Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Category Lead

The closing date is 10 December 2025

Job summary

An opportunity has arisen for an experienced Category Lead to join our Procurement Team. The Procurement and Logistics team plays a key role in supporting the delivery of high-quality patient care whilst ensuring value for money is achieved for both the Trust and Leeds Community Healthcare.

The successful candidate will support the delivery of the Procurement Service for LYPFT and LCH and will be responsible for expenditure across LYPFT and LCH for specific procurement categories.

A key element of the role will be the provision of advice and guidance to both organisations, the interrogation of procurement dashboards, monitoring of annual expenditure, compliance, and monitoring of performance is central to ensuring value for money is delivered - both cash releasing savings and non-cash efficiencies to support the Trusts wider social value and green agenda.

Building relationships within the Trusts aligned to these categories to ensure that the Category Lead is a trusted partner and within the Procurement and Logistics Transactional and Inventory teams. Supporting the utilisation of procurement and inventory systems through the provision of appropriate data linked to the specific procurement category.

Leading commercial processes in support of the Trusts to ensure that objectives are met - tendering, quotations, framework call off arrangements.

Main duties of the job

Consult with suppliers' representatives on specific projects and contract management initiatives and explore innovative solutions with clinicians and managers that deliver the required benefits.Conduct meetings to agree procurement strategy, specifications, and compliant tender processes.Develop professional relationships with key suppliers through regular contact and contract management processes.Communicate procurement strategies, work plans, milestones, deliverables, and discuss/investigate compliance.Actively participate in complex procurement projects of high value including coordination, evaluation, risk registers as examples to ensure Trust policy adhered to.Ability to extract information from relevant systems and utilise the data to create insight.Prioritise procurement activity in line with urgency, complexity, significance to Trust priorities.Preparation of procurement documentation both quotation and high value (above threshold) tenders.Draft contracts following quotation and high value procurement tenders (with the support of Procurement Leadership.)Work with finance and procurement leadership to ensure adherence to broader finance and risk requirements e.g., standing financial instructions and procurement regulations.Ensure that contract documentation is correct, terms and conditions are in place, and all information is entered into the appropriate system to meet audit requirements

About us

The Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) is the main provider of Mental Health and Learning Disability services in Leeds. We also provide specialist inpatient services in York and some highly specialised services across the country. As a teaching trust with strong links to local universities, we are a centre of excellence for teaching, research and development.

There are many benefits of working for LYPFT including fantastic employee wellbeing support, 27 - 33 days annual leave, flexible working and remote working arrangements, the NHS Pension Scheme, coaching, support and opportunities for career development and training and education support alongside a range of exclusive discounts and payment schemes including for cars, extra leave days and more NHS Discount Offers.

We also have a bank department, offering variety of roles in nursing, allied health professions, healthcare support worker and administration clerical. Permanent employees are automatically added to bank.

Applicants should be aware that individuals requiring a visa to work in the UK, the Trust only provides sponsorship for registered healthcare practitioner roles(this does not include Healthcare Support Workers). This is an essential requirement, and the Trust is unable to offer you a role if you do not meet Trust requirements for sponsorship and Home Office requirements for a visa.

Details

Date posted

19 November 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£38,682 to £46,580 a year Per Annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

173-53125-COR

Job locations

Roseville Road

Leeds

LS8 5DR


Job description

Job responsibilities

Working with the Contracts Manager the successful candidate will function as a trusted advisor, providing advice and guidance on all aspects of their specific category and service portfolio in a professional manner.Provide accurate and timely management information and category/contract performance information as required in support of the function.Champion the Trusts agreed contract creation and management processes and reporting requirements.Provide procurement guidance and advice on the Trusts commercial practices and standing financial instructions.Discuss complex procurement queries with Trust colleagues and suppliers and identify appropriate solutions.

Communicate with organisations external to the Trusts, for example, with the regional Integrated Care System to ensure alignment of procurement activity. Communicate on national, regional and Trust specific initiatives. Ability to manually create reports where data is not available. Creation of reports aligned to Trusts reporting requirements e.g., tender award reports. Provide guidance and agree how the blend of evaluation criteria should be outlined in procurement processes. Resolve contractual problems as required e.g., contract disputes (with support of Procurement Leadership) and payment disputes. Provide guidance on procurement matters to project managers, the wider procurement team, and/or other operational personnel. Ensure adherence to finance and procurement risk requirements e.g., standing financial instructions and English procurement regulations. Interpret Trust, regional and national guidance with regards to social value, green agenda and incorporate into procurement project activity ensuring the measures can be appropriately measured. Support Procurement leadership in ensuring transaction compliance. Interpret the requirements of the procurement and determine (with the assistance of Procurement Leadership) the appropriate NHS terms and conditions to be utilise. Ability to create project plans for procurement activities and brief to stakeholders e.g., statutory timelines. Contribute to the Trusts work plans through analysis of expenditure. Maintain audit records and clear electronic filing structures. Monitor contract management processes to ensure value for money is obtained and identify problems, recommend/take correct actions. Follow and ensure project leads are aligned with the procurement policy for the purchase of goods/works/services Monitor compliance by Trust colleagues with established procedures. Identify areas of recurrent pressure and highlight to Procurement Leadership. Ensure that the correct terms and conditions are in place. Supports Procurement Leadership in the development of sourcing policies and helping personnel as required. Ensure data requested (e.g., product data for catalogues) is provided in a format that is suitable to be utilise in Trust p2p systems. Ensure compliance with Trust Standing Financial Instructions. Ensuring that the Trust Standing Financial Instructions are complied with Ensuring that procurement activities meet the cash and non-cash requirements of the Trusts, e.g., cash releasing savings or non-cash benefits such as social value, green benefits are recorded and reportable. Work with and recommend improvements to the procurement dashboard to ensure that procurement benefit is maximized. Contribute a share of the Procurement department targets aligned to project activity for which responsible. Advises budget holders on procurement activities, costs, and performance reporting. Creation of and progression of Trust work plan agreed with stakeholders Maintain all information governance and audit requirements Respect the need for confidentiality during procurement processes.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Working with the Contracts Manager the successful candidate will function as a trusted advisor, providing advice and guidance on all aspects of their specific category and service portfolio in a professional manner.Provide accurate and timely management information and category/contract performance information as required in support of the function.Champion the Trusts agreed contract creation and management processes and reporting requirements.Provide procurement guidance and advice on the Trusts commercial practices and standing financial instructions.Discuss complex procurement queries with Trust colleagues and suppliers and identify appropriate solutions.

Communicate with organisations external to the Trusts, for example, with the regional Integrated Care System to ensure alignment of procurement activity. Communicate on national, regional and Trust specific initiatives. Ability to manually create reports where data is not available. Creation of reports aligned to Trusts reporting requirements e.g., tender award reports. Provide guidance and agree how the blend of evaluation criteria should be outlined in procurement processes. Resolve contractual problems as required e.g., contract disputes (with support of Procurement Leadership) and payment disputes. Provide guidance on procurement matters to project managers, the wider procurement team, and/or other operational personnel. Ensure adherence to finance and procurement risk requirements e.g., standing financial instructions and English procurement regulations. Interpret Trust, regional and national guidance with regards to social value, green agenda and incorporate into procurement project activity ensuring the measures can be appropriately measured. Support Procurement leadership in ensuring transaction compliance. Interpret the requirements of the procurement and determine (with the assistance of Procurement Leadership) the appropriate NHS terms and conditions to be utilise. Ability to create project plans for procurement activities and brief to stakeholders e.g., statutory timelines. Contribute to the Trusts work plans through analysis of expenditure. Maintain audit records and clear electronic filing structures. Monitor contract management processes to ensure value for money is obtained and identify problems, recommend/take correct actions. Follow and ensure project leads are aligned with the procurement policy for the purchase of goods/works/services Monitor compliance by Trust colleagues with established procedures. Identify areas of recurrent pressure and highlight to Procurement Leadership. Ensure that the correct terms and conditions are in place. Supports Procurement Leadership in the development of sourcing policies and helping personnel as required. Ensure data requested (e.g., product data for catalogues) is provided in a format that is suitable to be utilise in Trust p2p systems. Ensure compliance with Trust Standing Financial Instructions. Ensuring that the Trust Standing Financial Instructions are complied with Ensuring that procurement activities meet the cash and non-cash requirements of the Trusts, e.g., cash releasing savings or non-cash benefits such as social value, green benefits are recorded and reportable. Work with and recommend improvements to the procurement dashboard to ensure that procurement benefit is maximized. Contribute a share of the Procurement department targets aligned to project activity for which responsible. Advises budget holders on procurement activities, costs, and performance reporting. Creation of and progression of Trust work plan agreed with stakeholders Maintain all information governance and audit requirements Respect the need for confidentiality during procurement processes.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Relevant qualification or membership and demonstrable experience

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of working in procurement or logistics at an appropriate level
  • Experience of engaging with stakeholders to develop positive relationships
  • Demonstrable experience of leadership, workforce planning, transformation, succession planning and development of culture

Skills

Essential

  • Ability to negotiate and influence
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Relevant qualification or membership and demonstrable experience

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of working in procurement or logistics at an appropriate level
  • Experience of engaging with stakeholders to develop positive relationships
  • Demonstrable experience of leadership, workforce planning, transformation, succession planning and development of culture

Skills

Essential

  • Ability to negotiate and influence

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Roseville Road

Leeds

LS8 5DR


Employer's website

https://www.leedsandyorkpft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Roseville Road

Leeds

LS8 5DR


Employer's website

https://www.leedsandyorkpft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

.

David Smith

david.smith258@nhs.net

07980970201

Details

Date posted

19 November 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£38,682 to £46,580 a year Per Annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

173-53125-COR

Job locations

Roseville Road

Leeds

LS8 5DR


Supporting documents

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