Neway International are seeking a Category Manager to join our client based with West Sussex County Council. Location: 25 West St, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 1RQ Hours: 7.5 per day Start Date: 23 March 2026 End Date: Initially for 3 months likely to be extended. Pay Rates: PAYE: £48.94 per hour Limited/Umbrella: £67.52 per hour About the Client West Sussex County Council’s Place Services directorate is responsible for delivering high‑quality, value‑driven services across highways, construction, waste, and wider capital programmes. The team is committed to best‑practice procurement, strong commercial governance, and ensuring public money is spent effectively to support communities across the county. The Role You will manage sub‑categories within the Place category portfolio, working closely with Directorates/Services and the Category Lead to embed a best‑practice commercial approach to external spend. The role is central to driving value for money, improving service delivery models, and ensuring robust procurement strategies across key spend areas. You will develop and implement sub‑category strategies that optimise cost, quality, delivery, and responsiveness. This includes providing best‑practice guidance for the procurement of Capital, Waste, or Highways services, while considering the full supplier lifecycle. The category currently manages £180M–£200M of spend across 300 suppliers, with significant activity in highways, construction, and waste. You will act as the primary interface for your sub‑categories, leading stakeholder engagement and ensuring procurements align with strategic objectives. Key Responsibilities Develop and deliver sub‑category strategies across the Place portfolio. Lead procurement activity for Capital, Waste, or Highways, ensuring compliance and best practice. Manage projects and sub‑categories within a high‑spend, multi‑supplier environment. Provide commercial insight and guidance to stakeholders across the organisation. Drive value for money outcomes and support service transformation. Oversee supplier lifecycle activity, ensuring performance, risk management, and continuous improvement. Act as the primary point of contact for stakeholders within your sub‑categories. Candidate Requirements Proven experience in category management within public sector procurement. Strong understanding of Capital, Waste, or Highways procurement. Ability to develop and implement commercial strategies in complex environments. Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills. Experience managing high‑value, multi‑supplier categories. Strong analytical, commercial, and project management capability. Ability to champion best practice and influence senior stakeholders.