Category Specialist - Professional Services £450pd
Location: Reading (minimum 2 days per week on site)
Contract: 6 months, with potential for extension
Rate: £450 per day (umbrella, Inside IR35)
Client: Major Public Sector Organisation
An Interim Category Specialist role, to join a growing Procurement Team, within a major UK organisation operating in a highly regulated and security-conscious environment.
You'll take ownership of a varied portfolio of indirect and professional services spend, supporting procurement activity across areas such as engineering consultancy, project and programme management consultancy, and other specialist professional services.
This is a busy, high-demand category, requiring someone who can confidently juggle multiple priorities, manage stakeholders at all levels and keep procurement activity moving.
What you'll be doing
- Managing end-to-end procurement and tendering activity across professional services and related indirect categories.
- Working closely with stakeholders to understand requirements, shape procurement approaches and deliver commercially sound outcomes.
- Managing multiple projects simultaneously, prioritising effectively in a high-volume environment.
- Providing procurement guidance to stakeholders and confidently handling challenging or complex situations.
- Working with existing frameworks and supporting framework call-offs where appropriate.
- Applying public sector procurement knowledge and best practice to procurement activity.
- Working collaboratively as part of a growing professional services and consultancy procurement team.
Requirements:
- 5+ years' Procurement or Commercial experience.
- Proven experience delivering procurements and tendering exercises.
- Strong professional services procurement experience.
- Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work effectively across different levels of an organisation.
- The ability to manage and prioritise a wide and demanding workload, rather than focusing on just a small number of projects.
- A good understanding of public sector procurement regulations.
- Experience or knowledge of relevant public procurement legislation, including PCR 2015 / UCR and the Procurement Act 2023.
This is a great opportunity to join a team going through an exciting period of growth and development. You'll have the opportunity to broaden your professional services category experience and gain valuable exposure to a complex, highly regulated environment.
Please note: Due to the sensitive nature of this role, candidates will be required to hold, or be able to gain and maintain, valid Security Clearance.
This is an urgent requirement - if interested, please apply asap and any questions, email
Interim Category Specialist - Professional Services £450pd in Reading employer: 1st Executive Ltd Careers
As a leading employer in the procurement sector, we offer a dynamic work environment that fosters collaboration and innovation. Our hybrid working model allows for flexibility while maintaining strong team connections, and we are committed to employee growth through continuous professional development opportunities. Join us to be part of a forward-thinking organisation that values strategic thinking and empowers you to make impactful decisions in a complex procurement landscape.
