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Reading, England, United Kingdom
Hybrid
Job Family Group:
Procurement & Supply Chain Management Group
Job Description:
Join our Castrol team as Head of Procurement Global Indirect Categories!
This is a Castrol requisition and the successful candidate will become part of the Castrol ring-fence ahead of the Castrol divestment later in 2026. From the point of the divestment, you will be employed fully by Castrol and no longer be a bp employee.
The role provides strategic leadership for key categories at Castrol and is accountable for end-to-end management of indirect procurement.
The category teams directly influence delivery of the business financial plans and the overall value delivery of procurement, and are accountable for ensuring a safe, risk managed, sustainable and competitive supply chain.
The Head of Indirect Categories is responsible for:
Building and leading the new, global Indirect Procurement organisation
Ensuring business continuity across all indirect categories
Delivering global category strategies and Source to Contract operational excellence
Managing category teams to protect the supply chain while maximising value and minimising risk
You will lead the global category and sourcing teams of 40+ people (7-10 direct reports).
You will be responsible for about USD 0.8b global spend covering categories such as Marketing, HR, Real Estate, Facilities Management, Travel, Engineering, CAPEX & Maintenance and their sourcing & contracting activities.
Key accountabilities:
Category Strategy leadership: Leads the category team developing and implementing procurement strategies, which ensures their category operates highly effectively.
Provides guidance and challenges the team to formulate innovative strategies that drive value.
Leverages advanced methodologies, such as systems thinking.
Ensures their strategy is highly aligned to business and regional needs.
Category excellence: Demonstrates data led ownership of the end-to-end performance of the category, working with stakeholders to develop category management plans.
Cultivates purposeful partnerships and robust supplier relationships to navigate business challenges and unlock triple bottom line (people, profit & planet) value.
Transformational Leadership and Change Management: Leads major change initiatives, which deliver value through ensuring supplier performance.
Oversees orchestration of change.
Employs digital tools and uses strong communication to encourage adoption.
Team leadership: Builds high performing teams of experts with strong technical skills by fostering a culture of collaboration, excellence, and continuous improvement.
Builds category knowledge across the wider procurement organization to ensure strategy execution.
Develops the team’s technical capabilities to deliver operational excellence.
Nurtures accelerator skills; curiosity in external markets, digital fluency, data-driven insights, and strong collaboration.
Establishes an environment of psychological safety.
Supplier & Stakeholder Management: Uses storytelling to communicate with internal and external partners, respectfully challenging to achieve the right outcomes, resolving conflict and focusing on priorities.
Leads and influences through complexity and ambiguity, manages relationships in multi-discipline, multi-cultural environments.
Builds deep relationships, bringing market insights and championing supplier value. Becomes a trusted advisor and critical partner.
What you need to be successful:
Degree or equivalent professional qualification (Supply Chain & Procurement preferred) or equivalent relevant professional experience
15+ years of relevant work experience
Experience in managing global indirect procurement activities across number of categories
Extensive leadership experience with the ability to lead end-to-end sourcing and contracting
In-depth understanding of advanced category management principles, coupled with experience in developing and deploying category strategies to drive value
Fluency in English
Industry experience within FMCG, manufacturing, industrial, energy or chemicals preferred
Understanding of how to ensure strategies flow through to execution
Excellent commercial competence and awareness of external market dynamics
Understanding of working in and navigating complex multi-national businesses
Ability to evaluate and drive innovative solutions and manage risk
Ability to translate business requirements into a strategic category plan, leading the team to apply data tools and analyze complex data sets
Critical thinking to make strategic decisions
Exceptional senior stakeholder networking and influencing skills
Proven capability in supplier performance, including building strategic partnerships
Regular interaction with external suppliers and representing Castrol externally are expected
Effective change management including engagement and storytelling abilities
Persevering through organizational complexity and resistance to change
At bp, we support our people to learn and grow in a diverse and ambitious environment. We believe that our team is strengthened by diversity. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment in which everyone is respected and treated fairly. There are many aspects of our employees’ lives that are meaningful, so we offer benefits to enable your work to fit with your life.
Travel Requirement:
Relocation Assistance:
Remote Type:
Skills:
Legal Disclaimer:
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, socioeconomic status, neurodiversity/neurocognitive functioning, veteran status or disability status. Individuals with an accessibility need may request an adjustment/accommodation related to bp’s recruiting process (e.g., accessing the job application, completing required assessments, participating in telephone screenings or interviews, etc.). If you would like to request an adjustment/accommodation related to the recruitment process, please contact us.
If you are selected for a position and depending upon your role, your employment may be contingent upon adherence to local policy. This may include pre-placement drug screening, medical review of physical fitness for the role, and background checks.
