Category Manager

Service Care Solutions; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 59,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

Service Care Solutions is seeking an experienced Category Manager to join the Strategic Procurement team in a housing organisation based in Ealing. The role focuses on developing category plans, leading end-to-end procurement exercises and driving supplier performance.

You will manage corporate and professional services subcategories, support procurement transformation and ensure compliant contract management across stakeholders and suppliers. Hybrid working with some office days.

Qualifications

• Proven experience developing and delivering category plans.
• Experience leading a range of public-sector procurement procedures.
• Strong knowledge of public procurement legislation, including the Procurement Act 2023 and legacy regulations.
• Experience delivering corporate or professional services procurements.
• Previous involvement in procurement transformation.
• Strong contract-management and supplier-performance experience.
• Experience monitoring contracts against SLAs, KPIs and commercial requirements.
• Sound understanding of commercial contracts, terms and conditions.
• Experience with pre- and post-contract commercial administration.
• Strong stakeholder-management, communication and influencing skills.
• Good working knowledge of procurement systems, tendering portals and Microsoft Office.
• MCIPS qualified, or graduate calibre with willingness to complete the professional CIPS qualification.
• Project-management experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement and regularly review category plans.
• Translate category plans into effective sourcing and procurement activity.
• Lead end-to-end public procurement and tendering exercises.
• Take ownership of corporate and professional services subcategories.
• Manage framework agreements and other procurement projects.
• Support procurement transformation and improvements to systems and processes.
• Ensure a consistent and compliant approach to procurement and contract management.
• Oversee contract implementation and attend supplier review meetings.
• Monitor supplier performance against agreed SLAs and KPIs.
• Work with stakeholders and suppliers to resolve contractual and performance issues.
• Support the commercial and risk management of the supplier portfolio.
• Develop effective relationships with stakeholders, suppliers, partners and framework operators.
• Identify continuous-improvement and efficiency opportunities.
• Monitor procurement activity through D365, P2P and tendering platforms.

Skills

Category plans development

Public-sector procurement

Procurement legislation knowledge

Corporate & professional services Proc

Procurement transformation

Contract-management

Supplier-performance

Contract monitoring (SLA/KPI)

Commercial contracts knowledge

Pre- and post-contract administration

Stakeholder-management

Tendering portals & procurementsystems

MS Office

MCIPS or CIPS aspirant

Project management

Education

MCIPS qualified

Graduate calibre with willingness to complete CIPS

Tools

D365

P2P systems

Tendering portals

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job title: Category Manager

Location: Ealing, London W5 – Hybrid working, with one to two days per week in the office depending on business needs

Salary: £59,000–£63,000 per annum

Contract Type: Permanent

Weekly Hours: 35 hours per week

Job Purpose

We are recruiting for an experienced Category Manager to join the Strategic Procurement team of a leading housing organisation based in Ealing.

The role will involve developing and delivering category plans, taking ownership of allocated subcategories and leading end-to-end procurement exercises. You will also support procurement transformation, contract management and supplier performance across corporate and professional services.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, implement and regularly review category plans.
• Translate category plans into effective sourcing and procurement activity.
• Lead end-to-end public procurement and tendering exercises.
• Take ownership of corporate and professional services subcategories.
• Manage framework agreements and other procurement projects.
• Support procurement transformation and improvements to systems and processes.
• Ensure a consistent and compliant approach to procurement and contract management.
• Oversee contract implementation and attend supplier review meetings.
• Monitor supplier performance against agreed SLAs and KPIs.
• Work with stakeholders and suppliers to resolve contractual and performance issues.
• Support the commercial and risk management of the supplier portfolio.
• Develop effective relationships with stakeholders, suppliers, partners and framework operators.
• Identify continuous-improvement and efficiency opportunities.
• Monitor procurement activity through D365, P2P and tendering platforms.

Candidate Profile

• Proven experience developing and delivering category plans.
• Experience leading a range of public-sector procurement procedures.
• Strong knowledge of public procurement legislation, including the Procurement Act 2023 and relevant legacy regulations.
• Experience delivering corporate or professional services procurements.
• Previous involvement in procurement transformation.
• Strong contract-management and supplier-performance experience.
• Experience monitoring contracts against SLAs, KPIs and commercial requirements.
• Sound understanding of commercial contracts, terms and conditions.
• Experience with pre- and post-contract commercial administration.
• Strong stakeholder-management, communication and influencing skills.
• Good working knowledge of procurement systems, tendering portals and Microsoft Office.
• MCIPS qualified, or of graduate calibre with a willingness to complete the professional CIPS qualification.
• Project-management experience.