll drive commercial outcomes through effective sourcing, outsourcing approaches, and strategic supplier partnerships, while staying ahead of emerging markets, technologies, and trends impacting financial services. You’ll also champion new ways of working and contracting, creating space for fresh ideas while respecting established processes.

This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference—bringing new thinking, moving at pace, and helping Nationwide remain resilient and competitive. Your ability to combine strategic insight with hands-on delivery will ensure we achieve the best deals and outcomes for NBS.

We are happy to consider flexible working approaches to help you perform at your best.

This is a 12-month Fixed Term Contract. 

At Nationwide, we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK-wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected.

For this job, you'll be located at our nearest regional hub. There will be a need to regularly connect with colleagues for collaboration events in one of our office sites. This is anticipated to be monthly in our Swindon or London offices or our Glasgow hub. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works. 

If we receive a high volume of relevant applications, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so please apply as soon as you can.

What you’ll be doing

In this role, you’ll use your procurement expertise and strong stakeholder relationships to shape and deliver category strategies that drive value and resilience.

Acting as a trusted advisor, you’ll bring market insight and supplier innovation to influence decisions and enable smarter sourcing. 

Your day will involve securing robust commercial agreements that align with risk appetite and deliver the best value for our customers, while building and leveraging supplier partnerships to unlock new opportunities and drive continuous improvement. 

You’ll draft and negotiate complex contracts, manage the contract pipeline, and analyse market trends to inform strategy and optimise outcomes. 

This is a role where your impact will be clear—optimising costs, mitigating risk, and enabling innovation across the organisation. Join us and help shape the future of procurement at Nationwide, where your expertise will make a real impact.

About you

As a minimum requirement, you’ll bring:

• Deep procurement and supply chain expertise, including category management, contract negotiation, supplier selection, and relationship management
• Commercial acumen and negotiation skills, with a proven track record of delivering value-driven deals within a regulated business environment 
• Outstanding interpersonal and stakeholder management skills, able to build trust and influence at all levels
• An analytical ability to interpret complex data and market insights to drive sound commercial decisions
• Solid knowledge of contract law and risk management, ensuring robust governance and resilience

Our customer first behaviours put customers and members at the heart of how we work together. They are the set of behaviours that every colleague needs to display, in every role:

• Feel what customers feel - We step into our customers’ shoes, using their feedback and insights to empathise with them and to understand their needs, so that every decision we make starts and finishes with our customers in mind

• Say it straight - We are brave in speaking out and saying what we think – we’re honest and direct with good intent, openly sharing diverse perspectives to reach the best conclusions and using language everyone can understand

• Push for better - We don’t settle for mediocrity, we challenge the status quo, taking responsibility for continuous improvement and personal development

• Get it done - We prioritise what will have the greatest impact, we are decisive, and we take accountability for delivering brilliant customer outcomes

You can strengthen your application by showing how our customer first behaviours resonate with you, and where you may have already demonstrated these.

The extras you’ll get

There are all sorts of employee benefits available at Nationwide, including:

• 25 days holiday, pro rata

• Access to private medical insurance

• A highly competitive pension to help you build a strong foundation for retirement

• Access to an annual performance-related bonus

• Training and development to help you progress your career

• A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme

• Life assurance to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones in the event of your death

• Wellhub – access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness

• Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year

Banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society

We forge our own path at Nationwide.

As a mutual, we’re owned by our members - those customers who bank, save or have a mortgage with us. We challenge the financial sector status quo. We don’t see customers as the engine of our own profit. We share our profits with them and put their needs first. Always there when they need us. Supporting them and their lives.

If you’re inspired by fairer finances, passionate about making a meaningful impact, and truly care about our customers, you’re one of us.

At Nationwide, you are challenged to grow and rewarded for doing so. Valued. Recognised. Inspired to be your best. As a community, we want our working lives to count. As a team, we celebrate what we achieve. As a standard-setter, we work for the good of customers, communities, and broader society.

We are purpose-driven. Uncompromisingly customer. Unstoppably Nationwide.

What to do next

If this role is for you, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button. You’ll need to attach your up-to-date CV and answer a few quick questions for us. 

We respond to everyone, so we will be in contact shortly after the closing date to let you know the outcome of your application.