35 Hours per Week
Worcestershire County Council
Job Title: Strategic Category Lead
Salary: £55,640 - £59,035 per annum (Up to £2,000 Market Forces Supplement)
Location: Hybrid – Wildwood, Worcester and Home
Team: Commercial Team
2 Permanent Roles
Worcestershire County Council spends around £705 million each year with external organisations to deliver essential services, infrastructure and support to our residents, communities and businesses.
As the Council prepares for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) and implements the Procurement Act 2023, we are strengthening our senior commercial capacity. We are therefore seeking two experienced Strategic Category Leads to provide leadership and oversight of high‑value, high‑impact procurement activity across the organisation.
These are senior roles with significant influence, operating in complex and politically sensitive environments, and playing a critical role in delivering value for money, quality outcomes and social value.
Strategic Category Lead – Place
You will lead all commercial and procurement activity across the construction and highways category, ensuring robust governance, strong supplier performance and successful delivery of major programmes and projects.
This role would suit an experienced procurement or commercial professional with strong construction contract expertise, potentially with a background as a chartered surveyor, or substantial experience managing construction‑related procurement and frameworks within the public sector.
MCIPS or RICS membership is desirable.
* Construction and highways procurement strategies
* Complex works contracts and frameworks
* Stakeholder and supply chain management
* Commercial risk, compliance and assurance
Strategic Category Lead – People and Corporate
You will provide strategic oversight of procurement activity across Adult Social Care, Children’s Services, Public Health and Corporate categories, supporting some of the Council’s most critical resident‑facing services.
This role requires a proven procurement leader with significant experience of services procurement, particularly within social care or public health, and the ability to operate confidently in highly regulated, high‑risk environments.
MCIPS membership is desirable.
* Social care and public health commissioning support
* Market management and sustainability
* High‑value, high‑risk services procurement
* Strong partnership working with service leads
What both roles have in common
* Develop and implement category and sourcing strategies aligned to Council priorities and statutory obligations
* Provide expert commercial and procurement advice to senior stakeholders on complex, high‑risk and high‑value activity
* Lead complex procurement exercises and frameworks in line with public sector regulations and the Procurement Act 2023
* Drive continuous improvement, maximising value, minimising risk and ensuring policy and legislative compliance
* Present category strategies and recommendations to the Council’s Commercial Board
* Identify and embed opportunities for innovation, social value and sustainable procurement
* Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders and suppliers to drive performance and outcomes
* Lead, mentor and develop a team of Category Managers and Officers, promoting commercial excellence and professionalism
Benefits
* Great Holiday Entitlement: 26 days paid holiday (pro rata for part‑time staff), increasing to 31 days after 5 years.
* Brilliant Pension Scheme: Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) – a valuable part of the pay and reward package.
* Professional Learning & Development: Encouraged learning and development for all staff.
* Flexible Working: Hybrid working to support work/life balance.
* Equality & Diversity: Commitment to equality of opportunity for all citizens and celebration of diversity.
How to apply
Please explain how you meet the requirements of the role and how your experience equips you to provide strategic commercial leadership in a complex public sector environment.
For further information or an informal conversation, please contact:
Samantha Davey, Head of Commercial
sdavey2@worcestershire.gov.uk
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