Category Manager

Job overview

North West London Procurement Services (NWL PS), hosted by Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust, delivers strategic procurement and supply chain management across NHS organisations within NW London.

Main duties of the job

• Lead complex procurement projects from business case development through to contract award, ensuring compliance with Procurement Regulations.
• Support the development and implementation of Category and Commercial Strategies aligned with commissioning priorities and organisational objectives.
• Maintain a strategic overview of the Community & Mental Health Services portfolio, identifying opportunities to improve value for money, standardise service provision and support service transformation.
• Undertake market analysis and market engagement activities to inform procurement strategies and commissioning decisions.
• Manage procurement pipelines through the Atamis e‑sourcing system, ensuring accurate reporting and forward planning.
• Provide specialist procurement advice and guidance to Commissioners, Contracting, Finance and Operational colleagues.
• Develop strong collaborative relationships with stakeholders to support effective procurement planning and delivery.
• Produce procurement reports, management information and commercial insights to support strategic decision‑making.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, procurement governance and the development of best practice procurement processes.

Person specification

Education / Qualification

• Degree (or equivalent experience) in a relevant discipline together with evidence of continuing professional development.

Experience

• Experience applying the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023.
• Experience applying the Procurement Act 2023 and/or Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
• Experience leading complex end‑to‑end procurement projects from business case development through to contract award.
• Experience of procurement governance, audit requirements and maintaining robust procurement records.
• Experience developing procurement strategies, undertaking market engagement and assessing procurement risks.
• Experience managing procurement pipelines, contract expiry programmes and forward procurement planning.
• Experience using Atamis or equivalent procurement and contract management systems.
• Experience developing, maintaining and reporting on procurement work‑plans, contract registers and procurement management information.
• Experience producing procurement reports, dashboards and performance metrics for senior stakeholders.
• Experience of stakeholder management and influencing across complex multi‑organisational environments, including engagement with executive and director‑level stakeholders.
• Experience identifying and delivering value‑for‑money, efficiency, service improvement and cost improvement initiatives.
• Experience working collaboratively with commissioning, contracting and finance functions to support service delivery objectives.
• Experience developing, implementing and maintaining category strategies aligned to organisational objectives, commissioning priorities and commercial opportunities.
• Experience maintaining strategic oversight of a procurement category, identifying opportunities to improve value for money and standardise services.
• Experience analysing expenditure, market intelligence and future demand to inform category planning.
• Experience developing annual category work‑plans and commercial road‑maps.
• Experience benchmarking services and commercial arrangements to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Experience building and maintaining strategic market relationships with NHS organisations, independent providers and other stakeholders.
• Experience supporting or responding to procurement challenges, representations or regulatory compliance matters.
• Experience supporting NHS commissioning, contracting or service transformation programmes.
• Experience using Atamis reporting functionality and dashboard development.
• Experience analysing expenditure, market intelligence and future demand to inform category planning and procurement priorities.
• Demonstrable understanding of current market developments, procurement trends and emerging commissioning models within Community and Mental Health Services.

Skills & Knowledge

• Knowledge of NHS commissioning cycles and contract renewal processes.
• Comprehensive knowledge of category management principles, strategic sourcing methodologies and commercial lifecycle management.
• Knowledge of spend analysis, demand management and opportunity assessment techniques.
• Knowledge of supplier relationship management principles and market engagement methodologies.
• Knowledge of commercial negotiation strategies and value optimisation techniques.
• Understanding of contract lifecycle management and procurement pipeline planning.
• Understanding of Atamis reporting functionality and procurement data management.
• Expert knowledge of the Procurement Act 2023, with the ability to interpret and apply the legislation to complex procurement and commercial scenarios, providing specialist advice to stakeholders.
• Expert knowledge of the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023, with the ability to interpret and apply the legislation to complex commissioning decisions and provide specialist advice to stakeholders.
• NHS commissioning and contracting landscape.
• NHS Standard Contract and NHS Contract Terms & Conditions applicability.
• Public sector governance and audit requirement.
• Stakeholder relationships.
• Atamis e‑sourcing tool or equivalent e‑procurement & contract management platform.
• Conflict of Interest requirements within the NHS.
• Standard keyboard skills / Advanced keyboard skills for manipulating large quantities of data and preparing complex analysis and reports.
• Knowledge and awareness of NHS or wider healthcare sector operating models and policy developments would be advantageous, although not essential.
• Leading and Managing Others: strong project leadership and management capabilities and experience, with capacity to manage multiple small and medium‑sized projects.
• Change Management: understands change management and process improvement with experience in supporting business process / organisational change.

Core competencies

• Strategic Procurement Leadership
• Strategic Category Management and Commercial Planning
• Commissioning Procurement and Contracting Integration
• Procurement Regulatory Compliance
• Commercial Acumen
• Market Intelligence and Market Development
• Contract Governance
• Data Analytics, Reporting and Systems Management
• Stakeholder Engagement, Influencing and Relationship Management
• Risk Management and Assurance
• Change Management and Continuous Improvement

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

Benefits

We offer a competitive employment package.

CLCH Commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

• Guarantee an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for a role.
• Provide reasonable adjustments to support diverse needs throughout the recruitment and employment process.
• Challenge misconceptions about disability and foster an inclusive culture for everyone.

Learn more about our equal opportunities policy on our website: Equal opportunities: Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust clch.nhs.uk

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