Category Specialist
Mayor of York and North Yorkshire
About the Role
The Category Specialist is a part-time, remote role responsible for managing specific procurement categories that support game development and studio operations. This role involves analyzing spending and supplier performance, identifying cost-saving opportunities, and aligning category strategies with studio needs. The Category Specialist will collaborate with internal stakeholders to understand requirements, prepare sourcing plans, and support contract negotiations with vendors and service providers. Typical tasks include market research, data analysis, supplier evaluation, and maintaining category documentation to ensure value, quality, and reliability. The role also supports continuous improvement of procurement processes and tools to help the studio scale efficiently.
Key Responsibilities
- Managing specific procurement categories.
- Analyzing spending and supplier performance.
- Identifying cost-saving opportunities.
- Aligning category strategies with studio needs.
- Collaborating with internal stakeholders to understand requirements.
- Preparing sourcing plans.
- Supporting contract negotiations with vendors and service providers.
- Conducting market research.
- Performing data analysis.
- Evaluating suppliers.
- Maintaining category documentation to ensure value, quality, and reliability.
- Supporting continuous improvement of procurement processes and tools.
Requirements & Tech Stack
- Category Management skills, including defining category strategies and coordinating cross-functional requirements.
- Analytical Skills to interpret data, track key metrics, and identify opportunities for optimization.
- Communication skills to collaborate with internal teams and present findings and recommendations clearly.
- Contract Negotiation experience to support favorable terms, manage risk, and maintain positive supplier relationships.
- Procurement knowledge, including supplier sourcing, evaluation, and basic purchasing processes.
- Familiarity with remote collaboration tools is beneficial.
- Strong organizational skills are beneficial.
- Ability to work independently in a dynamic environment is beneficial.
Qualifications
- A relevant academic background or practical experience in supply chain, business, finance, or operations is an advantage.
- Experience in or interest in the video game or creative industries is beneficial.