Procurement - Category Manager

NHS; Southampton; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in Hampshire seeks a Category Manager to join the Procurement Team. The role involves developing category strategies, sourcing goods and services, and managing contracts. Ideal candidates will have procurement expertise and a background in project management. This position offers a salary between £47,810 to £54,710, based on full-time hours.

Qualifications

• Experience in procurement and contracting leadership.
• Commercial management experience in technology sector is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Category strategy and planning for procurement spend.
• Sourcing goods and services through competitive exercises.
• Managing successful delivery of business outcomes.

Skills

Procurement expertise

Project management

Contract management

Education

Graduate Diploma in CIPS

Educated to degree level or equivalent

Job description

Overview

Go back Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 28 September 2025

We are recruiting for a Category Manager to join our Procurement Team. The procurement roles are interesting and varied. Procurement aim to be the go-to team, providing innovative solutions and commercial expertise; an expert team that can think creatively to meet the business needs and make a difference for our patients and service users. The strategic sourcing team benefits from the use of established systems and works alongside an excellent operational team that covers the whole purchase to pay process. The diverse and dynamic team aim to provide a holistic service from business case to award, implementation and commercial contract management (in support of the operational manager). We have vacancies in our team for various categories and would welcome your application. You will be either: an experienced procurement professional with technology category expertise, a commercial manager in the technology sector with significant relevant experience responding to public procurement exercises and demonstrable experience in project management or a technology subject matter expert with experience of procurement.

Main duties

The main components of the role are:

• Category strategy and planning; strategically analysing and managing allocated areas of procurement spend to leverage buying decisions
• Sourcing; buying goods and services to deliver business outcomes via formal competitive exercises
• Contract and supplier management; managing the successful delivery of business outcomes (once sourced)

About us

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a newly established organisation, bringing together expertise from across mental health, learning disabilities, community, and physical health services. We are dedicated to delivering compassionate, high-quality, and accessible care to the diverse communities of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

With over 13,000 dedicated staff working across more than 300 sites, we place patients and staff at the centre of everything we do. Our goal is to create an integrated healthcare system that improves accessibility and ensures more consistent care for patients. By working together, we aim to improve patient outcomes, drive innovation, and meet the unique needs of the populations we serve.

Our Trust unites services from Southern Health, Solent NHS Trust, Isle of Wight NHS Trusts community and mental health teams, as well as Hampshire CAMHS, originally part of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. This transformation enables us to deliver more seamless care across the region, ensuring that patients receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time.

Join us as we embark on this exciting journey to shape the future of healthcare across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. We are deeply committed to our CARE values of compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence, and offer outstanding opportunities for career development, training, and collaborative working.

Job responsibilities

Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached. It is important to us that we ensure our recruitment processes are accessible and inclusive to everyone - if as a potential candidate you are concerned a person specification may prevent or restrict your application for employment as a result of unintentional barriers on the grounds of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, religion/belief or disability please initially contact the Trust's Recruitment team - detailed in the advert. The Trust will seek to resolve this issue wherever possible.

We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Graduate Diploma in Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) or appropriate professional institute or relevant experienceEducated to degree level or equivalent qualification or relevant experience in procurement and contracting leadership

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer name

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

£47,810 to £54,710 a year Based on full time hours