Portfolio Procurement has been engaged by our leading Essex based client to recruit for a Public Sector Category Manager. As a Category Manager for this critical public sector service, you'll be shape and lead the strategic direction of key procurement categories, driving value, efficiency, and innovation across the organisation. from developing forward-thinking category strategies to executing commercial initiatives, managing supplier relationships, and ensuring seamless implementation.
Working closely with stakeholders across the business, you'll champion early Procurement involvement, unlock cost-saving opportunities, and build strong, collaborative partnerships with third-party suppliers. Ultimately, you'll play a pivotal role in delivering measurable savings, enhancing operational performance, and embedding best-in-class procurement practices that support the organisation's long-term success.
Develop, execute, implement, and deliver strategic sourcing and supplier management strategies and plans within these categories.
Undertaking all associated commercial activity to achieve value creation and minimise total cost of ownership.
To deliver the full sourcing life cycle, from strategy creation and execution (supplier qualification, assessment, selection, and contract award) through to implementation (supplier mobilisation and transition) and contract and supplier management.
Support the delivery of innovation and cost reduction to the organisation through commercial best practice, contract assurance, supplier relationship management strategies, volume leverage, total cost management, demand challenge, process efficiency/compliance and external benchmarking of best practice.
To excel at this role as Category Manager, you'll need hands-on experience in public sector procurement - including tendering, strategic sourcing, and supplier management. Understanding of category management and evidence of category specific achievements
Experience of successful delivery of category management/projects and realising benefits including financial savings.
Understanding of application of leading category management practices including strategic sourcing, strategic purchasing tools, contract management and supplier management within a public sector procurement environment
Must have experience of public sector tendering and implementing new commercial relationships across functional and organisation boundaries, and a quantifiable track record of savings delivery and awareness of change implementation.