Senior category manager - health & professional services

At NHS SBS, we're looking for a Senior Category Manager to work within our Health & Professional Services category team, driving strategic procurement activity across a portfolio of frameworks. You'll act as a category expert and driving forward performance of your team.

This is a highly visible role where you'll be working on the strategic direction and delivery of the Health category, working on transformational activity to improve efficiency, consistency and service excellence. Working closely with clients, suppliers and internal stakeholders, you'll build strong relationships and influence procurement outcomes across key markets.

This is a hybrid role with attendance at our NWH office one or two times a month, along with occasional travel for meetings, collaboration and training where required.

What you'll be doing:

• Developing and implementing strategic category plans across the Health portfolio and framework agreements.
• Leading the Health category team, providing leadership, coaching and support to develop capability and expertise.
• Managing the portfolio of frameworks, including operational oversight, performance management and renewals.
• Delivering strategic sourcing programmes and procurement projects across key markets.
• Using market intelligence, supplier insight and category expertise to identify opportunities for innovation, value and continuous improvement.
• Acting as a subject matter expert for Category Management, driving procurement excellence and organisational best practice.

What you'll bring:

• Experience working within a procurement environment.
• Strong knowledge of Category Management principles, tools and methodologies.
• Knowledge and practical application of UK public procurement legislation and regulatory frameworks.
• Experience developing procurement or sourcing strategies and delivering commercial outcomes.
• Ability to analyse data and market intelligence to inform procurement decisions and category plans.
• CIPS Level 6 Diploma in Procurement and Supply Operations, working towards completion, or equivalent demonstrable experience.

It would be great if you had:

• Experience or knowledge of working within the NHS and/or wider public sector.
• Experience or knowledge of NHS Terms and Conditions.

If you’re interested in this role but not sure if your skills and experience are exactly what we’re looking for, please do apply, we’d love to hear from you!

Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent

Location: Manchester

Security Clearance Level: DBS

Internal Recruiter: Alex

Salary: c. £60,000

Benefits: £5,400 car allowance, 25 days annual leave with the option to buy additional days, private medical, life assurance, pension, and generous flexible benefits fund.

Although this role is advertised as full-time, we believe that flexibility at work can promote work/life balance, increase your motivation, reduce stress and improves performance and productivity. We support different ways of working and can offer a range of flexible working arrangements. So, if you’re interested and need to work flexibly, we encourage you to apply and talk to us about what might be possible.

Loved reading about this job and want to know more about the sector?

NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) was created by the Department of Health and Social Care to deliver corporate services to the NHS. A unique joint venture with Sopra Steria, a European leader in digital services and software development, we make life easier for NHS employees, patients, and suppliers, and deliver value for money to the taxpayer. Proud members of the NHS family, we provide finance & accounting, digital, procurement and workforce services to more than half the NHS in England, and our solutions are underpinned by cutting-edge technologies and our teams’ expertise, in-depth understanding of the NHS, and commitment to service excellence.

We share common values and unity of purpose with the rest of the NHS family, are committed to being a force for good, and are dedicated and empowered to act responsibly and sustainably at organisational, team and individual level.

Would you like to join us on our journey?