Head of Category (Health)

Are you ready to lead with impact and shape the future of healthcare procurement?

We’re looking for a visionary Head of Category to take charge of our Health category team. Someone who’s not just passionate about procurement, but driven to make a real difference in the lives of everyone touched by the healthcare system.

If you thrive on delivering exceptional client service, and you bring deep expertise in the procurement lifecycle, along with a sharp understanding of the opportunities and challenges in the healthcare space - this is your moment! As our strategic lead and subject matter expert, you’ll craft and execute a bold, forward-thinking strategy that drives efficiency, consistency, and quality across the board. You’ll build powerful partnerships with clients and suppliers, transforming the way we deliver value.

With your inspiring leadership, you’ll oversee a diverse portfolio of frameworks, ensuring seamless operation and renewal. You’ll spearhead strategic sourcing initiatives and lead high-impact projects that set new standards for excellence. This is more than a role, it’s a chance to lead transformation, elevate performance, and leave a lasting legacy in healthcare procurement.

What you'll be doing:

• Leadership: Lead, coach and develop the team to differentiate NHS SBS within the marketplace. Delivering high standards of team performance and cross-team collaboration at all times.
• Procurement vision & strategy: Supporting and contributing to a progressive commercial strategy for the specification, procurement, and management of all contracted and outsourced activity.
• Business awareness and commercial focus: Seeing opportunities for improved service delivery, savings, and "value add projects”, delivering against key performance and financial targets.
• Managing complexity: Delivering best-in-class procurement and contract management processes. Leading category plans, ensuring they are actively progressing, handled, updated, and delivered.
• Decision making and risk management/governance: Securing procurement excellence through the implementation of efficient and effective procurement projects within key markets. Acting as an SME to all clients, serving as an inspiring leader in the field.
• Framework management: Proactively identifying areas of growth and risk and develops plans to be implemented across the Framework portfolio.

What you’ll bring:

• CIPS Level 6 Diploma in Procurement and Supply.
• Experience of operating within a Public Sector Buying organisation environment.
• Working background with the NHS and/or Public Sector.
• Sound understanding of UK Public Contracts Regulations, The Procurement Act and Provider Selection Regime.
• Experience of the Health market and its supply chains.
• A leadership background

It would be great if you had:

• Working background with NHS Terms and Conditions.

If you are interested in this role but not sure if your skills and experience are exactly what we’re looking for, please do apply, we’d love to hear from you!

Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent

Location: NorthWest Hub (ideally a 2 hour commute)

Security Clearance Level: DBS

Internal Recruiter: Katie

Salary: circa £80,000 per annum (depending upon experience and development needs)

Benefits: £6,600 car allowance, 25 days annual leave with the option to buy additional days, private medical (couple), life assurance, pension, and generous flexible benefits fund.

Although this role is advertised as full-time, we believe that flexibility at work can promote work/life balance, increase your motivation, reduce stress and improves performance and productivity. We support different ways of working and can offer a range of flexible working arrangements. So, if you’re interested and need to work flexibly, we encourage you to apply and talk to us about what might be possible.

Loved reading about this job and want to know more about us?

NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) was created by the Department of Health and Social Care to deliver corporate services to the NHS. A unique joint venture with Sopra Steria, a European leader in digital services and software development, we make life easier for NHS employees, patients, and suppliers, and deliver value for money to the taxpayer. Proud members of the NHS family, we provide finance & accounting, digital, procurement and workforce services to more than half the NHS in England, and our solutions are underpinned by cutting-edge technologies and our teams’ expertise, in-depth understanding of the NHS, and commitment to service excellence.

We share common values and unity of purpose with the rest of the NHS family, are committed to being a force for good, and are dedicated and empowered to act responsibly and sustainably at organisational, team and individual level.

Would you like to join us on our journey?

We embrace difference as a source of creativity, innovation and competitive advantage and are striving to become a more diverse organisation. We welcome applications from people with a diverse variety of backgrounds and identities. We are committed to equality of opportunity for all and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation or marital status. We have partnered with Vercida, the UK's largest diversity and inclusion focused careers site, where all our vacancies are available in an accessible format.

If you require any adjustments to the recruitment process, to enable you to perform to the best of your ability, please let us know when completing your application. We participate in the Disability Confident scheme and are committed to offering an interview to any candidate with a disability, who meets the minimum criteria for the role. If you believe this could apply to you, please let us know when completing your application.