Senior Category Manager, Marketing

Why Deliveroo?

When you first think about Deliveroo, you probably think of getting great food to your house in less than half an hour. Awesome right? But behind the scenes is the story. This story is one of high growth, huge challenges and an enormous opportunity ahead of us.

We want to be the definitive food company - the app you go to any time you have a hunger pang. We are transforming the way people think about food. We are providing people with limitless access to different cuisines and restaurants, turning cooking from a chore to a choice, and giving people the freedom to eat what they want, when they want, where they want it.

Procurement at Deliveroo is evolving – and fast. We’re at the centre of a game-changing cost base transformation, supporting both profitability and growth. We’re also digitally revolutionising our entire Source to Pay process with a full Coupa implementation. We now need a Senior Category Manager, with bags of experience across all aspects of ATL, creative, digital & social, to work with Deliveroo’s Marketing team on a seriously exciting pipeline of work ahead. 

The Role:

The Senior Category Manager for Marketing is a global role within the Procurement function that oversees and strategically manages Deliveroo’s £150 million annual marketing and creative spend with external suppliers. This pivotal role blends procurement expertise with a deep understanding of marketing and brand strategy, ensuring that Deliveroo maximises value from its marketing investments while driving innovation and maintaining creative excellence.

The role will collaborate closely with (business partner) marketing, brand, and creative teams to align supplier strategies with business goals, enhancing Deliveroo’s market position and customer engagement. It will manage key supplier relationships, negotiate contracts, and develop and implement category strategies that deliver cost efficiency, operational effectiveness, and creative quality.

As a senior member of the procurement function, the individual will also have a significant contribution into the ongoing development and maturing of the procurement function.

Key Responsibilities:

Category Strategy and Procurement

• Develop and execute a global category strategy for marketing and brand creative services, ensuring alignment with business goals and marketing objectives.
• Lead centralised sourcing initiatives, including tenders, negotiations, and contract management, while ensuring flexibility for local deployment and hyper-local activation.
• Identify opportunities for cost optimisation, supplier consolidation, and value creation while maintaining quality and service levels.
• Act as a strategic partner to global marketing and brand teams, ensuring procurement strategies align with creative objectives and timelines.
• Analyse market trends and deliver insights to ensure `Deliveroo remains at the forefront of industry developments

Supplier Management

• Manage and develop strategic relationships with key global and regional suppliers (e.g., creative agencies, media partners, production houses).
• Conduct supplier performance reviews, ensuring KPIs, SLAs, and compliance standards are met or exceeded.
• Drive supplier innovation and continuous improvement initiatives in line with the company’s marketing vision and goals.
• Mitigate supplier risks by implementing robust monitoring and contingency planning processes.

Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement

• Work closely with global and local marketing teams to ensure procurement solutions meet both global branding objectives and local market nuances.
• Provide support and guidance to regional teams for the deployment of global frameworks, ensuring relevance and adaptability for hyper-local activities.
• Act as a thought leader within the global procurement function, sharing best practices and driving collaboration across categories.

Governance and Compliance

• Ensure adherence to company procurement policies, ethical standards, and sustainability objectives in supplier engagements.
• Maintain compliance with regulatory requirements, including data privacy and intellectual property rights in creative contracts.
• Develop and maintain detailed category spend analytics to support reporting and decision-making.

Key Relationships:

• Marketing, Brand, Creative and PR teams including leadership teams and Exec leaders
• Procurement function
• Finance & Strategy team
• Legal function
• Third Parties including Creative & Media Agencies, Production Companies, Media Partners, Technology & Innovation suppliers and third party advisors.
• External peer network

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

• Cost Savings: Achieving targeted cost savings across the marketing and brand creative category without compromising quality.
• Supplier Performance: Meeting or exceeding SLA and KPI targets for key suppliers.
• Stakeholder Satisfaction: Positive feedback from global and local marketing teams on category strategy and supplier engagement.
• Innovation Contribution: Number of supplier-driven innovation initiatives successfully implemented.
• Spend Under Management: Percentage of marketing spend managed under procurement-led strategies.
• Compliance Metrics: Adherence to procurement policies, sustainability standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Timely Execution: Delivery of procurement projects and initiatives within agreed timelines.

Qualifications & Experience:

Required Skills & Experience

• 8-10+ years of proven  category management, procurement and sourcing experience within marketing and creative services, ideally within a fast-paced, global, consumer-centric organisation.
• Deep understanding of the marketing, brand dynamics and creative landscape, including emerging trends and technologies.
• Leadership experience of working across diverse global teams and influencing senior stakeholders to Exec level.
• Advanced negotiation, stakeholder engagement, and supplier relationship management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to drive cost savings and create value through innovative procurement strategies.

Preferred Skills

• Familiarity with digital procurement tools and platforms (e.g., SAP Ariba, Coupa, etc.).
• Experience in sustainability initiatives and managing ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) priorities.
• Strong analytical, communication, and project management skills.

Educational Background

• Degree in Business, Marketing, Procurement, or related field 
• Professional certifications (e.g., CIPS, CPSM) are desirable.

Key Competencies:

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to balance global strategic priorities with local market needs.
• Commercial Acumen: Strong negotiation skills and a deep understanding of cost drivers in the marketing and creative industries.
• Stakeholder Management: Proven ability to influence and engage cross-functional teams at all levels.
• Creativity and Innovation: Appreciation for creative processes and a track record of driving supplier-led innovation.
• Project Management: Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Analytical Skills: Proficient in spend analysis, forecasting, and decision-making based on data insights.
• Cultural Sensitivity: Experience working in a global, multicultural environment with an understanding of regional nuances.

Benefits & Diversity

At Deliveroo we know that people are the heart of the business and we prioritise their welfare. We offer multiple great benefits in areas including health, family, finance, community, convenience, growth, time away and relocation.

We believe a great workplace is one that represents the world we live in and how beautifully diverse it can be. That means we have no judgment when it comes to any one of the things that make you who you are - your gender, race, sexuality, religion or a secret aversion to coriander. All you need is experience with (most) food and a desire to be part of one of the fastest growing start-up's around

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