Category Manager - Procurement

Central Bedfordshire Council; Shefford; Hybrid; GBP 47,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Central Bedfordshire Council is seeking a Category Manager in Procurement – Commercial and Procurement Service. You will own the procurement pipeline, lead high-value, complex procurements, and provide strategic commercial leadership to assets, facilities management, and capital contracts portfolios.

You will develop category strategies, drive value for money, ensure compliance with PCR15/PA23, and collaborate with service areas to strengthen partnerships.

Qualifications

• Experience in procurement or commercial environment.
• Understanding of PCR15/PA23 and public sector governance.
• Strong analytical and data interpretation skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement Category Strategies delivering value for money in line with council policies and regulations.
• Provide market intelligence and guidance on competition processes and routes to market.
• Lead high-value, high-risk complex procurement initiatives to achieve value for money.
• Apply detailed analysis and evaluation techniques to support decision making with cost and quality weighting.
• Regular communication with Senior Managers and attendance at DMTs.
• Assist contract managers to assess service delivery and work with providers to improve efficiencies.
• Develop and embed social value opportunities.

Skills

Procurement experience

Stakeholder engagement

Analytical skills

Education

CIPS Level 4 qualification

Degree desirable

Job description

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Team: Procurement – Commercial and Procurement Service

Job Family: Providing – CBG12 Salary: £46,822 - £52,100 per annum pro rata Hours: 37 hours per week

Location: You will be expected to attend a CBC office location as often as needed to carry out your role, which will be no less than once per week.

Contract Type: Hybrid - Permanent

Closing Date: 9th December 2026

Interview Date: 16th December 2026

About the role

The Procurement Team provides a strategic and professional service that ensures the Council achieves value for money in sourcing third-party goods, works and services. The team also manages procurement risks, drives best practice, and ensures compliance with the Council’s Constitution and procurement regulations.

As a Category Manager, you’ll provide procurement support primarily to the Assets, Facilities Management and Capital Contracts portfolio under the Place and Corporate pillar, and will support the business partner approach to service areas. You will lead high-value and complex procurement projects, develop category strategies, improve market engagement, support contract and supplier management activity and ensure procurement contributes to the delivery of wider corporate objectives.

This key role will take ownership of the procurement pipeline, provide strategic commercial leadership, support delivery of the capital programme, and ensure appropriate commercial and procurement support is available across the portfolio to deliver planned outcomes, manage risk effectively, strengthen business partnering and relationships and deliver compliant, timely, value for money contracts. The role will move beyond transactional execution to provide end-to-end strategic commercial leadership.

In this role, you will need to be confident in engaging with key stakeholders and have the knowledge and experience to lead and manage end to end procurement activity. You will act as a key advisor to service areas ensuring compliance with procurement legislation (PCR15/PA23) whilst understanding and delivering against service needs.

This is a hybrid role with a team office day once a week on a Thursday.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and Implement Category Strategies, delivering value for money processes adhering to council policies and relevant regulations.
• Provide market intelligence, advice and guidance on competition processes and routes to market.
• Lead high-value, high-risk complex procurement initiatives to achieve and demonstrate value for money.
• Devise and apply detailed analysis and evaluation techniques to assist all stakeholders in decision making using a balance of cost and quality and appropriate weightings.
• Regular Communication with Senior Managers and attendance at DMTs.
• Assist contract managers to assess service delivery and work with service providers to develop efficiencies.
• Develop and embed social value opportunities.

About You

• Must have a CIPS Level 4 qualification and seeking to progress to Level 5. Educated to degree level would be desirable but not essential.
• Experience of working within a procurement or commercial environment.
• Proven track record of delivering end-to-end complex procurements under PCR 2015 / Procurement Act 2023.
• Understanding and experience of delivering complex ‘Works’ procurements under JCT/NEC contracts.
• Understanding of public sector procurement regulations and governance.
• Ability to manage multiple procurements to agreed timescales.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills.
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate data and market intelligence into actionable insight.

Our aspiration is to be a truly flexible employer. We welcome discussion on location, hours and working pattern as part of the application process.

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You will be expected to demonstrate how you meet the key accountabilities and competencies in this Recruitment Pack .

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To maintain a fair and consistent approach for applicants,it isCentral Bedfordshire Council'spolicy to only consider applications madevia our online applicationsystem and we therefore thank you for not submitting your application offline.

Your application to us is a reflection of who you are professionally and should give us an accurate and authentic picture of your skills, experiences and if applicable qualifications. Before you submit your application, we will ask you to confirm if you have used AI.

All new starters will join us on a four ‑ month probationary period. During this time, if you are offered a Hybrid role you will be required to attend a Central Bedfordshire Council office location more frequently to support thorough and well ‑ supported onboarding into your role. Please keep this in mind if you anticipate extensive travel to Central Bedfordshire.

Please note we are unable to offer sponsorship for our roles. Successful applicants that may require a visa will need to consider the options for obtaining and/or maintaining the legal right to live and work in the UK for the duration of the contract offered.

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