About us Fenner Conveyors, part of the Michelin group of companies, offers an extensive portfolio of complete solutions for the design, manufacture, and installation of high-capacity conveyor systems. With a footprint of 3 manufacturing sites, 29 Service Branches as well as Engineering Design & Fabrication facilities, we are employing over 1200 employees specialising in providing engineered conveyor solutions for a range of clients who demand reliability and performance, we can take a small idea and make it a big reality! About the Role At Fenner Conveyors, we are committed to fostering a culture of innovation, excellence, and continuous improvement. In this newly created role of Category Manager – Direct Materials , you will report to the Procurement Lead and play a pivotal role in the strategic sourcing and procurement of direct materials across the organization. Specifically, you will actively support the Procurement Lead in sourcing raw materials for the 3 manufacturing sites and Fenner’s new state of the art rubber mixing line. Your primary responsibility will be to ensure the timely, cost-effective, and high-quality supply of goods essential to production and operations. This includes managing supplier strategy, contract negotiations, risk mitigation, and driving cross-functional alignment at a national level. You will collaborate closely with the broader supply chain and manufacturing teams, site-based stakeholders, and in-country counterparts to maximize cost efficiency and uphold quality standards for your category spend. Additionally, you will be responsible for maintaining strong supplier relationships—particularly with key suppliers in the direct materials space—and proactively managing supplier performance to meet business requirements for scheduling, cost, and quality. Beyond procurement execution, you will actively establish and nurture close relationships with material suppliers to support evolving business needs. You will also oversee the vendor pool, ensuring suppliers and SLAs align with the organization's supplier selection and commercial processes. As this is a newly created role, you will contribute to establishing measurable performance metrics to evaluate procurement activities, including supplier performance, work quality, and cost optimization. At Fenner Conveyors, we provide a supportive and engaged environment that values your insights. You’ll have the opportunity to work across all areas of the business, gaining in-depth knowledge and making a tangible impact. About You As a seasoned Procurement or Strategic Sourcing Specialist, you will bring a broad understanding of managing direct and raw material spend within a sizable supply chain department, ideally within Manufacturing, FMCG, or Heavy Industry. This role provides a great opportunity to further develop your supply chain career within Fenner’s procurement function. You will hold a bachelor’s degree in supply chain management or a related field and possess excellent communication, analytical, and influencing skills. You thrive on building relationships, analysing data, and seeing tangible outcomes from your contributions. Proficiency in Excel and any large ERP systems will be highly regarded. While the ability to work autonomously is important, you’ll benefit from strong support and guidance from your supervisor. You’ll be passionate about implementing best practices in sourcing, equipped with strong numerical skills, and confident in challenging the status quo. Your ability to influence and negotiate will be a key strength, coupled with a proven ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a team. What’s in it for you? Joining Fenner means joining a company that appreciates their employees and inspires them to reach their full potential. You will have exposure to major National Projects and opportunity to work with industry leaders across the Organisation. There is a strong and experienced leadership team that is approachable, family-oriented. At Fenner, we offer long-term career opportunities within an equal-opportunity workplace, where we recognize the importance of flexibility and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. You will have access to a wide range of company benefits including but not limited to: - Annual Group Bonus participation - Access to FennerFits - our wellbeing, recognition and discounts portal - Ability to purchase up to 2 weeks' leave per annum by participating in our Leave Purchase Program! - On-site parking, and all amenities! An active social calendar with frequent inside and outside-of-work events for you to get behind - Be recognised for your contributions and service via our Service Recognition program. How to Apply If you are a strategic thinker with a passion for procurement management and a proven track record of driving results, we invite you to join our team. This is your chance to take your career to the next level with a company that values innovation, excellence, and professional growth. We're committed to establishing a culture that is inclusive, diverse, and compassionate. We welcome applications from people of all ages, First Nations, abilities, sexual orientations and gender identities.
