Category Specialist

A unique opportunity for a Category Specialist to join in the Professional Services category within an established Higher Education organisation has arisen. With 35 days annual leave + banks holidays and Christmas closure, yearly pay rise up to £38093 in addition to inflation-based salary increase, this is not an opportunity to pass by!

Client Details

Named the University of the Year 2022 at the renowned Times Higher Education (THE) awards, this monumental win celebrates a special journey Northumbria University has been on since 2008, which involved becoming the first research-intensive modern university in the UK. Northumbria is ranked in the top 25 in the UK for research power, according to the results of the latest Research Excellence Framework.

Northumbria University is a renowned educational institution based in Newcastle Upon Tyne, recognised for its commitment to research and development in various fields. With a substantial workforce and a diverse range of departments, it has a significant impact on the local economy and fosters a culture of continuous learning and innovation.

Description

The Category Specialist role is a very unique role at this level. The successful candidate will have the support of mentors and undergo training to become an expert in tendering and negations, and gain exposure to category management. Sitting within the Professional Support Management category, the Category Specialist will be responsible for areas including professional services, marketing, libraries, financial services and more.

You will lead, develop and implement the Procurement and Operational Management Plan for the Professional Support Management Category, including:

Setting the direction of the assigned Category, leading the development and implementation of the Operational Category Plan based on market knowledge and (Category) data analysis in order to support strategic goals.
Developing and implementing sourcing plans for new projects and key renewals ensuring that these strategies deliver clear Value for Money benefits, both through the achievement of direct procurement savings, and through integration into and proactive influencing of finance and other activities.
Providing operational commercial and procurement advice to key stakeholders as well as procurement process advice to stakeholders and other teams involved in or dependent on procurement activities.
Running tenders and leading supplier commercial and contract negotiations
Review and negotiate commercial and operational contractual documents with minimal support from Legal Services.
Implement effective supplier and contract management for key suppliers, including management of KPIs and performance dashboards.
Supporting the Head of Procurement with ensuring that effective arrangements are in place for compliance with both external and internal procurement regulations and achieving sustainability and socio-economic targets.
Develop and maintain a specialist knowledge and expertise of own area of responsibility, providing guidance to others as appropriate.
Deliver excellent customer service and provide a welcoming, efficient, helpful and informative service to all customers.Profile

If you are an experienced Buyer, Senior Buyer or Procurement Officer, we would like to hear from you. The successful candidate will have experience in the following:

Leading tenders and supplier commercial and contract negotiations focused on achieving value for money as well as direct savings.
Facilitating the purchasing process from receipt of requirements to placement of the purchase order.
Detailed understanding of procurement processes and experience in facilitating complex approval processes as required by defined policies and regulations.
Experience in collating purchasing and supplier data and populating dashboards based on these.
Effective supplier and contract management.
Understanding of Supplier Relationship Management processes and have contributed to these.
Building relationships with key stakeholders to achieve a position as trusted advisor on procurement matter.
Strong strategic focus and commercial sensitivity and acumen.Job Offer

35 days annual leave with the option to buy up to 10 days extra. This is in addition to bank/public holidays and closure between Christmas and New Year.
Yearly pay rise along spine points up to £38093, in addition to inflated-based salary increase.
Flexible working around core hours of 10-4.
Excellent employer pension contributions rising with employee contributions.
Hybrid working model with 3 days on site in Newcastle.
Support with qualifications & training.
You will join an environment which prides itself on giving back to the community and is dedicated to making a difference.
Access to nurseries & childcare, discounted travel, sports facilities, Cycle To Work, local discounts and more