An exciting opportunity has arisen within our Procurement team at HCRG Care Group as a result of continued organisational growth. We are seeking a highly capable and commercially driven Procurement Category Manager – Indirect & Estates to plan and manage indirect spend across both incumbent suppliers and new requirements. This includes leading tenders, conducting direct negotiations, and driving value through robust commercial strategy. Your purpose will be to maximise opportunities through economies of scale, ensuring we source the right suppliers, goods, and services while maintaining uncompromised quality. With our organisation operating in a dynamic and evolving landscape, effective forward planning is essential‑minimising reactive procurement and enabling strategic control. The successful applicant will work closely with operational teams and the Head of Procurement. Our procurement function is midway through its maturity journey, having progressed from a reactive, transactional service to a more strategic and proactive function. While agility will always be required due to the nature of our services, there is significant opportunity to further enhance supplier management and forecasting. As the role is not subject to public contract regulations, this is an excellent opportunity for a passionate procurement professional to make a genuine impact, innovate, and shape the future direction of procurement across the organisation. To support flexible working and work‑life balance, the role is predominantly home‑based with some travel to our Head Office in Runcorn when needed.
Responsibilities
* Plan, manage, and strategically influence indirect procurement activity across the organisation
* Lead tenders, negotiations, and supplier engagements to optimise value
* Consolidate organisational requirements to maximise economies of scale
* Partner with operational teams and senior stakeholders to forecast spend and reduce reactive procurement
* Support the ongoing development of a proactive, strategic procurement function
* Develop and maintain strong supplier relationships and commercial leverage
* Manage contract and commercial risks, including understanding works, milestone payments, and statement‑of‑work structures
* Ensure procurement decisions are commercially robust, transparent, and aligned to organisational objectives
Qualifications
* Minimum 3 years' recent procurement experience, ideally including at least 2 years at a strategic buyer level or above
* Experience in estates, facilities, agency, consultancy, or similar indirect procurement areas (transferable category experience also considered)
* Strong commercial acumen with a track record of delivering successful outcomes
* Experience influencing and working with senior stakeholders
* Ability to negotiate effectively and gain advantage in challenging markets
* Understanding of leverage beyond base price
* Understanding of “Works”, milestone payments, SOWs, and risk mitigation in volatile markets
* Customer‑focused, professional, and friendly communication style
* Excellent telephone and email manner
* High attention to detail
* Ability to work independently and collaboratively
* Willingness to go the extra mile to support the wider HCRG Care Group team
* Strong problem‑solving ability and use of initiative
* Good system skills and the ability to retain information effectively
Benefits
Access to eLearning, bespoke career pathways and opportunities for continuing professional development through our “Outstanding” learning and development team, The Learning Enterprise. An open, just culture where you're encouraged to have and implement ideas which can help us deliver our purpose: changing lives through transforming health and care – backed up by at least £100,000 of ringfenced innovation funding each year. The pride of working for an organisation committed to the highest clinical and quality standards: with the majority of our rated services holding “good” or “outstanding” ratings from the Care Quality Commission.
Hybrid working – Work from home for 95%+ of the time, with only occasional travel to our Runcorn head office, service locations, or supplier sites. 37.5 hours per week, Monday‑Friday, with flexibility around school times, appointments, and start/finish times. Professional development via our “Outstanding” Learning Enterprise team, offering eLearning, career pathways, and CPD. Mentoring opportunities – Support junior colleagues and help shape future procurement talent. Wider category exposure, supporting Clinical and IT procurement during peak demand or absences.
Package
* £47,500 annual salary with group pension
* Private medical insurance with fast access to the most used specialists including for musculoskeletal problems and for mental health support – at locations across the country
* Free tea, coffee and milk at your base location in Runcorn
* Membership of My Reward Hub, giving you access to discounts on everyday purchases like grocery shopping as well as cashback and voucher offers for treats for you and those special to you
* Access to your wages as you earn them to help cover life's emergencies and avoid overdraft fees or high interest rates
* Online and face‑to‑face help with your mental and physical wellbeing – from healthy recipes and activity challenges through to post‑trauma support, legal, debt and life management help, as well as career coaching and counselling
About the Company
We change lives by transforming health and care. Established in 2006, we are one of the UK's leading independent providers of community health and care services, working with health and care commissioners and communities to transform services with a focus on experience, efficiency, and improved outcomes. We deliver and transform adult and children community health services, primary care services including urgent care, sexual health, dermatology and MSK services as well as adult social care and wellbeing services. Across England, we support communities of many millions and directly help more than half a million people each year – guided by our simple values: we care, we think, we do.
We're committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from a broad, diverse range of people who want to join our team. We're a Disability Confident Committed company, so we work to provide facilities, work‑environment adjustments and technical solutions to be as inclusive of everyone.
While it doesn't happen often, sometimes a role is very popular, and we'll need to close it earlier than the date we've shown here. If you're keen to join our team, we'd love to hear from you so please apply as soon as you can.
As you'd expect, safeguarding and protecting the children, young people and vulnerable adults that we work with is of the utmost importance so we have policies and procedures in place to promote safeguarding and safer working practices and everyone who joins the team is subject to a safer recruitment process, including the disclosure of criminal records and vetting checks.
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