This role is based in Letterkenny (Hybrid 2 days on site a week)
Associate Category Manager - Marketing role plays a critical role in enabling this mission by supporting sourcing and category management across marketing, advertising, media, print, and agency‑related spend. This role provides strong exposure to advertising agencies, media partners, and marketing services ecosystems, and requires an ability to operate effectively at the intersection of procurement discipline and marketing ways of working.
Categories Of Spend In Scope Include
Advertising & Creative Agencies (AORs)
Media Buying and Planning
Martech
Production & Content Productions
Sponsorship & Events
Print & Marketing Collateral
Key Responsibilities
Serve as a trusted partner to marketing stakeholders by bridging internal procurement objectives with agency ways of working, ensuring alignment without disrupting business agility.
Co‑own AOR (Agency of Record) relationships with internal stakeholders and effectively partner with agency teams to drive performance, accountability, and value delivery.
Support category initiative execution by independently preparing analysis, drafting sourcing materials, coordinating RFx activities, and managing day‑to‑day follow‑ups with suppliers.
Support development and execution of category strategies, including analysis of spend drivers, supply market trends, identification of long‑term value opportunities, and build 3‑5 year category roadmap.
Contribute to category planning activities, including demand shaping, supplier segmentation, and identification of strategic sourcing levers (e.g., consolidation, alternative sourcing models, innovation opportunities).
Demonstrate a foundational understanding of category management as a discipline—moving beyond transactional sourcing to support structured, data‑driven, and strategically aligned outcomes.
Maintain and update the category pipeline by accurately tracking initiative baselines, milestones, risks, and variance commentary, ensuring information is clear and review‑ready for senior leaders.
Contribute to Category Cards and Buying Channel rules by drafting updates, assessing stakeholder feedback, and coordinating changes with Systems & Analytics.
Perform advanced spend, market, and supplier analyses, including benchmarking, pricing trend reviews, total cost breakdowns, and initial TCO assessments to inform category decisions.
Prepare stakeholder‑ready materials, summarizing sourcing insights, supplier comparisons, negotiation preparation inputs, and early recommendations for review.
Coordinate sourcing documentation and contracting workflows, ensuring complete, accurate, and audit‑ready records within sourcing and CLM systems.
Engage with suppliers and internal stakeholders to gather requirements, resolve routine issues, track performance trends, and elevate risks to the Director when appropriate.
Collaborate with regional teams in the US, Ireland, India, Japan, and other locations to align sourcing timelines, share insights, and support consistent global execution.
Use procurement and AI‑enabled tools to enhance analysis, sourcing activities, and document preparation, and identify practical opportunities for process improvement.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in business, supply chain, finance, operations, economics, or a related field.
5+ years of experience within a Sourcing/Procurement team with demonstrated experience in strategic sourcing and category management for Marketing/Media categories.
Prior experience working within a Media/Advertising/Marketing agency environment, or closely partnering with agency teams, is strongly preferred.
Experience working within or closely with advertising agencies, with a strong understanding of agency operating models, client‑agency dynamics, and how to effectively partner with AORs, media agencies, and creative partners.
Demonstrated ability to manage sourcing events, prepare negotiation materials, and contribute meaningfully to category decisions.
Strong analytical capability, with experience interpreting spend data, benchmarks, supplier pricing, etc.
Ability to develop a strategic point of view on content production, sponsorship, events, print, and creative agencies.
Exposure to media ecosystem and ad tech/martech landscape (DSPs, SSPs, ad serving, etc.).
Proven ability to collaborate across business functions and regions, managing deliverables with minimal supervision.
What We Offer You
Health Insurance: PGIM Ireland partners with Laya and BUPA to provide health insurance schemes that cover eligible employees’ day‑to‑day medical and hospital expenses.
Annual Leave of 23 days at full pay.
Pension Scheme: Members of the scheme can contribute up to 8% of salary per annum and PGIM Ireland matches contributions up to 8% of salary. Members can also make voluntary contributions to the scheme.
Annual Bonus Programme & Shop LK Vouchers / CleverCards (subject to eligibility): Along with an annual bonus employees are rewarded with Shop LK Vouchers/CleverCards which are paid tax‑free.
Life Assurance: fully paid by PGIM Ireland, employees are covered from their start date and beneficiaries are provided with a lump sum of four times an employee’s salary.
Education Assistance: PGIM Ireland has an Education Assistance Programme that reimburses eligible employees for furthering their education.
PGIM Ireland is a proud equal‑opportunity employer and is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of applicants’ gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race or membership of the traveler community.
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