Category Manager - Professional Services

SF Recruitment have partnered with an organisation near Edgbaston who are recruiting a Category Manager (professional services) on a temporary contract for approximately 9 months. The role will be starting immediately and covering multiple Corporate categories.
Responsibilities will include:
General
- Manage the Corporate procurement, primarily within the Professional Services category, however support across other areas such as Estates, Facilities Management, IT and Capital works may also be required
- Identify projects and develop work plans and cost improvement programmes on an annual basis with regular reviews and updates throughout the year to deliver the agreed objectives and targets
- Lead on and manage complex procurement/tender exercises, including the creation of tender and contract documentation
- Provide specialist procurement knowledge across a broad spectrum of areas covered by the BSOL PC
- Develop and maintain a sound knowledge of all relevant commodities and supply markets through conducting market research
- Manage the introduction of alternative products and sources of supply to achieve high levels of rationalisation and/or standardisation and be a key influencer and participate in user consultation groups
Stakeholder Engagement
- Engage, develop and maintain excellent relationships with departments and key stakeholders to maximise performance and efficiencies
- Develop collaborative working relationship between the BSOL PC, and it's suppliers, ensuring performance standards are consistently achieved, monitored and managed effectively
- Negotiate with suppliers and stakeholders to ensure optimum value for money
- Use influencing and negotiating skills in order to challenge existing practices and contractual arrangements to ensure appropriate future contractual agreements are entered into compliantly
- Collaborate with other NHS Trusts and or other public sector organisations in order to identify and deliver the benefits of a collaborative approach including best value for money/best practise solutions
- Work closely with user departments to ensure they produce complete, accurate and relevant specifications for goods and services
- Build and maintain close working relationships with internal stakeholder's leaders to ensure sufficient in-depth understanding of their project roles and responsibilities
- Advise and provide guidance at a senior management level to ensure compliance on all aspects of procurement
- Confidently challenge the status quo in a constructive non-confrontational manner and have the ability to influence others to adopt alternative viewpoints and solutions in order to stimulate and embrace change
Strategy
- Assist with identifying Corporate projects in need of procurement support and/or contractual requirements and work with the relevant department(s) to successfully implement changes
- Conduct face-to-face contract negotiations, utilising well-prepared analysis, adopting appropriate strategic negotiation methodology to overcome barriers to acceptance and achieve the desired/ best possible outcome
- Assist with the development and implementation of the Procurement and Logistics strategy to drive continuous improvements within the department, to deliver year on year savings whilst providing a customer focused service delivering long-term efficiencies
- Assist in identifying key risk areas and ensure that these are managed, reported and controlled
- Actively participate in collaborative initiatives at either a local, regional or national level
- Manage compliance across your areas of responsibility with all National and legislation relating to procurement, NHS Procurement policies, Trust Standing Orders, Standing Financial Instructions and departmental policies and procedures
- Identify, analyse and seek to maximise full benefit of any potential cost improvements as a result of any Trust procurement activity, national or regional contracting arrangements through membership of various collaborative procurement initiatives and ensure that any specific requirements of the Trust are taken into account