Category Buyer

NHS Supply Chain; Sheffield, Wakefield; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working opportunities

Annual bonus schemes

Professional development

Well-being leave

Pension scheme

Flexible Benefits Scheme

Volunteer leave

NHS discounts

Job summary

NHS Supply Chain is hiring a Category Buyer to join during a period of transformation, helping NHS trusts enhance patient care by improving category strategies and procurement processes. The role focuses on delivering value through product range, offers, and market insights in close collaboration with stakeholders.

You will shape category strategy, analyse data, and drive cost savings while working in a hybrid setup with the NHS supply chain network across England and Wales.

Qualifications

• Ability to analyse and interpret data from multiple sources, identify trends, evaluate findings, and develop evidence-based recommendations to support decision-making.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills to present complex information clearly, influence stakeholders, and tailor messages to different audiences.
• Ability to lead discussions, manage competing priorities, build consensus, and achieve mutually beneficial outcomes with internal and external stakeholders.
• Skilled in developing, implementing, and monitoring action plans, translating strategic objectives into practical deliverables, and driving successful outcomes.
• Capability to provide guidance, mentoring, and technical expertise to colleagues, supporting the development of analytical, communication, planning, and negotiation skills across teams.

Responsibilities

• Deliver category objectives and procurement initiatives aligned to the organisation’s procurement strategy.
• Produce accurate reports by gathering, analysing, and presenting data from a range of standard sources.
• Monitor market trends, emerging issues, supplier innovations, and key cost drivers to support informed decision-making.
• Support stakeholder engagement and relationship management across internal teams and external partners, including regulators, providers, and customer groups.
• Provide high-quality customer service by resolving complex queries, analysing data independently, and identifying opportunities to support business growth and retention.

Skills

Data analysis

Stakeholder engagement

Communication skills

Project management

Negotiation

Job description

Job Posted: 3 November 2026
Job Updated: 3 November 2026

Function: Commercial - Medical Technologies

Hybrid Worker - Expectation is two days per week on site at either our Sheffield or Wakefield office

Contract type: Permanent

Salary: Offered on a starting salary of £37,502 with the potential to increase to £41,669 over the course of three years.

Closing Date: Tuesday, 17 th November 2026

NHS Supply Chain currently has an opportunity for a Category Buyer to join our team during an exciting period of transformation, working to make it easier for the NHS to put patients first.

The Category Buyer will contribute to specific category or product group strategy to improve the supply chain, reduce risk, create competitive advantage and deliver cost savings. Through a focus on product range, offers and how products are brought to market, and in close collaboration with key stakeholders, create product groups that maximise value both for customers and the organisation. Contribute with insights into industry and consumer trends and support the development of recommendations to optimise new product launches.

Every day you will …

• Deliver category objectives and procurement initiatives aligned to the organisation’s procurement strategy.
• Produce accurate reports by gathering, analysing, and presenting data from a range of standard sources.
• Monitor market trends, emerging issues, supplier innovations, and key cost drivers to support informed decision-making.
• Support stakeholder engagement and relationship management across internal teams and external partners, including regulators, providers, and customer groups.
• Provide high-quality customer service by resolving complex queries, analysing data independently, and identifying opportunities to support business growth and retention.

What can we offer you?

We want to reward you for your passion, enthusiasm, and hard work so we offer much more than a competitive salary:

• Hybrid working opportunities, giving you the flexibility to work collaboratively in the office and remotely.
• We recognise our employees’ hard work and contributions with annual bonus schemes, long service, and colleague recognition awards.
• We are dedicated to your development, through in-house training, support, and access to external qualifications to maximise your potential.
• A focus on your well-being offering 1 day of paid well-being leave and free access to the 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
• Generous pension scheme (with us contributing 12% when you contribute 6%)
• Access to our Flexible Benefits Scheme, where you can choose from a variety of benefits such as Life Insurance, Critical Illness Cover, Income Protection, Health Cash Plan, Dental Insurance, and additional pension contributions that suit you.
• 2 days of paid volunteering leave allowing you to give back to your community.
• Access to many discounts from the Blue Light Card to NHS Discounts.

NHS Supply Chain, who are we?

Our role is to support the NHS to save lives and improve health. We are a part of the NHS family, and our role is to source, deliver and supply healthcare products, services and food for NHS trusts and healthcare organisations across England and Wales.

We serve every NHS Trust and operate a national network of distribution centres, managing relationships with more than a thousand suppliers and delivering more than 8,000,000 orders each year to more than 17,000 locations. Doing all of this on behalf of the NHS gives NHS staff more time to focus on their main priority of providing excellent patient care.

What skills will help you thrive in this role?

• Ability to analyse and interpret data from multiple sources, identify trends, evaluate findings, and develop evidence-based recommendations to support decision-making.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills to present complex information clearly, influence stakeholders, and tailor messages to different audiences.
• Ability to lead discussions, manage competing priorities, build consensus, and achieve mutually beneficial outcomes with internal and external stakeholders.
• Skilled in developing, implementing, and monitoring action plans, translating strategic objectives into practical deliverables, and driving successful outcomes.
• Capability to provide guidance, mentoring, and technical expertise to colleagues, supporting the development of analytical, communication, planning, and negotiation skills across teams.

Our Inclusive Commitment

At NHS Supply Chain, we are committed to building an inclusive environment where difference is not only valued, but celebrated, giving everyone the opportunity to thrive in their career. Developing our people is key to our success, so if this role sounds like the right next step in your career but your experience doesn’t match perfectly with the job advert, we encourage you to still apply.

SCCL is a company Registered in England and Wales, with company number 10881715, to act as the management function of the NHS Supply Chain.