Category Specialist inLeicester inLeicester PUBLISHED MON 16 DEC 2024

An exciting opportunity exists for two Category Specialist to work within the Procurement and Supplies Department of the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, responsible for implementing procurement activity in line with Trust requirements.

We are looking for two experienced, dynamic procurement professionals to work within the Clinical and Corporate Procurement Teams, enabling the delivery of safe and high quality goods and services, manage projects to achieve the most economic supply arrangements, whilst adhering to procurement rules and Trust governance.

The successful candidates will work with a Senior/Category Manager and will provide support to a portfolio of Procurement projects and contracts to drive trust wide saving initiatives within Corporate and Clinical environments.

Your primary base will be County Hall; however frequent travel between UHL's hospital sites will be required.

Reporting to a Category Manager, the post holder will manage a portfolio of procurement exercises within one or more Categories to achieve the most economic supply arrangements.

Supporting the Trust with coverage of non-pay spend, ensuring strategies that deliver value for money and efficiencies for designated Categories.

The post holder will provide a comprehensive procurement advisory and planning service to departments within the Trust, supporting them in driving efficiency in clinical and non-clinical expenditure. They will be required to deliver procurements within pre-defined budgets.

The post holder will be responsible for ensuring all products and services within the scope of the post are procured in line with local and national procurement strategy and in line with UK Procurement legislation, SFI's and SO's.

The post holder will have line management responsibility of assigned Category Assistants.

About us

The post holder will be responsible for:

• Leading on specific sourcing programmes for defined projects, both Trust wide and in single CMGs, taking the lead on the allocated sourcing category or categories, and contributing significantly to the delivery of allocated procurement projects wthin key markets.
• Able to deputize for the Category Manager or project procurement lead.
• The preparation and presentation of Procurement/ Category Strategies.
• Procurement process plans and making recommendations on contract award to the Commercial Executive.
• Assisting in the delivery of cost and efficiency savings across a large project range across CMGs, by analysing current spend information and undertaking complex market analysis or product usage and cost trends to develop procurement strategies. To ensure that CMG proposals for non-pay savings are robust and reported appropriately.
• The engagement of Clinicians, Managers and Stakeholders in the end to end process for product selection and supply of services, including demand challenge, transition and implementation planning and development of strategy, tender evaluation, award criteria, and ongoing contract management.
• Promoting contract compliance across the Trust in particular where commitment contracts are placed, through escalation to the Senior Category Manager.
• Undertaking rigorous and widespread benchmarking activity to support on-going negotiation and market intelligence for designated Categories.
• Supporting the development, creation, and delivery of the strategy for demand challenge and procurement process by liaising with the necessary clinical leads and medical staff, recommending change where necessary to affect efficiencies and savings.
• Working with Senior Procurement Management to develop networks to promote greater understanding and buy in to the Trust and Procurement Strategy.
• Senior activity in liaising with colleagues at all levels to ensure compliance in the use of agreed standardised products, ensuring the range of items within catalogues are rationalised to an optimum level.
• Take the lead on setting up and/or work with established product evaluation groups across the Trust to evaluate products and fast track product rationalisation decisions.
• Promoting the standardisation of equipment using evidence base and innovative practice across the health economy of the region by carrying out effective, collaborative equipment purchases and trials.
• Representing UHL in working with other public bodies in the integration of purchasing/product service standardisation.
• Make recommendations as to products and services to purchase in conjunction with Clinical and User networks
• Work with conflicting stakeholder needs through sourcing groups providing a robust whole life costing approach to ensure best value to the Clinical Management Groups/ Divisions
• Provide reports to support the Senior Category Manager / Category Managers attendance at relevant senior meetings.
• Responsible for the authorisation of contracts and purchase orders within the Scheme of Delegation.
• Analyse the past financial performance of suppliers to make recommendations as to the financial capacity of an organisation to trade with the Trust.
• Use of procurement and financial management systems:
• Responsible for managing tenders through the online tendering system and contract management.
• Process orders within financial delegation.
• Use of benchmarking software to produce and interpret reports to present to CMG's.
• Inputting and manipulating data, using software to produce reports
• Manage and coordinate the work to support the Category lead in gathering and analysing spend and supplier data, and if appropriate tracking benefits with the input of Finance and preparing these for inclusion in reports and presentations.
• To liaise with the Supplies Operations team in relation to any contracts convened, ensuring information is presented to them in a timely and agreed format. To provide data to update the catalogue with new supplier details product details, contract dates and prices and payment terms.
• Liaising with colleagues at all levels to ensure compliance in the use of agreed standardised products, ensuring the range of items within catalogues are rationalised to an optimum level.
• General Activities
  • To support the provision of market data for agreed commodities or service areas meeting suppliers as appropriate and disseminating information to appropriate personnel within the Trust.
  • To monitor procurement developments of external organisations
  • To represent Procurement at meetings within the Trust.
  • To assist in the development of the Departments services