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Senior Category Manager

Employer
National Highways
Location
Home Working with UK Travel
Salary
£50,090 - £58,150
Closing date
5 Feb 2023

Your new role

Senior Category Manager

  • Do you want to be involved in cutting edge digital services & technology procurement?
  • What about a career in one of only 17 organisations globally to be awarded CIPS Platinum Award for Procurement Excellence?
  • Do you want to work in an engaging and collaborative environment?
  • Do you have a desire to be recognised for adding real value to the organisation?

Then National Highways has roles for you. The Commercial & Procurement Digital Services & Technology Team is seeking individuals to join us at this exciting time as we support our Digital Roads programme and our Digital data and technology strategy. We have a number of vacancies across a range of digital services and technology categories.

We are adopting a category focussed approach. You will become a commercial expert in your field with responsibility for the full range of category management activity. Extensive category support and training exists and will be available to those who need it.

You will be based at one of our regional offices (Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Guildford). We support a flexible working pattern, which will be agreed with your line manager, and will include home working as well as office visits and travel to meet suppliers, to attend conferences and to attend team meetings across the UK.

Experience of working in digital services and technology procurement and/or in the public sector would be an advantage, but this is not essential to making your mark and being successful in this role. Even more important is your drive, enthusiasm and willingness to engage to deliver value to the business.

If this interests you, then we want to hear from you. 

What you’ll be doing

  • Assume commercial responsibility for your category and ownership of the category strategies.
  • Contribute to the management, identification, securing and leading of people from a range of disciplines to enable effective delivery C&P Digital Services & Technology objectives.
  • Development, review, negotiation and execution of allocated contracts and the commercial management of related suppliers
  • Identify and deliver cost reduction and value add initiatives that increase efficiency whilst maintaining performance and managing risk.
  • Provide commercial support and guidance to a range of stakeholders, ensuring "best outcome" commercial solutions are delivered in line with National Highways objectives, Commercial/Procurement and Category strategies.
  • Deliver expert advice and guidance on procurement and commercial ensuring the enactment of sound governance and practice, acting as the conduit for the passage of knowledge and best practice.
  • Ensure the creation of positive supplier relationships, encouraging innovation, creation of added value solutions, and a strong customer service ethic.
  • Monitor, implement and report on compliance with contractual processes and project performance elevating issues where appropriate. Contributing to the building of a culture of continuous improvement.
  • Deal with complex contract and procurement documents and be able to provide guidance to others on their meaning and use.
  • To ensure that all procurement professionals wherever they work understand and work within agreed contract and financial delegations and manage governance and risk effectively to ensure quality assurance and overall integrity of the procurement process.
  • To build excellent collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders to support delivery of the National Highways imperatives, Safety, Customer Service and implementation of the Category Management approach.
  • To make a full contribution to the leadership and management of the DS&T team and wider Commercial & Procurement Directorate.
  • Drive continual improvement in health and safety performance demonstrating a strong understanding of National Highways Five Year Health & Safety Plan and how Procurement Division contributes to this.

To be successful

  • Experience in delivering procurement and commercial services in a large technology focussed environment
  • Corporate leadership experience and experience of developing high performing teams and motivating people
  • Manage contract variations, providing practical advice and strategic direction
  • Work collaboratively across a range of stakeholders to support stakeholder management and gain buy-in using appropriate communication channels articulating requirements and potential commercial solutions
  • Contribute to the development of category strategies, product road maps and sourcing plans
  • Work with stakeholders, engaging effectively and intelligently to define sourcing options available
  • Understand, follow & apply the procurement process and policies
  • Cultivate and encourage an awareness of cost, using clear simple examples of benefits and how to measure outcomes
  • Enable valued and measurable improvements and culture change across the team to improve performance
  • Strong communication, negotiation and influencing skills
  • Experience of public sector procurement process and legislation.
  • Should hold or be willing to work towards the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) Diploma in Procurement and Supply qualification (or equivalent).
  • A degree or equivalent level qualification related to business or commercial management.

A bit about us

National Highways is on an exciting journey to digitise all that we do – come join us!

At National Highways we believe in a connected country. We are passionate about creating a culture where colleagues feel connected, included and enjoy greater wellbeing to achieve this. 

We’re proud that as an organisation we are continually striving to do better and actively encourage and support our colleagues to do the same with their careers. 

An informal blended working approach has been adopted for many of our roles across National Highways. We offer many different ways to work flexibly and we’re open to discuss part-time working, job shares, and flexible start and finish times.

Please wait until the interview stage before asking us about flexibility, and we will explore what is possible.

Our benefits package

  • Our total reward package includes basic salary, the potential for a performance related bonus, and employer pension contributions of up to 10%.
  • Annual Leave starting at 26 days (plus Bank Holidays) rising by 1 day each year up to 31 days (plus Bank Holidays)
  • Flexible hours and blended working between base location/home
  • Life assurance of 4 times annual salary
  • Health and wellbeing support, including an Employee Assistance Programme, available 24/7 365 days and network of mental health first aiders. Plus, access to a wellbeing app to enhance your self-care 24/7, Occupational health service and flu vaccines
  • A cycle to work scheme for the purchase of a bicycle and equipment for healthy, low carbon travel
  • Significant investment in your career development, through learning and development, talent management, coaching, mentoring and on job experience

And we are:

  • Family friendly with enhanced maternity leave and pay, paternity leave (15 days), shared parental leave, adoption leave. Plus access to financial support for holiday play schemes and paid special leave (up to 5 days pa), eg for caring responsibilities
  • Money friendly with access to a discounts platform including over 3000 discounts for supermarkets, eating out, leisure, holidays. Alongside a financial wellbeing programme
  • Community friendly – offering paid leave to volunteer, 3 days basic/year plus an extra 3 days to support the national Covid effort

So, if you put safety first, take ownership of your work, show passion for what you do, work effectively in a team, and demonstrate integrity in how you do it – then you’ll be a great fit for our organisation

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