Category Specialist

**Role**: Category Specialist / Procurement Specialist / Procurement Officer

**Contracting Authority**: Government

**Contract Length**:18 Months

**Location**: Hybrid - Aldermaston

**IR35**:Inside

**Pay Rate**:£45.21 per hour

**Clearance**: SC clearance

An exciting opportunity has become available with our prestigious client who is a prominent government department. The client is seeking an experienced Category Specialist / Procurement Specialist / Procurement Officer to join their welcoming team.

**The Category Specialist / Procurement Specialist / Procurement Officer Role**:

- Contribute to the development and drive the implementation of the Category Strategy to deliver cost effective category solutions and business models for assigned categories
- Supplier base management and supplier classification (Preferred Supplier List - PSL), securing competition in the supplier base
- Deliver Category targets and KPI’s for assigned spend categories
- Implement ways of working according to AWE Category Management Framework
- Business Intelligence and Benchmark including business intelligence and supplier market analysis, benchmark potential suppliers and market insight to support category development
- The Category Specialist, with the Category Team, is responsible for securing and tracking cost reduction, contract management and continuity of Supply Chain
- Prepare & execute the RFx process in collaboration with stakeholders including supplier evaluation and selection, supplier negotiations (costs and contract)
- Contribute to the long-term business ensuring competitive initial cost and total cost development in the product and service life cycle and maintenance of the specific supplier contract for products and services
- Assist in the preparation and execution of Contract which is appropriate to the scope, value and risk outlined in the sourcing strategy, ensuring all relevant stakeholders have contributed and approved as appropriate
- Support the administration of the Contract in accordance with all of the terms and conditions ensuring contract compliance
- Assist in appropriate management of commercial risks, forecast spend and change impacts with key AWE stakeholders
- Suppliers segmented and managed (quality, performance, risk) in accordance with the AWE Supplier Relationship Management Framework
- Monitor and mitigate supplier risks (including CoC, Environmental & Health and Safety as well as dependency on AWE and AWE dependency on the supplier), make corrective action plans for the identified risks
- Supplier Strategies for key suppliers within assigned spend categories
- Secure stakeholders involvement and participation in category strategies, sourcing activities and supplier relationship management activities and share SCM category strategies, PSL, supplier performance etc

**What Category Specialist / Procurement Specialist / Procurement Officer Will Need**:

- 2 years + experience within procurement
- Experience assisting category managers
- Public procurement experience
- Understanding route to market and government structure
- Understand the basics of what the procurement means