Category Pipeline Manager

Job: Category Pipeline Manager

Duration: Contract (Inside IR35) - initially 6 months

Location: Bristol (1-2 days a week onsite)

As Category Pipeline Manager, you will be responsible for providing end-to-end visibility, governance, and assurance across a broad category pipeline. You will ensure initiatives are prioritised effectively, aligned to organisational strategy, and supported by robust data, analysis, and reporting.

A key element of the role is the ability to understand, develop, and challenge category strategies, identifying opportunities for cost reduction, innovation, and risk mitigation, and ensuring these are reflected in the pipeline of work.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and govern the category pipeline, ensuring accuracy, transparency, and strategic alignment
• Monitor pipeline health, identifying bottlenecks, risks, and dependencies, and recommending corrective actions
• Lead and maintain category strategies aligned to organisational objectives
• Identify and assess opportunities for savings, innovation, and improved value delivery
• Work closely with stakeholders to prioritise initiatives based on benefits, business cases, and resource capacity
• Apply established governance frameworks, tools, and processes to ensure compliance and delivery assurance
• Track progress against milestones, escalating risks and issues where required
• Build strong relationships with category teams, programme and portfolio offices, and senior leaders
• Facilitate prioritisation workshops, pipeline reviews, and dependency management sessions
• Produce high-quality reports and dashboards for senior management, using data analytics to identify trends and inform decision-making

About You

You will bring experience operating in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment, with a strong blend of pipeline/portfolio management capability and category management expertise.

Essential experience includes:

• Pipeline or portfolio management experience within a large or complex organisation
• Proven understanding of category strategies, with experience developing them previously
• Strong analytical, organisational, and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to influence at senior levels
• A collaborative approach, able to work effectively across organisational boundaries

Desirable experience:

• Use of project, programme, or portfolio management tools
• Exposure to structured governance environments

Qualifications

• APM Project Fundamentals or Practitioner (or equivalent)
• Portfolio Management qualification (e.g. MoP) - desirable
• CIPS

Next Steps

This role offers the opportunity to sit at the intersection of strategy, category management, and delivery governance, with real influence over prioritisation and investment decisions.

For a confidential discussion or to express interest, please apply via this advert or reach out to Fintan at TEC Partners for the details.