Category Assistant

An exciting opportunity exists for a Category Assistant to work within the Procurement and Supplies Department of the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. We are looking for a keen and experienced professional to undertake this key role with responsibility for supporting the Clinical Consumables Procurement Team in the provision of a procurement service.

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

1. Support projects within one or more Categories under the direction of the Senior Procurement Team.
2. Manage and coordinate the work of the Team; gathering and analysing spend / supplier data; tracking benefits with the input of Finance in preparation for inclusion in reports & presentations.

3. Deputise for the Team.

4. Under Manager's direction support the stages of the tendering process.

5. Contract Management - As required by the type of framework or contract arrangements the Category Assistant will be required to schedule and coordinate supplier/stakeholder meetings ensuring these are minuted and actioned.

6. For suitable projects, the Category Assistant may be required to undertake procurement exercises in full.

7. The post holder may be required to undertake other duties not specified within the job description but within the general scope of the post.
- Category scoping / Market & data analysis
- Demand challenge - opportunities
- Support - commodities with minimum supervision
- Drafting/Writing papers

For further information see job description.

We are one of the biggest and busiest NHS trusts in the country, incorporating the General, Glenfield and Royal Infirmary hospitals. We have our very own Children’s Hospital and run one of the country’s leading heart centres.

Our team is made up of more than 17,000 staff providing a range of services primarily for the one million residents of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

We work with partners at the University of Leicester and De Montfort University providing world-class teaching to nurture and develop the next generation of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, many of whom go on to spend their working lives with us.

Our purpose is to provide ‘Caring at its best’ and our staff have helped us create a set of values that embody who we are and what we’re here to do. They are:
We focus on what matters most
We treat others how we would like to be treated
We are passionate and creative in our work
We do what we say we are going to do
We are one team and we are best when we work together

Our patients are at the heart of all we do and we believe that ‘Caring at its best’ is not just about the treatments and services we provide, but about giving our patients the best possible experience.

About the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (leicestershospitals.nhs.uk)

11. General Activities
a. 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.
b. To monitor procurement developments of external organisations particularly, GPS(Government Procurement Service), NHSSC (NHS Supply Chain), NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) and other relevant external bodies.
c. To represent Procurement at meetings within the Trust.
e. To assist in the development of the Department’s services

12. Other Duties
The post holder may be required to undertake other duties not specified within the job description but within the general scope of the post.

**Working Areas**:
Category scoping and data analysis
Demand challenge - opportunities
Support - commodities minimum supervision
Drafting/Writing papers
Market reports/analysis