Senior Category Manager

As a Senior Category Manager - Property, you'll take charge of managing procurement activities across the property category, ensuring efficient and effective delivery. Based in Matlock, your role will play a key part in supporting the public sector by driving value and compliance through strategic sourcing.

Client Details

Derbyshire County Council services reach everyone who lives in or visits Derbyshire, which is why we work with our communities to make sure we meet their needs and expectations. This includes their families, their environment, their education, their job prospects and their social needs.

The council is divided into 4 strategic directorates, responsible for the following areas:

Responsible for: Preventative and wellbeing services; assessment of care needs; home care and day opportunities for older, disabled and vulnerable people; disability equipment and home adaptations; support for carers; hospital discharge services; short term specialist community beds; reablement; falls prevention; in-house residential care homes; community care centres; quality and safeguarding across all residential homes; specialist dementia care; benefits and debt advice; strategic planning and resourcing public services; stakeholder engagement and consultation; care market shaping; commissioning care services; contract management, and performance monitoring.

Responsible for: reducing health inequalities; promoting healthier lifestyles; improving the health of the population by sharing information and expertise; preparing for future health challenges; providing protection from public health hazards.

Responsible for: support for vulnerable families and disabled children; teenage and careers services; children's centres; sports and outdoor learning; school improvement services; school meals; school place planning and building; special educational needs; adult community education; services traded with schools; pre-school and childcare support; safeguarding and child protection; fostering and adoption, and the youth offending service.

Responsible for: property; finance; Digital Services; corporate HR; legal and democratic services; libraries and heritage; community safety; refugee resettlement; trading standards; 'Trusted Trader'; policy; research; performance; communications including digital and web development, and Call Derbyshire; innovation; strategic commissioning; procurement; strategic partnerships; member and management services; registrar and coroner services.

Responsible for: roads; footpaths; public and community transport; road safety; economic development and regeneration; broadband expansion; minerals; transport and strategic planning; emergency planning; household waste recycling centres; waste planning and management; building and landscape conservation; countryside sites; strategic economic partnerships; inward investment; tourism; rail policy; HS2; employment and skills; flooding, and environmental policy.

Description

• Lead the implementation of the procurement strategy for the directorate, aligning commercial activity with service objectives, financial planning, and corporate priorities
• Work in close partnership with senior managers and budget holders to support procurement delivery across services, identifying opportunities for early engagement, risk reduction, and added value
• Deliver high-value, high-risk, and complex procurement exercises, ensuring robust governance, market engagement, and compliance with all relevant legislation and Council policies
• Manage and reduce procurement non-compliance across the directorate by embedding best practice, offering guidance, and implementing corrective actions in partnership with services.
• Provide expert advice and support to stakeholders on all aspects of the procurement lifecycle, including legislation, risk, contract structuring, supplier engagement, and sourcing strategies.
• Embed updates to public procurement legislation-including the Procurement Act 2023 and Procurement Regulations 2024
• Manage procurement and contract-related risk throughout the commissioning and procurement cycle, implementing mitigation strategies and advising services on risk exposure and management.
• Use data and analytics to monitor pipeline progress, evaluate procurement performance, and inform strategic and operational decisions
• Contribute to the development of corporate procurement policies, tools, and templates, sharing best practice and supporting consistency across the Council

Profile

• Experience of managing complex, high-value procurement activity in a public sector or similarly regulated environment
• Experience in supervising, mentoring, and developing procurement professionals, including setting objectives and supporting delivery
• Demonstrated experience in supporting budget holders and managers in planning and delivering procurement aligned with service delivery and financial targets
• Experience of of embedding and supporting effective contract management practices across services, ensuring performance, compliance, and continuous improvement
• Experience in risk identification and mitigation in procurement and contract management
• Experience of embedding procurement compliance and resolving issues of non-compliance across services
• In-depth knowledge of procurement legislation, including the Public Contracts Regulations (PCRs), Procurement Act 2023, and Procurement Regulations 2024
• Strong understanding of public procurement principles, sourcing strategy, category management, and contract lifecycle management
• Commercial awareness & understanding of budgetary and financial processes

Job Offer

• Salary ranging from 39,865 - 43,270 + 2000 Market Supplement
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• 27 days annual leave rising to 32 with service (plus bank holidays)
• Flexitime (can condense hours to allow for 2 days off per month)
• Flexible working
• Hybrid working (one day per week on site in Matlock)