About us

Strategic Sourcing Manager – Maintenance Category

Location: Lingley Mere, Warrington (Hybrid)

Contract: Permanent | Full Time

Hours: 37 per week

Join a top-ranked inclusive employer shaping the future of the North West

United Utilities (UU) is proud to be ranked #4 in The Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers List. We’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone can grow, excel and truly belong. Whether you thrive in a team that shares your vision or enjoy connecting with peers across our networks, you’ll find a welcoming, supportive community here.

Our mission is clear: deliver high-quality water for a more prosperous, greener and healthier North West of England. We do this by respecting the environment, supporting the regional economy and creating long-term value for our colleagues, customers and communities.

Why Join Us?

Why join us?

You’ll be part of a thriving FTSE 100 organisation with a culture that invests in your development and recognises your contribution. Our benefits include:

• 26 days annual leave (rising to 30 with service) plus 8 bank holidays
• Competitive pension with up to 14% employer contribution
• 5% performance-related bonus
• Company-funded healthcare plan
• Recognition awards for outstanding achievements

Our projects are designed to be environmentally and socially responsible, giving you the chance to learn, grow and make a meaningful impact throughout the project lifecycle.

As part of our commercial team, you’ll have access to exceptional development opportunities, including:

• CIPS professional membership/chartered status
• Leadership coaching
• Professional accreditation
• Mentoring and career development support

We’re here to help you reach your full potential

The Role

Are you a strategic thinker with strong sourcing expertise? Do you thrive in large, complex organisations where collaboration is key? If so, this is a brilliant opportunity to join United Utilities as a Strategic Sourcing Manager within our Maintenance category.

UU is entering an exciting period of growth and transformation, creating new opportunities across our Commercial function. In this role, you’ll lead the sourcing process for multi-million-pound network and capital maintenance agreements, ensuring seamless collaboration and delivering significant savings and value across the contract lifecycle.

You’ll gain exposure to the entire organisation, major projects and our largest industry partners. This is a role where your influence will be felt widely — and where strong stakeholder relationships are essential.

We champion flexible working. You’ll spend three days a week on site to support collaboration, with flexibility around hours to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Early on, you may attend more frequently as you settle in and get to know the team.

If you’re passionate about making a positive difference for the North West and want to be part of our transformation journey, we’d love to hear from you.

What you'll be doing

• Sourcing: Lead the full sourcing process — from business requirements to contract execution — for works and civils agreements and medium- to high-value goods and services.
• Collaboration: Work closely with Strategic Market Managers and senior stakeholders to deliver integrated market strategies and a robust sourcing pipeline.
• Negotiation: Act as lead negotiator on multi-million-pound savings and benefits, ensuring alignment with all relevant stakeholders.
• Cost optimisation: Challenge demand, drive savings, deliver cost avoidance and support demand aggregation across common products and services.
• Leadership: Lead and develop a team of Sourcing Managers, Specialists and Associates, fostering collaboration, capability growth and high performance.

What you'll bring

• Degree-level education plus a relevant postgraduate qualification (e.g., CIPS, RICS, MBA, MSc) OR equivalent experience
• Significant sourcing experience with a strong track record of savings delivery
• Proven senior stakeholder management skills
• Experience leading people and teams
• Strong knowledge of sourcing processes, tools and methodologies
• Excellent negotiation and dispute-resolution skills
• Experience solving complex problems in large organisations
• Ability to work cross-functionally and collaboratively
• Works agreements experience procuring infrastructure projects
• Full UK driving licence

Make an Impact

Bring your strategic mindset, collaborative spirit and commercial expertise to a team that’s shaping the future of our industry. Together, we’ll deliver smarter sourcing, stronger partnerships and real value for the North West.