Whittington Hospital NHS Trust

Senior Category Manager

The closing date is 09 October 2025

Job summary

  • To lead and deliver a wide range of procurement projects focused on clinical consumables and medical devices, securing value-added and cash-releasing savings through improved service efficiencies for the Partner Trusts. This also includes contributing to service development to enhance the profile and reach of the PPS;

  • Provide expert procurement advice in the specialist area of clinical consumables and medical devices to stakeholders across the Partner Trusts, including clinicians, procurement colleagues, and senior leadership;

  • To support and assist the Assistant Director - Procurement in shaping and executing the procurement strategy and operational objectives specific to the clinical category portfolio;

  • To support and assist with the development and application of effective procurement procedures that reflect best practice and meet the complex requirements of clinical procurement;

Please refer to Job Description for a complete breakdown in the role.

Main duties of the job

The role of Senior Category Manager encompasses the following:

  1. To lead a diverse portfolio of procurement projects across clinical consumables and medical devices, achieving both value for money and measurable service benefits for the Partner Trusts, while enhancing the standing and impact of the PPS function;

  2. Provide specialist and professional procurement advice to clinicians, Partner Trust staff, procurement colleagues, and senior management, with a focus on the complexities and clinical implications of product selection and standardisation;

  3. To support and assist the Assistant Director - Procurement in the development and implementation of procurement strategy and operational plans within the clinical procurement domain;

  4. To contribute to the development and implementation of robust and compliant procurement procedures aligned with recognised clinical procurement standards and best practice;

  5. To ensure procurement compliance across all Partner Trusts with UK procurement law, Trust Standing Financial Instructions, and Standing Orders in all procurement activity undertaken within the clinical category scope.

Please refer to Job Description and experience requirements.

About us

Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.

Details

Date posted

25 September 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£64,156 to £71,148 a year Per Annum Including HCAS

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

220-WHT-3413

Job locations

Whittington Health NHS Trust

Magdala Avenue

London

N19 5NF


Job description

Job responsibilities

Please refer to attached job description

Overarching Description and Requirements can be found in "The Role" & "Key Result Areas" within the Job Description.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please refer to attached job description

Overarching Description and Requirements can be found in "The Role" & "Key Result Areas" within the Job Description.

Person Specification

Education

Essential

  • Membership of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS) or enrolled and working towards accreditation.
  • Continuous Professional Development (CPD): Must have evidence of continued professional development.
  • First Degree in Procurement related profession or extensive practical experience, over 5 years, within the Healthcare sector.

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

  • Experience with using eTendering tools for competitions.
  • Extensive knowledge of UK procurement law and NHS/CCS procurement guidance and framework agreements. Experience and knowledge of NHS procedures, systems, legislation and guidance
  • Experience of negotiating and letting contracts from simple through to complex.
  • Collaborative Experience with ICB level or equivalent as a minimum. To have worked across multiple Trust and to have delivered joint projects.
  • Experience delivering clinical consumables and devices procurements at an ICB level or equivalent.

Desirable

  • Minimum 5 years public sector/NHS experience in working within a relevant, demanding procurement environment
  • Experience of other Non-Clinical categories (examples are professional services, IT, consultancy, and agency)
  • Experience of spend and product analysis tools

Skills and Abilities

Essential

  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to enable effective partnership working
  • Excellent negotiation and influencing skills
  • Excellent negotiation and influencing skills

Desirable

  • Strategic thinker with good analytical skills

Analytical & Judgment Skills

Essential

  • Ability to sustain prolonged concentration
  • Flexible approach to problem solving
  • Ability to cope with frequent interruptions
  • Experience of operating and utilizing computer systems to provide information for management reports.
Person Specification

Education

Essential

  • Membership of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS) or enrolled and working towards accreditation.
  • Continuous Professional Development (CPD): Must have evidence of continued professional development.
  • First Degree in Procurement related profession or extensive practical experience, over 5 years, within the Healthcare sector.

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

  • Experience with using eTendering tools for competitions.
  • Extensive knowledge of UK procurement law and NHS/CCS procurement guidance and framework agreements. Experience and knowledge of NHS procedures, systems, legislation and guidance
  • Experience of negotiating and letting contracts from simple through to complex.
  • Collaborative Experience with ICB level or equivalent as a minimum. To have worked across multiple Trust and to have delivered joint projects.
  • Experience delivering clinical consumables and devices procurements at an ICB level or equivalent.

Desirable

  • Minimum 5 years public sector/NHS experience in working within a relevant, demanding procurement environment
  • Experience of other Non-Clinical categories (examples are professional services, IT, consultancy, and agency)
  • Experience of spend and product analysis tools

Skills and Abilities

Essential

  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to enable effective partnership working
  • Excellent negotiation and influencing skills
  • Excellent negotiation and influencing skills

Desirable

  • Strategic thinker with good analytical skills

Analytical & Judgment Skills

Essential

  • Ability to sustain prolonged concentration
  • Flexible approach to problem solving
  • Ability to cope with frequent interruptions
  • Experience of operating and utilizing computer systems to provide information for management reports.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Additional information

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

Whittington Hospital NHS Trust

Address

Whittington Health NHS Trust

Magdala Avenue

London

N19 5NF


Employer's website

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


Employer details

Employer name

Whittington Hospital NHS Trust

Address

Whittington Health NHS Trust

Magdala Avenue

London

N19 5NF


Employer's website

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


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Assistant Director of Procurement

Saad Ahmad

saad.ahmad4@nhs.net

07909099648

Details

Date posted

25 September 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£64,156 to £71,148 a year Per Annum Including HCAS

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

220-WHT-3413

Job locations

Whittington Health NHS Trust

Magdala Avenue

London

N19 5NF


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

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