Category Specialist

Job description

Job responsibilities

Category specialism:

You will be responsible for the planning and coordination of a procurement work plan for the Customer, identifying key procurement projects, key dates, financial values, and sourcing strategies, by drawing upon internal and external data sources and regulations. You will also be required to assist the Senior Category Managers, and where necessary, the Associate Director of Procurement and the Strategic Procurement Manager in delivering a strategic procurement service on specific/allocated portfolio of sourcing categories and contribute significantly to the delivery of allocated procurement projects within key market. This will involve ensuring contract compliance, sustainable cost improvements, and a range of benefits across the organisation with due regard for demonstrating best value for money, compliance with category priorities and contracts, and actively managing the market place through development of key strategies for supplier and contract management.

You will be expected to undertake measurement techniques to evaluate the effectiveness in quality terms of products and services and complete market research to drive change and innovative procurement. You will take the appropriate action when there are persistent quality problems.

Tendering activity:

You will be responsible for the delivery of a number of competitive potentially high value tender / quotation exercises, taking the lead role for the delivery of allocated procurements within key markets, ensuring contract compliance, robust audit trails, sustainable cost improvements, Social Value Act guidance and a range of other benefits across the organisation.

Purchase Orders:

You will be responsible for the authorisation of purchase orders, in line with the hierarchy for authorisation and the general business needs of the organisation such as covering for absences, backlogs, emergencies, etc., overseeing purchase orders for the area.

Framework Agreements

To promote and support the use of applicable framework agreements by stakeholders and procurement staff with a view to reducing year on year the number of independent/open tenders undertaken by The Trusts.

Customer relationship:

To develop and maintain strong working relationships with customers (which will also include external stakeholders), meeting customer requirements and expectations, and setting standards for other staff within the team. To drive change and innovation in both SPFT and SABPFT, in order to deliver commercial excellence across the regions. This will be achieved by focussing on:

• improving stakeholder benefit and advantage through solutions
• engaging with stakeholders to understand their strategic integrated business plans and developing solutions that meet the needs;
• developing and implementing project solutions, both on a collaborative and bespoke project management basis;
• engaging with supplier markets to maintain the highest standard of market intelligence

The relationships to be developed are wide-ranging and span varying levels of stakeholders.

To develop an understanding of organisational change and influence in order to be able to respond to the needs of customers.

To develop strategies for the successful implementation, both locally, regionally and at cluster level, of innovative efficient solutions delivering benefits (cash releasing and other) to the customer.

To collect information regarding supplier performance for contract reviews. Collect and collate information regarding customer perceptions of success of service and contracts negotiated on their behalf, and feed these in to departmental procurement procedures. (Support development of contract KPIs and assist with continued supplier contract performance).

To research into supply markets in support of development of Strategic sourcing strategies.

To conduct surveys of the market place in which the category operates to enable informed decisions on future contracts.

To meet customer requirements by demonstrating an integrated approach to aligning deliverables that ensure client commitment and compliance with category priorities, promoting and supporting the mobilisation of contracts to agreed standards and timescales.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Achieved Grade / 2 Years experience

Experience

Essential

• NHS or Public sector experience

Skills and experience

Essential

• Use of electronic purchasing/procurement systems
• Statistical and data analysis skills

Desirable

• Strong communication skills
• NHS or public sector procurement experience

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

Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Trust HQ, Leatherhead House

Station Road

Leatherhead

KT227FG

Employer's website

https://www.sabp.nhs.uk/working-for-us (Opens in a new tab)