Supplier & Category Manager

Location: Basingstoke (Hybrid working, 3 office days per week)

Employment Type: Permanent, Full Time

Why Join Us?

• Annual bonus, cash car allowance and private medical insurance
• Take ownership of strategic supplier relationships and influence significant third party spend across The AA
• Work closely with senior stakeholders to unlock commercial value, improve supplier performance and shape procurement strategy
• Bring external market insight and fresh thinking to a Procurement function focused on delivering stronger commercial outcomes

For over a century, The AA has been keeping Britain moving. Today, millions of drivers trust us to be there when it matters most, and we're equally committed to supporting the people who make that possible. With a 4.5 star Glassdoor rating, we've built a culture where colleagues are empowered to grow, collaborate and make a real impact for our customers on every journey. This has been recognised by Sunday Times “Best Places to Work” for the last two years.

This is the Job

As our Supplier & Commercial Manager, you’ll play a key role in ensuring The AA gets the best possible value from its strategic supplier relationships. Working within our Procurement function, you’ll combine commercial thinking, supplier relationship management and strong business partnering to improve performance, unlock value and effectively manage commercial and supplier risk.

This is an influential role where you’ll work closely with senior stakeholders and strategic suppliers, taking ownership of complex commercial relationships and helping shape how we manage third party spend. You’ll bring external market insight, challenge established thinking and identify opportunities to improve cost, service, innovation and commercial outcomes across The AA.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and develop relationships with strategic suppliers, leading regular business reviews and ensuring performance, risks, opportunities and improvement actions are effectively managed
• Lead and support commercial activity across contract renewals, negotiations, amendments and supplier exits, protecting service continuity while delivering strong commercial outcomes
• Identify and deliver opportunities for cost optimisation, efficiencies, revenue generation and wider value creation through existing and prospective supplier relationships
• Partner with senior stakeholders to understand business priorities, shape sourcing and supplier strategies, and provide commercial insight that constructively challenges decision making
• Monitor supplier performance through meaningful MI, KPIs and market intelligence, intervening where required and driving improvement and innovation with suppliers and internal teams
• Support effective supplier governance and risk management, ensuring procurement policies, regulatory requirements and third-party governance obligations are consistently met

What Do I Need?

You’ll Bring

• Strong commercial procurement expertise, with a solid understanding of strategic supplier management, sourcing, contracting and the wider procurement lifecycle
• A track record of managing complex supplier relationships and using commercial levers, performance data and effective SRM practices to deliver tangible business value
• Strong commercial negotiation capability, with the confidence to navigate complex contractual discussions, resolve challenges and constructively challenge suppliers and stakeholders
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the credibility to influence senior leaders and translate commercial or market insight into clear recommendations
• A strong understanding of supplier governance and risk management, ideally gained within a regulated or similarly complex organisation
• Commercial and analytical acumen, with the ability to interpret spend and financial information, including OPEX and CAPEX, and use data to support effective decision making

Nice to Have

• Experience operating within a regulated or similarly complex environment
• Exposure to procurement or supplier management transformation and continuous improvement initiatives
• Experience using procurement, supplier management or analytical tools to generate insight and improve commercial decision making

Belonging at The AA

At The AA, we value the unique perspectives, experiences and ideas that our people bring. We've nurtured a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected and empowered to do their best work.

Through our employee communities and inclusion initiatives, we’ve created opportunities for people to connect, share experiences and influence positive change across the business. This is a place where your voice matters and where you can belong, grow and succeed.

Driven by People, Rewarded by Benefits

We believe in rewarding our people. That's why we offer a comprehensive benefits package including:

• 25 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, with the option to buy additional holiday
• Up to 7% employer pension contribution
• Free AA breakdown membership from Day One with 50% discount for family and friends, plus discounts on AA products including car and home insurance
• 24/7 GP access and wellbeing support for you and your family
• A wide range of employee discounts, including our popular car salary sacrifice scheme

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