Category Manager

Responsible for all aspects of developing and implementing a strategic Laboratory & Engineering category management plan and the underlying sourcing strategies, supplier, and contract management as well as policy and regulatory compliance

Responsible for ensuring that the Laboratory & Engineering category management plan is fully integrated and adopted within relevant Faculties and Services.

Lead, develop and implement the Procurement and Category Management for the assigned Category, including

• Setting the strategic direction of the Laboratory & Engineering Category, leading the development and implementation of the Category Plan based on market knowledge and (Category) data analysis in order to enable the University to achieve its strategic goals
• Developing and implementing sourcing strategies for new projects and key renewals ensuring that these strategies deliver clear Value for Money benefits, both through the achievement of direct procurement savings, and through integration into and proactive influencing of finance and other activities across the University
• Providing strategic commercial and procurement advice to key stakeholders as well as procurement process training to such stakeholders and other teams involved in or dependent on procurement activities
• Running tenders and leading supplier commercial and contract negotiations
• Draft, review and negotiate commercial and operational contractual documents with minimal support from Legal Services
• Implement effective supplier and contract management for key suppliers, including management of KPIs and performance dashboards
• Assisting the Head of Procurement with ensuring that effective arrangements are in place for compliance with both external and internal procurement regulations and achieving sustainability and socio-economic targets.
• Provide input into the development of costing and pricing for commercial bids and implementation of income/grant-funded projects, ensuring that this underpins commercial procurement decisions and funding rules where required
• Support the Head of Procurement to manage a high performing, customer/commercially focused Procurement team
• Working with colleagues in Finance and across the University to ensure that the procurement element of the planning and delivery of capital works is effectively controlled
• Managing and coaching, as appropriate, junior members of the Procurement and Shared Services team
• Leading or supporting (as appropriate) the implementation of relevant audit recommendations