Category Manager

Leeds and York Partnership; Sheffield; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

NHS Pension Scheme

Flexible working arrangements

Career development and training

Job summary

Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) invites applications for a Category Manager within the Category Procurement Team. You will develop category management approaches for healthcare and pharmacy services, lead procurement projects, and drive best value for NHS and public sector customers.

You will collaborate with the Associate Director of Procurement, engage NHS stakeholders regionally and nationally, and travel as needed to deliver strategic cost reductions while upholding

Qualifications

• Relevant degree and/or MCIPS (level 4/5 completed, level 6 actively studying).
• Public sector procurement experience an advantage.
• Strong stakeholder management and commercial acumen.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of procurement projects in line with NHS regulations.
• Develop category management to deliver cash releasing savings and total cost reductions.
• Support category reviews within NHS and public sector customers to identify efficiencies.
• Maintain sound contract and supplier management in this category area.
• Build excellent relationships with peers, customers and external stakeholders at all levels.
• Be hands-on with a results-focused mentality.

Skills

Category management

Procurement

Stakeholder management

Education

Degree or MCIPS

Job description

Are you looking for mental health jobs in Leeds, York or with one of our regional services operating across the country? We have a range of NHS Job opportunities, placements and specialities in our clinical, research, and professional support teams across Leeds and York.

At Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT), we strive to provide high-quality mental health and learning disability services as an employer of choice. We can only achieve this by putting our staff and the people using our services at the centre of everything we do. This starts with the people we employ. We recruit based on values and qualifications (where required) and believe lived experience is an advantage. We look for potential, not perfection, and this means that together, we are as diverse as the communities we care for.

Simply put, we seek out people who care, act with integrity and have the right skills. We want to add to our incredible colleagues, students and volunteers who share these principles, with people like you, who find empathy comes easily and who treat everyone with respect without thinking. Search our latest jobs to start your journey with us.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Category Manager to join the Category Procurement Team at NOE CPC. Reporting to the Associate Director of Procurement you will be responsible for developing our category management approach to assigned healthcare and pharmacy service related categories, and leading the associated public procurement and category management projects in this high profile growing category area to deliver best value outcomes for our NHS and wider public sector customers and patients.

Main duties of the job

As part of the NOE CPC Category Procurement Team you will need to be able to:

• Lead the delivery of complex procurement projects, in line with relevant legislation such as Public Contracts Regulations, Procurement Act and Provider Selection Regime.
• Develop a category management approach in order to deliver cash releasing savings and sustainable total cost reductions for the wider public sector stakeholders in this category area.
• Support and lead category specific reviews within NHS and wider public sector customers to identify process efficiencies and cost reduction opportunities.
• Have considerable knowledge and expertise within this specialist category area or an equivalent area.
• Have a strong customer focus, commercial acumen and a pro‑active approach.
• Have a sound approach to contract and supplier management in this category area.
• Build excellent working relationships with peers, colleagues, customers and other external stakeholders at both operational and senior levels.
• Have a hands‑on approach and a results focused mentality.

Working for our organisation

The Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) is the main provider of Mental Health and Learning Disability services in Leeds. We also provide specialist inpatient services in York and some highly specialised services across the country. As a teaching trust with strong links to local universities, we are a centre of excellence for teaching, research and development.

There are many benefits of working for LYPFT including fantastic employee wellbeing support, 27 - 33 days annual leave, flexible working and remote working arrangements, the NHS Pension Scheme, coaching, support and opportunities for career development and training and education support alongside a range of exclusive discounts and payment schemes including for cars, extra leave days and more NHS Discount Offers.

We also have a bank department, offering variety of roles in nursing, allied health professions, healthcare support worker and administration clerical. Permanent employees are automatically added to bank.

Applicants should be aware that individuals requiring a visa to work in the UK, the Trust only provides sponsorship for registered healthcare practitioner roles(this does not include Healthcare Support Workers). This is an essential requirement, and the Trust is unable to offer you a role if you do not meet Trust requirements for sponsorship and Home Office requirements for a visa.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

As a Category Manager you will be responsible for building on an existing portfolio of framework agreements in the healthcare services & pharmacy category area and will work to ensure timely delivery of procurement and category projects against NOE CPC’s workplan in line with our NHS and wider public sector customer requirements and our growth strategy. A pro‑active focus on delivery of best value outcomes for NHS is essential. Working with the Associate Director of Procurement you will develop and grow NOE CPC’s impact in this category area through development of a category management approach including category strategy development and work‑planning. Activity will include working in close collaboration with other procurement hubs, such as London Procurement Partnership (LPP), extensive engagement with NHS and other key stakeholders, based locally, regionally and nationally to support them in achieving cost reduction and efficiency targets.

We are looking for a highly motivated, enthusiastic individual wanting to make a positive difference in the NHS. The successful candidates will be able to demonstrate strong personal skills, a sound understanding of public procurement, together with both experience and enthusiasm for the particular category area for which they are applying. They will also be an excellent communicator, have a strong customer focused ethos, and broad commercial acumen with the drive to self motivate to develop and deliver commercial opportunities.

We recruit people based on their values and qualifications (where required) and believe that their lived experience is an advantage, this means that together we are as diverse as the communities we care for. Simply put, when we employ caring people who act with integrity and have the right skills, we can give those with mental health challenges, learning disabilities and neurodiversity high-quality care and support to live fulfilling lives, and make our staff feel purposeful, happy and valued. All our information is available in accessible formats. Please contact the Recruitment team [e-mail] Attached to this advert is our candidates guide to values‑based recruitment and supporting guidance on how to make a successful application. If you require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Recruitment Team or see the attached candidate guide to reasonable adjustments. To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience you’ll need, look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the Supporting Documents heading. So that you’re even more equipped to make an informed decision to apply to us, you’ll need to take time to read the Candidate Guide to Values Based Recruitment. This document provides you with information to help you apply.

This role will work closely with and support the Associate Procurement Director and will be required to build strong individual and collaborative relationships with senior level expert stakeholders in this category area, to develop and manage a portfolio of agreements and to support new procurement activity in this field. The role will include extensive engagement with NHS and wider public sector organisations both individually and collaboratively, and supplier organisations in order to ensure procurement solutions are established and appropriate strategies are developed, which genuinely meet and continue to deliver against the needs of the NHS and wider public sector. This role will include provision of expert category specific support and guidance to NHS and wider public sector organisations. Skills, experience and a passion for both procurement and this particular category area are highly desirable although not a necessity. For a further discussion regarding this role, please contact Joanne Barton, [e-mail] to arrange a call. The role requires extensive travel to NHS and wider public sector / supplier organisations nationally.

Location: Work base as stated above, however NOECPC adopts an agile working policy.

Please note any correspondence following application will be sent via trac.jobs & the Trust's Resourcing Team

Person specification

Qualifications

• Relevant degree and / or current MCIPS (as minimum level 4 and 5 completed and level 6 actively studying)

Skills

• Category management background & expertise within spend areas such as healthcare services, Pharmacy services or non-drug pharmacy categories (or equivalent) or demonstrable experience within a healthcare commissioning role

Experience

• Senior level procurement experience in public or private sector (experience at band 7 or above, or equivalent demonstrable salary in other sectors)
• Evidence of working with and managing diverse procurement related stakeholders and stakeholder groups (for example, customers/clients / internal / external) at both operational and senior level.
• Evidence of working with suppliers within challenging / complex markets within a procurement related context

Values

• Tell us about a time when you spotted something small going wrong and did something to stop it becoming a bigger issue.
• Tell us about a time when you realised a colleague or someone you know needed a bit of support and you offered to help.
• Tell us about a time when you showed someone kindness or understanding.

Applications are welcomed from candidates who wish to apply for a position based on a smarter (Hybrid) or flexible working arrangement. Where candidates are successful at interview, flexible working arrangement requests will be taken into consideration and may be accommodated where the needs of the service allow.

Fixed Term Contracts for existing NHS Employees – temporary contracts for employees of LYPFT, or colleagues joining from another NHS Trust, will be offered on a secondment basis wherever possible. In the event this is not possible, an FTC would be issued and this would require a break in service of two weeks.

The purpose of a temporary is role could be for maternity cover, temporary funding or some other reason. At the end of which the need for the temporary work will cease. Temporary roles can stop, be extended and/or made permanent at any point during the period of work. Should the role become permanent then the post-holder will be informed of the process to be followed to convert the position to a permanent one.

All new employees are required to subscribe to the DBS Update Service.

Patient Safety is a priority at LYPFT with a focus on system‑based improvement and creating opportunities for learning. We will ensure compassionate engagement with all those involved in an incident and all incidents are met with a proportionate response. LYPFT is committed to upholding its’ statutory responsibilities in relation to safeguarding adults and children. Please refer to job description for further information.

LYPFT is a member of the Disability Confident scheme and is committed to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process.

As part of the Trust's commitment to its Gold Standard Armed Forces Covenant status, members of the Armed Forces Community are entitled to a guaranteed interview subject to meeting the role criteria.

We welcome applicants with lived experience of providing unpaid care and/or support to a family member or friend with a disability, health condition, frailty, mental health problem, addiction or other health needs.

Please note that the Trust reserves the right to close the vacancy before the closing date if enough applications are received. It is in the candidate’s best interest to apply as soon as possible. In submitting an application form, you authorize Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the ESR IAT process should you be appointed to the post.

In applying for a role please ensure that you only declare qualifications that are relevant to the role itself. We reserve the right to check all declared qualifications on an application form, whether they are directly relevant to the role or not.

Please note: The Trust does not offer reimbursement of interview expenses.

Careers in Leeds

Career Compass Leeds details more than 100 different roles within the city’s health and care workforce of around 60,000 people. The range includes key roles such as nurses and care assistants but also the less well‑known or ‘hidden’ roles such as pathologist, lawyer, chef, debt advisor, and volunteer coordinator. Build your profile to help find opportunities that match your preferences.