Procurement Category Manager

Diversity Dashboard; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 39,000 - 47,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Generous pension scheme

Staff discounts

Job summary

University of Sheffield is seeking a procurement professional to manage supplier relationships and lead end-to-end procurement across categories including goods, services and capex. The role focuses on delivering best value and compliance within a high-profile university environment.

You will engage stakeholders, develop category strategies, conduct market analysis, and drive change through procurement initiatives, while ensuring alignment with sustainability and governance frameworks.

Qualifications

• Professional Diploma (MCIPS) or studying towards Professional Diploma of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply.
• Experience in a commercial procurement environment with category management lifecycle.
• Ability to plan, manage deadlines and deliver across multiple projects.
• Strong communication and presentation skills to engage stakeholders effectively.
• Knowledge of sustainable procurement, social value and procurement legislation.
• Familiarity with tendering processes and contract management in a public sector setting.

Responsibilities

• Analyse expenditure profiles and identify opportunities to reduce duplication and streamline procurement processes.
• Prepare annual plans for approval by Head of Procurement and focus on value for money.
• Manage commodity/category plans and monitor KPIs, reporting on exceptions.
• Conduct risk assessments and lifecycle costing to develop procurement strategies.
• Initiate, negotiate, award and manage contracts and framework agreements.
• Advise on procurement processes to ensure value for money and alignment with sustainability goals.
• Collaborate with faculties/departments to identify savings opportunities and supplier performance management.
• Ensure compliance with financial regulations and tendering standards.

Skills

Communication skills

Analytical thinking

Stakeholder engagement

Problem solving

Project management

Financial awareness

Sustainable procurement

Public sector procurement knowledge

e-Tendering software experience

SAP familiarity

Web-based procurement portals

Microsoft Office

Google Workspace

Education

MCIPS diploma (or studying towards)

Tools

e-Tendering software

SAP

Web-based procurement portals

Microsoft Office

Google Workspace

Job description

The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.

We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more.Find out more about our benefits (opens in a new window) and join us to become part of something special.

Overview

We are a world top-100 university renowned for excellence, impact and distinctiveness of our research-led learning and teaching. The Research Excellence Framework (REF) confirmed our place as a world-leading university demonstrating that our research is having a significant positive impact on lives across the globe.

This is a rare opportunity for a procurement professional to utilise and further develop strategic and operational knowledge and stakeholder engagement skills within a complex and high profile organisation.

The primary focus of this role will be to engage your stakeholders and strategically manage your supply base in order to achieve best value in the University's non-payroll expenditure. The University Procurement service operates a Category Management (aligned to business partnering principles) approach and we therefore need candidates with the skills and experience to manage the full life cycle of procurement. This focus will provide an excellent opportunity for you to take a lead role in change management initiatives.

You will support the University in sourcing and negotiating the best deals on goods, services and capital expenditure in your assigned Category area. You must have skills and knowledge across all three aspects of the commercial lifecycle: pre-procurement, sourcing and contract

management. Responsibilities in preprocurement will include analysis of suppliers in the market and consideration of the best category strategy to deliver enhanced value for money. The sourcing process involves working with key stakeholders on developing tenders and supporting them through evaluation, award then contracting with a supplier. In addition as a non-contracting authority, the University is actively developing other procurement methods including the creation of dynamic supplier lists, direct awards and other types of competitive processes.

Main duties and responsibilities

Contract Management and Value for Money

• Analyse expenditure profiles, looking for opportunities to reduce duplication and streamline processes for the University in goods, services and capital procurement, across all commodity areas and all customers within the commodity group.
• Prepare annual plans where appropriate for approval by the Head of Procurement, focusing on improving commodity influence, sustainability and value for money.
• Manage the delegated commodity/category plans and support related projects as required, monitoring key performance indicators monthly or more often and report on exceptions.
• Conduct risk assessments, financial appraisals, life cycle costing, social, economic and environmental profiling in order to develop documented commodity/category procurement strategies in order to refine the procurement value proposition and develop targeted approaches to market that meet the University's Strategic, Sustainability and Procurement Strategies, and objectives.
• Initiate, negotiate, award and manage contracts and framework agreements and assist in the creation and control of joint University contracts, regional and national contracts.
• Provide advice and support on the optimal procurement process and procedure in order to ensure value for money outcomes.
• Provide advice on contract specifications and award criteria in order to ensure that social, economic and environmental factors are taken into account and that the service we receive meets our technical requirements.
• Manage major suppliers' performance against contracts or other arrangements and to manage key relationships with their main customers. Maintain communications with internal customers and expert suppliers to provide advice on current and future requirements.
• Work with faculties and departments to identify procurement trends and opportunities for savings.

Compliance

• Ensure that the University's Financial Regulations are adhered to and that financial probity is maintained in all transactions and in relationships with Suppliers.
• Ensure legal compliance of tendering and contract award activities and to manage risk across relevant aspects of University procurement operations.
• Ensure that call-offs from framework contracts conform with the call off procedure documented by the framework awarding body.
• Ensure that conflicts of interest or potential conflicts of interest are identified, documented and managed throughout the procurement process.
• Ensure that all contracts are monitored and managed to ensure that modifications to contracts are managed by change control notices
• Provide a lead ensuring procurement legislation is paying particular regard if appropriate to the Procurement Act 2023 and the Social Value Act 2012 and ensure that Organisational or national guidelines are reflected appropriately within procurement activity.
• Ensure documents are retained in line with the University's document or grant funding body document retention requirements.

Communication

• Build collaborative and proactive relationships with those suppliers judged to be strategic level, and effective relationships with others, as part of the pre tender Category Management role.
• Establish relationships and work closely with your customers to provide a responsive and professional procurement service and to promote good procurement practice.
• Provide advice and support to your customers on purchasing practice, tendering procedures, grant applications, legal aspects and best practice.
• Actively contribute to Procurement related projects within multi-disciplinary teams, such as category management groups and with external parties.
• Work proactively with external parties such as purchasing consortia to represent the University on collaborative initiatives and events.
• As a member of our Professional staff you will be expected to demonstrate a commitment to the professional behaviours set out in the Sheffield Professional Framework. Please follow this link for further information: Sheffield Professional Framework
• As a member of staff you will be encouraged to make ethical decisions in your role, embedding the University sustainability strategy into your working activities wherever possible.
• Any other duties, commensurate with the grade of the post.

Person Specification

You should provide evidence in your application that you meet the following criteria. We will use a range of selection methods to measure your abilities in these areas including reviewing your online application, seeking references, inviting shortlisted candidates to interview and other forms of assessment action relevant to the post

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

• Professional Diploma (MCIPS) or studying towards Professional Diploma of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply – Essential – Application
• Experience in a commercial procurement environment, with knowledge and understanding of category management commercial life-cycle: pre-procurement, sourcing and contract management – Essential – Interview
• Be responsive, innovative and seek out opportunities to create effective change whilst having the confidence to challenge and be challenged – Essential – Interview
• Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, report writing skills, experience of delivering presentations; communicating to key stakeholders – Essential – Interview
• Proven ability to analyse and solve problems with an appreciation of longer-term implications. – Essential – Interview
• Ability to plan, resource and progress work activities and to manage and deliver on a variety of deadlines using of a range of project management approaches. – Essential – Interview
• Experience of developing and maintaining a network of contacts throughout own work area. – Essential – Interview
• Have a level of financial awareness that enables a focus on achieving financial efficiencies and continuous improvement – Essential – Interview
• Have a working knowledge of sustainable procurement issues and how to build added value through tendering and contract management activities – Essential – Interview
• Good knowledge of support software packages such as e-Tendering software, SAP, web-based procurement portals, Google and Microsoft Office. – Essential – Interview
• Understanding of public sector procurement, Procurement Act 2023 and Social Value Act 2012 – Desirable – Interview
• An awareness of issues relating to the Higher Education Sector and experience of working to a defined compliance framework – Desirable – Interview

Further Information

Grade: Grade 7

Salary: £38,784 - £47,389 per annum Potential to progress to £51,753 per annum through sustained exceptional contribution.

Work arrangement: Full-time - The appointee is expected to be on site for a minimum of 2 days a week as part of hybrid working.

Duration: open ended.

Line manager: Head of Procurement

Direct reports: None

Our website: University of Sheffield Procurement website

For informal enquiries about this job contact Mark Hardy, Deputy Head of Procurement: on [e-mail].

Next steps in the recruitment process

Interview details will be shared with successful candidates.

Our vision and strategic plan

We are the University of Sheffield. This is our vision: sheffield.ac.uk/vision (opens in new window).

What we offer

• A minimum of 41days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more.
• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.
• Generous pension scheme.
• A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.
• A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development (for example, Race Equality, LGBT+, Women's and Parent's networks).
• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.
• A commitment to your development access to learning and mentoring schemes;
• A range of generous family-friendly policies
  • paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies
  • support for those going through the menopause
  • paid time off and support for fertility treatment
  • and more

More details can be found on our benefits page: sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/benefits (opens in a new window).

We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.