Category Manager

12 month contract
- Edinburgh or Inverness and hybrid working
- Rate: £505 per day

The role:
Reporting to the Deputy Head of Procurement, our Category Managers are responsible for developing category strategies and overseeing teams that deliver tendering projects and contract management activities (e.g. Plant Supply (saplings), Environmental Surveying,Forestry Skills Training, Roads maintenance, Electronic Vehicles/Fleet etc.) within their allocated categories. They will each lead a team of between 4 and 6 staff to deliver these category objectives.

Working as part of the senior procurement team you will help us transform the way that procurement and contract management is delivered across the organisation, by leading the category management approach for your designated categories.

You will lead the development and maintenance of category strategies for a number of core business activities to support delivery of corporate and procurement objectives and you will deliver category outputs through your team, whilst supporting their developmentneeds.

**Main Duties**

Category Strategy Development/Management

Develop and maintain a suite of category strategies that reflect business needs and objectives taking account of key supply market drivers, market conditions and trends for the assigned category areas;
Create Business Cases for review and approval, where external advice and support is recommended to assist the development of first generation Category Strategies;
For each category, pro-actively engage with key internal/external stakeholders to generate, present and agree a robust category strategy that balances business needs, risk, interdependencies and available resources to feed the overall wave plan;
Develop appropriate savings targets, service levels and efficiencies for each category and track and report on the level of achievement of these targets;
Undertake status reporting for allocated categories and take responsibility for the preparation of reports detailing status, risks and issues for internal forums.

**Category Sourcing and Management**

Feed into the creation of the 2 year procurement pipeline and monitor progress against pipeline delivery, ensuring adequate contract coverage to support business continuity. Allocate the sourcing and contract management work for all areas of your categories,using your team to deliver the various stages of the procurement cycle from commodity strategy through to contract implementation, monitoring and review.

Provide support to team members for the projects allocated, making best use of strengths and varying experience of team members;
Ensure that procurement activities follow FLS internal governance processes and observe legislative requirements. Provide assurance on each process undertaken; critically examine and challenge the key aspects at each stage;
Ensure that all contract implementation activity across the category area has been completed.

**Staff Management/Development**

Support team members on a continuous basis and make use of the performance management system, ensuring regular reviews are undertaken;
Undertake capability and skills assessment and encourage continuous development through CIPS and CPD;
Manage, motivate and develop procurement, contract management and project teams ensuring that resources are efficiently utilised.

**Procurement Support & Development**

Provide procurement advice, guidance and support to all functions to ensure adherence to relevant procurement policy and legislation;
Implement relevant aspects of Corporate Procurement Strategy through category work and feed into continuous improvement of procurement process, policy, procedures and systems.

**Experience**
- Experience of managing multiple complex procurement projects from initiation and tendering through to contract delivery and review;
- Strong analytical and numeracy skills with an understanding of differing pricing models;
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Full Membership of Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (MCIPS) OR minimum 3 years strategic sourcing / category management experience within a Public Sector environment, with a commitment to gain MCIPS status within 2 years;
- Commercial awareness and understanding of commodity/industry markets, their drivers and the impacts they have on sourcing.
- Experience of managing and developing staff.