Category Manager - Local Authority

About The Role

Role:
Category Manager

Contract Length:
Until 31/03/26

Location:

Remote

IR35:
Inside

Pay Rate to Intermediary: £44.08 per hour

Spinwell is recruiting for a Category Manager for an excellent opportunity within the public sector.

The principal responsibility of the Category Manager is to strategically lead and deliver a South West Police Procurement Service (SWPPS) on behalf of the five SW forces and OPCC's across the South West Region. The role drives forward the effective direction and control of a range of professional, commercial or specialist procurement skills across multiple professional disciplines of the key category areas, applying a sound knowledge of public procurement law with an understanding of broad political, economic, and legislative trends.

The role is expected to facilitate, mediate and in some cases lead on national collaborative agreements, requiring a political awareness and ability to understand formal and informal politics at regional and national level.

• Provide expert commercial, category, and procurement advice, driving strategic collaborations across the five Forces, determining potential innovation and operational solutions
• Play an integral role in leading both regional / national strategic and operational delivery groups for specific category areas, building effective relationships with key stakeholders
• Direct responsibility for delivering the end‑to‑end sourcing process.
• Manage complex multi‑force contractual relationships
• Demonstrate long‑term strategic thinking, going beyond personal goals
• Direct line management and development of Senior Category Buyers and Category Buyers, by leading a learning culture, recognising, and promoting innovative activities, provide guidance, advice, and quality assurance to their work
• Key project board roles for strategic and major projects providing significant commercial, procurement and collaboration advice and skills.
• Determine the appropriate delegation of responsibility to Senior Category Buyers and Category Buyers as the size, urgency, complexity, and risk profile requires.

• Initiate, develop and maintain robust relationships with senior level staff and stakeholders within each of the five regional Forces and OPCCs and act as the lead representative of the SWPPS for your Category area.
• Act as a conduit for all procurement queries from your host force / OPCC.
• Understand the wider business requirements and individual strategies of the five Forces and OPCCs in line with Category Specific Requirements and their markets.

• Develop a clear understanding of the key supply market drivers, and legislative trends for the category areas
• Drive improved access to both Force / OPCC and supplier data, information and develop a deep understanding and capability for the analysis of such and apply the findings in a strategic manner
• Analyse impacts of each the five Forces and PCCs strategies on future requirements for the category area; how they compare and contrast against each other, where correlation can drive collaboration and where differences may need addressing
• Pro‑actively engage on a regular basis with stakeholders to create and agree robust category strategies and deliver and savings targets as appropriate.
• Measure achievement of agreed targets
• Ensure the Category strategy delivers 'Best Value', Innovation and improvement
• Ensure that all aspects of the Procurement, from strategic sourcing through to Supplier Relationship Management are applied in accordance with legislation and procurement law.

• Lead and report progress on complex, high value / high risk procurements, developing and approving the sourcing strategy, specification, evaluation criteria, procurement route, the commercial model and terms and conditions of contract
• Responsible for ensuring overall compliance including critical examination of contracts and awards
• Responsible, where appropriate and agreed with stakeholders, for new contract implementation until implementation phase has been completed effectively
• Frequent influencing and negotiation on…