Senior Category Officer

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 431271

**Salary**:

- £42,665 - £50,495
- National: £42,665 - £46,765
London: £46,060 - £50,495
For details of our pay on appointment policy, please see below under the heading ‘Salary’.
- A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

GBP

**Job grade**:

- Senior Executive Officer

**Contract type**:

- Permanent

**Business area**:

- DEFRA - COO - Commercial

**Type of role**:

- Commercial

**Working pattern**:

- Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Compressed hours

**Number of jobs available**:

- 5

**Contents**:

- Location
- About the job
- Benefits
- Things you need to know

**Location**:

- Birmingham, Bristol, London, Peterborough, Reading

**About the job**:
**Job summary**:
**Join Defra’s Technology Category Team and Drive IT Transformation**

Be part of a forward-thinking team that is revolutionizing how Defra delivers its IT services — making them simpler, faster, and more sustainable. Working within our Technology Category, you’ll have the chance to make a tangible impact in a dynamic, challenging, and high-profile environment.

As a **Senior Category Officer**, you will report directly to a Category Manager in the Defra Group Commercial (DgC) Technology Team, playing a key role in shaping our technology procurement strategy and delivering value-driven solutions.

**Job description**:
As a vital member of our Technology Commercial Category Team, you will play a key role in delivering medium to high-value projects, procurements, and contract/supplier management within an agile, market-facing environment.

Your mission will be to develop and execute commercial strategies that align with the Category Strategy, directly contributing to our overall business success. You will take charge of planning and managing all market engagement activities for your assigned sub-category, fostering strong partnerships both internally and externally.

In this role, you will:

- Support key customers by preparing comprehensive commercial documentation and leading procurements compliant with procurement regulations, expertly managing the full commercial lifecycle.
- Draft and present recommendations for approval through governance boards.
- Collaborate with stakeholders to prepare contract management documents.
- Build and maintain strong supplier relationships, ensuring exceptional performance across cost, service, and quality benchmarks.
- Provide insightful day-to-day advice on commercial risks, opportunities, and challenges — maximizing value for money and savings.
- Oversee the successful delivery of IT contracts while identifying and managing sustainable impacts throughout the commercial lifecycle.
- Partner with customers to deliver innovative and value-driven solutions aligned with organisational objectives and corporate targets.
- Manage the category pipeline following Defra’s commercial policies and procedures, ensuring propriety and value for money at every stage.
- Offer strategic support by championing commercial policies, influencing key decisions, and providing expert guidance on governance matter
- Collaborate nationally to build a strong, connected commercial network within Defra and across government bodies.
- Deliver training and support to colleagues, empowering them with the knowledge and skills to perform effectively.
- Commit to your own professional growth by staying current with legislation, industry best practices, and emerging trends.
- Lead or participate in meetings to drive effective decision-making, including agenda setting, discussion facilitation, and accurate documentation of actions.
- Foster positive, productive relationships with colleagues, customers, and suppliers — confidently influencing and challenging when needed to achieve the best commercial outcomes.
- In some cases, take on line management responsibilities, including setting objectives, managing performance, and supporting team development for other substantive grades.

**Person specification**:
**What We’re Looking For**

You will deliver high-quality, professional services with measurable impact and contribute to fostering a positive team spirit — supporting your colleagues to achieve expert outcomes that are highly valued by customers.

**You will have the following essential experience and skills**:

- Leading and supporting the successful delivery of a variety of procurements, with experience in managing contracts or suppliers.
- Demonstrating a strong understanding of regulatory frameworks, ensuring compliance with policies and processes, and championing these standards in all aspects of your work.
- Driving operational improvements by implementing initiatives that enhance efficiency, promote business transformation, and refine ways of working.
- Proactively identifying risks and issues and formulating and executing robust mitigation plans.
- Delivering well-reasoned conclusions and recommendations, backed by thorough analysis of data — including fi