Skip to content

General information

Posting ID
1234
Type of employment
Permanent
Organisation
HS2
Salary Banding MIN
£ 41092
Location
Birmingham
Salary Banding MAX
£ 53178
Workplace Type
Hybrid

Description & Requirements

The Procurement Category Manager will play a key role in improving the on-going performance of the corporate procurement team through a continuous improvement programme.  He/she will provide HS2 with best practice procurement advice in relation to complex disciplines and deliver to completion all assigned projects using their specialist expertise.  

The Procurement Category Manager will support the Senior Procurement Category Manager in managing the expectations of key stakeholders, (Internal Directors/Senior Managers, External Parties; DfT and Cabinet Office (ERG)) and determining strategic and long-term procurement plans are best in class by monitoring day to day business requirements and progress on critical issues.  Finally, the Procurement Category Manager will be required to present to boards and committees, as required, in order to respond to challenge and scrutiny and assist with sourcing approvals of the on-going procurement actions. 

The annual spend on corporate goods and services is estimated at approx. £500m per annum.  The Procurement Category Manager will be responsible for developing procurement strategies and category plans within a range of £1m - £500m.

 

  1. Reporting relationships

This role reports to:

  • Senior Procurement Category Manager

 

Titles of all direct reports to this job:

None

 

Titles of all direct reports to the same line manager:

  • Assistant Procurement Manager

 

  1. Role of Directorate/Department

 

To support the delivery of HS2’s strategic goals by building value adding supply chains with sustainable commercial relationships. To do this we must: -

  • Successfully achieve the award of all contracts required to deliver the construction, testing, commissioning and operation of HS2 in a fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory manner, by the agreed dates (as per Public Procurement Regulations);
  • Provide commercial support and decision-making across all HS2s contracts and manage those contracts to ensure that they deliver the strategic objectives of the project throughout the term of the agreement and deliver demonstrable value for money;
  • Support the delivery of HS2’s strategic goals by building value adding supply chains with sustainable commercial relationships that deliver value and comply with HS2’s obligations set out in the Development Agreement and any associated Undertakings and Assurances;
  • Negotiate Commercial Agreements with third parties, coordinating interfaces and integrating across contracts and suppliers;
  • Ensure that HS2 has the goods and services required by the organisation to guarantee success across each stage of the delivery lifecycle.

 

  1. Accountabilities
  • The Procurement Category Manager will lead cross-functional teams covering a portfolio of specific spend categories and is accountable for the delivery of all procurement projects with the categories. In particular:

 

  • Develop and lead a team (direct and indirect reports) to deliver savings opportunities for an assigned portfolio, ensuring that objectives and success criteria are identified and delivered in line with client expectations;
  • Understand key commercial drivers and commercial success criteria for procurements
  • Establish appropriate demand management processes across HS2 to ensure that the full benefits of the category strategy are delivered. Maintain the strategy in-line with demand side or supply side changes as they occur;
  • Lead the identification and implement innovative sourcing approaches to the delivery of projects in order to enhance levels of service and minimize costs, ensuring compliance with the overall HS2 strategy and seek to safeguard contractual and commercial risk;
  • Provide category and strategic sourcing insight to enable HS2 to make informed choices about the way in which its expenditure is deployed, and drive more value from more effective processes and or external providers;
  • Lead the development of positive relationships with HS2 Senior Managers/ stakeholders to raise awareness of the benefits of a strategic approach to spend;
  • Identify, develop and prepare business cases, reports, committee items and present to the appropriate internal and external stakeholders;
  • Drive the delivery of HS2 themes and goals into all procurement strategies, tender documents and evaluation processes leading into demonstrable measurement of performance through the life of the contract(s);
  • Promote importance of procurement across business units and best practice through continuous improvement so that procurement processes are effective in delivering HS2’s objectives;
  • Participate in team meetings for procurement to provide specialist guidance and enable the implementation of policy, projects and change initiatives;
  • Advise on applicable procurement legislation and developments, applicable government policies and procurement routes; to ensure that all HS2 activities are comply with regulations;
  • Actively promote and embed Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work, and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI.

 

  1. Required criteria

Skills

  • Ability to manage multiple work streams in business-critical areas, at different stages of development
  • Internal and external stakeholder engagement skills to build relationships with colleagues internal to HS2 Ltd, but also partners across wider industry and Government;
  • Ability to support market testing activities to determine best fit service provision;
  • Skilled in compiling category plans, tender and commercial documents;
  • Ability to be a conduit for information, assessing and disseminating across various locations;
  • Report writing skills, presenting, commercial analysis and negotiating skills;
  • Communication skills along with the confidence to interface with senior colleagues and stakeholders internal and external to HS2 Ltd;
  • Ability to view and convey the role of procurement as a facilitator and conduit to progress and results, rather than an obstacle;
  • Ability to drive excellence in staff leadership and management skills;

 

 

Knowledge 

  • Understanding of supply market for corporate services including complex professional consultancy services and other indirect specialist activities relating to infrastructure projects;
  • Membership of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply or equivalent
  • Awareness of government initiatives and policies with ability to assess relevancy and defend applicability;
  • Knowledge of the Public Procurement Regulations;
  • Knowledge of working with or for publicly funded bodies including central government departments;
  • Knowledge of different forms of contract and risk allocation

 

Experience 

  • Experience of undertaking procurements using different pricing/risk options dependent on desired outcome and market conditions; 
  • Experience in cultivating relationships with suppliers;
  • Experience in motivating, and leading a team of procurement professionals alongside peers and other senior managers within HS2 Ltd;
  • Experience of procuring large value complex and/or specialist contracts and savings to a public sector organisation through effective category management;
  • Experience in leading teams, managing/coaching numerous staff in their career development

 

Behavioural Competencies:

 

The post-holder is expected to behave at all times in a manner consistent with HS2 company values.

 

The HS2 Behavioural competency Framework can be accessed via the following link:

https://assets.hs2.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/26103923/Behavioural-framework.png

 

  1. Decision making

 

  • Compilation of category plans, invitation to tender documents, instructions, evaluation plans and reports relating to procurement activities for corporate and indirect activities;
  • Presentation of businesses cases to the commercial panel for tender and procurement activities for corporate and indirect activities procurement strategy in excess of £25m;
  • Formal communication during the procurement processes;
  • Developing and implementing procurement policy, plans and strategies and their templates;
  • Supplier selection;
  • Exercising contractual authority on behalf of HS2 Ltd within delegated limits.

 

  1. Dimensions

 

No direct line management.  Indirect leadership of cross-functional teams for procurement activities.

 

  1. Key contacts

 

  • External suppliers
  • Procurement Category Lead
  • Senior Procurement Category Manager 
  • Client Delivery teams – Ensuring procurement activities meet business requirements in terms of cost and programme.
  • Legal Team – seeking legal advice
  • HS2 Supply Chain Partners

 

  1. Complexity

 

The annual spend on corporate goods and services is estimated at approx. £500m per annum.  The Procurement Category Manager will be responsible for developing procurement strategies and category plans within a range of £1m - £500m.

 

Apply