Job Title: Interim Category Manager - Adults & Children’s Services
Organisation: North London Local Authority / Government
Department: Procurement
Contract Type: Interim / Contract
Day Rate: £500 - £550 per day (umbrella)
Working Pattern: Hybrid – expected 2–3 days per week on site
**MUST HAVES**
* Significant experience operating at Category Manager level within public sector procurement.
* Strong experience in social care procurement and commissioning, ideally across Adults’ Services, Children’s Services, or both.
* A clear understanding of the social care provider market, including challenges associated with specialist and niche care providers.
* Experience working closely with commissioners and service leads in a local authority or similar public sector setting.
* Proven track record of delivering successful procurement exercises in complex service areas.
* Experience of influencing stakeholders and promoting a more commercial mindset within service teams.
* Ability to work in a business partnering capacity, supporting both operational procurement delivery and more strategic planning activity.
* Experience using e-procurement systems such as Bravo or similar.
Overview
We are seeking an experienced Interim Category Manager to support procurement activity across Adults’ and Children’s Services. This role has arisen due to a member of staff moving on and requires an individual who can quickly step into a complex social care environment and provide both hands-on procurement delivery and strategic support.
This is a key role within the procurement function, supporting high-value and business-critical social care commissioning activity. The successful candidate will bring strong public sector procurement expertise together with a deep understanding of the social care commissioning landscape, including provider markets, voluntary sector organisations, and specialist care services.
Key Responsibilities
* Lead and manage procurement activity across Adults’ and Children’s Services categories.
* Support commissioning colleagues through compliant procurement processes, acting as a trusted adviser and critical friend.
* Deliver end-to-end procurement exercises, ensuring they are commercially robust and compliant with relevant public sector procurement requirements.
* Use the council’s e-tendering system, Bravo, to manage procurement processes effectively.
* Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders across commissioning and service departments.
* Provide a business partnering approach to help improve visibility of upcoming procurement activity and future pipeline.
* Support the improvement of data quality, contract visibility, and forward planning across the directorate.
* Gather and analyse procurement and contract information to help strengthen the council’s contract register and procurement pipeline.
* Bring commercial thinking into commissioning discussions, helping services better understand market dynamics and procurement strategy.
* Work effectively with a range of providers, including specialist care organisations and voluntary sector suppliers.
Skills and Attributes
* Commercially minded with strong procurement judgement.
* Able to operate credibly with commissioners and senior stakeholders.
* Confident, pragmatic, and capable of guiding stakeholders through process without being overly procedural.
* Strong relationship builder with a collaborative and advisory approach.
* Organised and proactive, with the ability to identify and drive improvements.
* Comfortable working in an evolving environment with limited visibility of future pipeline at the outset.
Summary
This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced interim procurement professional with a strong grounding in social care commissioning to make an immediate impact in a high-profile area of council spend. The successful candidate will combine technical procurement capability with market knowledge, stakeholder confidence, and the commercial awareness needed to support critical Adults’ and Children’s Services activity.