Public Sector Category Manager

Portfolio Procurement; Braintree; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading procurement firm in the UK is seeking a Public Sector Category Manager. This role involves developing and implementing category strategies across major spend categories, managing supplier relationships, and achieving savings targets. The ideal candidate will have proven public sector experience in tendering and category management, with a strong track record of delivering financial savings. The position offers opportunities for innovation and value creation within the organization.

Qualifications

• Proven experience of developing and maintaining effective relationships with suppliers.
• Understanding of category management with evidence of category specific achievements.
• Experience in delivering category management projects and realizing benefits including financial savings.
• Understanding of strategic sourcing tools within public sector procurement.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement category strategies across major categories of spend.
• Deliver the full sourcing life cycle from strategy creation to contract management.
• Achieve annual savings targets agreed with stakeholders.
• Support innovation and cost reduction through best practices in procurement.

Skills

Relationship building

Category management

Strategic sourcing

Contract management

Public sector procurement

Job description

Portfolio Procurement has been engaged by our leading Essex based client to recruit for a Public Sector Category Manager.

Job Purpose

To develop and implement specific category strategies across major categories of spend. Develop, execute, implement, and deliver strategic sourcing and supplier management strategies and plans within these categories. Undertake all associated commercial activity to achieve value creation and minimise total cost of ownership. To deliver the full sourcing life cycle, from strategy creation and execution (supplier qualification, assessment, selection, and contract award) through to implementation (supplier mobilisation and transition) and contract and supplier management. To develop working relationships across the organisation that allow the early involvement of Procurement in any external third‑party spend for the relevant categories, identification of procurement and organisation initiatives and development of collaborative working between the business and external third‑party supply chains to drive cost reduction and supplier relationships that achieve ongoing value creation. To achieve annual savings targets as agreed with the CFO and relevant organisation stakeholders. Support the delivery of innovation and cost reduction to the organisation through commercial best practice, contract assurance, supplier relationship management strategies, volume leverage, total cost management, demand challenge, process efficiency/compliance and external benchmarking of best practice.

Skills and Experience

• Proven experience of developing and maintaining effective relationships internally with other organisation areas and externally with suppliers.
• Understanding of category management and evidence of category specific achievements.
• Experience of successful delivery of category management/projects and realising benefits including financial savings.
• Understanding of application of leading category management practices including strategic sourcing, strategic purchasing tools, contract management and supplier management within a public sector procurement environment.
• Must have experience of public sector tendering and implementing new commercial relationships across functional and organisation boundaries, and a quantifiable track record of savings delivery and awareness of change implementation.