Strategic Category Head (IS) (14-Month Maternity Cover)

Fixed term contract: Until August 2025

Full time: 35 Hours per week

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Head of Strategic Procurement, the Information Services (IS) Category Head’s role is to lead, develop and manage a small, professional and high-quality procurement team, delivering procurement excellence for the University within the IS Category. This will include both (i) improving the service and value delivered to our internal stakeholders, as well as (ii) improving external supplier performance, to successfully achieve our strategic procurement ambitions and support the University in achieving its overall strategic objectives. 

Some of the main responsibilities include:

• Prepare and deliver annual commodity plans to achieve best practice indicators, focusing on improving category influence, value for money, deliver the University procurement capability and influence whole life costs and sustainable procurement.
• Develop the IS procurement category in a strategic and operational nature, working in collaboration with Operational Procurement and Contract & Supplier Management teams, to ensue value for money and efficiencies are achieved across the University.
• Deliver commercial value to internal stakeholders and projects for their IS/Libraries, in line with the strategic ambitions of the project/department and University.
• Develop strategic and creative approaches to market through agreed commodity procurement strategies, in collaboration with key stakeholders, to support the University in achieving its strategic objectives 
• Provide valuable supply market advice to stakeholders for current and future requirements with the aim of delivering additional commercial value for the University, achieving sustainability and social responsibility objectives, improving competition, and delivering efficiencies 
• Manage, maintain and develop supply agreements for the University, carrying out contracting, tendering and sourcing exercises where required, and in line with relevant legislation.
• Deliver and embed appropriate contract and supplier management for the University’s supply relationships/ agreements, ensuring that optimal value is obtained throughout the life of the contract and that supply risks are mitigated.
• To reduce both capital and recurrent costs through effective routes to market against an agreed cost-savings targets.
• To manage, plan and demonstrate procurement leadership and good governance for a wide category of goods and services. 

Your Skills and attributes for success

• A Professional Diploma (MCIPS), relevant degree or substantial experience in a procurement environment.
• Existing category knowledge within IS/digital industry.
• Outstanding and highly responsive customer management skills.
• Excellent planning and organisational skills, along with the ability to make astute business decisions in collaboration with others.
• Ability to effectively lead and motivate a team 
• Strong influencing skills to build trusted and successful relationships, as well as contributing to business strategies/cases and projects
• Experience evaluating and established framework agreements and contracts.
• Have good knowledge all legal aspects of general public procurement legislation and policies.

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