Category Manager

Main area: Procurement

Grade: 8a

Contract: Fixed term: 12 months (Maternity leave cover, secondment would be considered)

Hours: 37.5 hours per week (Scope to work from home, flexible arrangements can be discussed (Monday-Friday))

• Full time
• Part time
• Flexible working
• Home or remote working

Job ref: 339-TS8260-BAL

Site: Southmead Town, Bristol

Salary: £53,755 - £60,504 per annum (FTE), pro-rata for part time (dependent on experience)

Salary period: Yearly

Closing: 08/04/2025 23:59

Thank you for your interest in this vacancy! We highly recommend reading our Tips on how to apply page to give you an insight on how applications are scored & shortlisted by our Recruiting Managers.

Job overview:

BWPC’s Category Managers are the core subject matter leaders of our team, focusing on specialised areas of spend to design, optimise and lead procurement strategies. By focusing on building effective teams, improving procurement and supplier management we expect our Category Leads to be at the forefront of spend control and strategic supply chain management.

We support the Bristol region’s Acute NHS Trusts and the wider care sector and are proud to be at the forefront of driving contracting compliance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, Procurement Act 2023 and Provider Selection Regime while targeting best value for our client’s expenditure.

There is additional funding for a part-time Category Manager within BWPC and if the Trust identifies multiple candidates via the interview process the additional part-time role may be offered.

Additionally, BWPC will be undertaking a restructure during this 12 month period, this will be discussed at the interview stage.

Main duties of the job

Key Activities:

• Identifying, reporting and delivering opportunities for savings and cost reduction
• Optimising our client’s commercial position through effective contracting and negotiation
• Providing advice and guidance on risk management related to contracting and procurement
• Working with internal and external stakeholders to develop strong relationships
• Promoting effective supplier relationship management
• Developing a category management approach to an assigned area of responsibility
• Operating as a spokesperson for best-practice public procurement in accordance with BWPC’s principles

Working for our organisation

Bristol & Weston Purchasing Consortium (BWPC) is an award-winning provider of procurement and purchasing services in support of NHS Trusts and healthcare providers in the Bristol region.

BWPC’s remit includes the purchasing of medical equipment, consumables, instrumentation and fluids for hospitals, negotiating regional technology contracts, driving effective use of contract and agency staffing and providing data and systems to allow our clients to leverage their expenditure to their advantage.

Category Managers are experienced procurement professionals, forming the senior tier of the Sourcing Team within Bristol & Weston Purchasing Consortium. Category Managers provide leadership and management for Senior Purchasing Specialists, Purchasing Specialists, Buyers and Catalogue Management Assistants.

Key working relationships:

• Director of Procurement
• Directors, General Managers and Specialist leads within our client organisations
• Finance and legal representatives
• External procurement organisations, including framework providers and local peers

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Lead Category Management strategies to ensure the development, implementation and delivery of a fully managed category portfolio
• Analyse spend and relationship data to produce evidence for viable contracting and procurement opportunities
• Scanning the market to keep abreast of technological and market changes, which can result in opportunities to reduce TCO and implements best practice.
• People Leadership: Category team leadership and project/programme management.
• Manage and engage key stakeholders to develop relationships and influence
• Promote procurement best-practice, demonstrating the value and benefit of the profession
• Focus on continuous improvement to ensure the team is pushing for the highest standards
• Prepare and develop procurement documentation that is clear, concise, effective and standardised within the team
• Recommend sourcing approaches as a result of fact-based analysis
• Build our client’s commercial position through whole-life costing and an aggressive pursuit of cost reduction

Person specification

Education/Training/Qualifications

• CIPS qualified or a willingness to work toward the qualification

Work Experience

• Significant experience of a purchasing/contracting working environment
• Evidence of having managed a significant programme of work to completion and delivery
• Experience in the development, management and execution of category management strategies across multiple stakeholders
• Excellent knowledge of the regulations governing public sector procurement

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Ability to lead project work alone, lead a project team or form part of a team
• Evidence of developing a team to operate collaboratively towards a shared goal
• Excellent understanding of contract and procurement law
• Experienced user of all Microsoft Office products, in particular Microsoft Excel
• Understanding of supplier relationship management & supply chain management

If you apply for this vacancy and have not received a communication from North Bristol NHS Trust within three weeks of the closing date, please assume that on this occasion your application has been unsuccessful.

Please note that North Bristol NHS Trust does not reimburse travel expenses relating to interview attendance.

If you feel you meet the requirements of the Disability Act / Two Ticks scheme and require further support/advice, please contact us on tel 0117 414 1151.

North Bristol NHS Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

The successful applicant(s) will normally commence at the minimum of the scale unless they have previous NHS service at the same band. Progression through the scale is by annual increments.

At North Bristol Trust (NBT), we know diverse and inclusive environments lead to happier and healthier teams and improved patient care and outcomes. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are currently underrepresented in NBT’s workforce at Band 8a and above. These include people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled people and LGBTQIA+ people.

Please note that stringent pre-employment checks are undertaken on all successful applicants prior to commencement in post.