Category Manager

The Peninsula Purchasing and Supply Alliance (PPSA) has an exciting opportunity to join its team as a Category Manager to manage multi-Trust collaborative procurement activities across the South West.

We are a dynamic NHS procurement organisation, established by the NHS for the NHS, providing an integrated, collaborative procurement and commercial service to drive cash releasing and cost avoidance efficiencies across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Wiltshire and parts of Dorset, Gloucester and Bristol.

The applicant will be a proactive team player and will be responsible for scoping, leading and delivering a range of procurement projects within a designated portfolio of categories.

Experience of public sector procurement would be an advantage, but is not essential.

Working across multi-organisations, it is anticipated that the successful applicant will be based in Devon, Cornwall or Somerset.

We offer remote working with some travel across the South West necessary.

The PPSA are looking for an experienced, enthusiastic, professional team player to work on collaborative procurement across the South West as part of a friendly, successful team. The candidate must be proactive, have excellent communication skills and be able to lead collaborative procurement projects with numerous NHS staff to realise value for the NHS.

Main duties of the job

1. Develop and lead the delivery of efficient procurement through the development and implementation of effective projects and contracts across the designated portfolio.
2. Meet customer requirements by providing innovative solutions and demonstrating best value for money for each Trust.
3. Promote integrated support in meeting strategic aims thereby ensuring stakeholder and customer commitment and compliance with contract terms is at least maintained.
4. Embed cultural change in our way of working so that inclusive planning and delivery of objectives enables prioritised incremental change, primarily focused on delivering solutions across the continuum of patient care / service / technical process to deliver cash releasing savings, process improvement and product standardisation - driving quality / service up and cost out.
5. Future proof contract decisions by conducting robust research and fact-based market intelligence to support the evaluation and introduction of new and emerging technologies.
6. Through effective communication, lead multi-disciplinary teams in delivering the above.

Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as 'Priority' and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.

About us

We are a people business - where every member of staff matters and can make a difference. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Joining University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust means becoming part of a team of dedicated staff, who are committed to leading the way through innovation, clinical excellence and great customer care. The Trust has great opportunities for career development in a highly progressive working environment. We offer all of this in a vibrant, modern city with a historic reputation for adventure.

Please note that all communication will be electronic; please check your email account regularly. If you have any issues with applying online and need additional support including reasonable adjustments with the application process, please contact the recruitment team on 01752 432100. We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants around less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. Please contact the recruiting manager to discuss this prior to your application submission. We commit to giving this full consideration in each case. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, as diversity strengthens our teams. It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.

Job responsibilities

1. Build Collaborative Relationships
2. Politically astute to develop robust networks that deliver sustained influence and embedded change.
3. Through effective networks and category knowledge, assess commercial collaborative opportunities and provide recommendations to the PPSA Board.
4. Develop productive on-going relationships with directors, senior managers, multi-disciplinary stakeholders and suppliers.
5. Maintain regular contact with customers, stakeholders, suppliers and operational staff, to develop market, supply chain and category group knowledge, maximising commercial opportunities.
6. Influence stakeholders and customers to assess clinical, technological and commercial benefits to be yielded through standardisation and rationalisation of goods and/or services within designated portfolio.
7. Promote cost effective solutions by adopting and maintaining procurement best practice.
8. Develop networks with colleagues in local Trusts, other collaborative organisations, Government Procurement Service and other agencies within category market(s).
9. Present, explain and define highly complex commercial and potentially contentious information in support of influencing difficult decisions.
10. Advise senior managers, clinicians, technicians and service users on all aspects of the procurement process, ensuring compliance with existing Procurement Legislation to ensure that probity and corporate governance is maintained.
11. Develop and implement policies and strategies for managing multi-disciplinary stakeholders to maximise outputs, managing priorities to reflect the changing needs of stakeholders, customers, market forces and NHS policy.

Person Specification

Knowledge & Experience

• Demonstrable experience in the management of a commercial team and/or portfolio, with demonstrated proven evidence of delivering efficiencies and added value to the procurement function.
• Understanding of the commercial mechanics of the NHS, or transferable proven knowledge from the private sector.
• Proven evidenced contract and category management within relevant disciplines.
• Programme and project management.
• Proven knowledge of logistics, inventory control and supply chain management and networks.

Qualifications

• Business or Science degree.
• Self-reliant.
• Dependable.
• Ambitious, eager to progress.

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.

Head of Medical, Surgical & Non Clinical Procurement