Category Manager (Manager & Senior Manager)

The NHS is entering a critical period of reform, with increasing pressure to deliver value and sustainability across complex provider and system environments. Procurement has a pivotal role to play in enabling this change; delivering financial savings, supporting service transformation and strengthening supplier and stakeholder relationships.

As a Category Manager or Senior Category Manager, you will lead category management and strategic sourcing activity across defined areas of clinical and non-clinical spend. You will work closely with NHS provider clients to identify opportunities, shape commercial strategies, deliver savings and support sustainable improvements in service delivery. You will work closely with budget holders, operational, clinical, and finance stakeholders to identify opportunities, deliver value for money and make a difference to frontline healthcare services.

Attain offers a genuinely different proposition to traditional consultancies. We are a values-led organisation with a strong mix of public sector values and private sector thinking. Our customers value our ability to deliver tangible results as opposed to merely advising. A high proportion of our people have worked directly within the NHS, giving us real credibility with clients. Our teams work shoulder-to-shoulder with long-term NHS partners to deliver tangible savings, improve services and make a lasting impact.

We are deeply people-focused, investing heavily in career development, learning and leadership, with clear opportunities to progress within our business and into senior roles leading projects, care sectors and/or portfolios. As a growing business, Attain offers exposure to varied, high-impact work, meaningful responsibility, and the chance to shape how we operate. We reward contribution and performance, foster a supportive and inclusive culture, and place real value on doing the right thing, for our people, our clients and the communities they serve.

In this role you will be responsible for:

• Developing category strategies based on spend analysis, demand management, market insights and organisational priorities (clinical and non-clinical categories)
• Identifying savings, efficiencies, service improvements, and risk reduction opportunities
• Understanding supplier markets and using insight to inform sourcing strategies, procurement routes, specification development and how to drive best value
• Making sure that category plans translate into practical delivery projects that deliver impact
• Reducing in-year contract spend for contracts that are live.
• Leading end-to-end procurement processes from early market engagement through to award and mobilisation
• Providing procurement leadership for clients, including leading different spend categories
• Operating effectively in hybrid delivery models, with regular on-site presence within Provider Trusts
• Ensuring robust governance, delivery discipline and stakeholder confidence
• Providing expert advice and leadership on procurement compliance (Procurement Act 2023 / Provider Selection Regime / NHS Procurement policy / NHS Standard T&Cs)

You will demonstrate:

• Strong leadership skills, with the confidence to work autonomously and make sound decisions
• A customer-focussed and outcome-led mindset
• A passion for delivering savings for the public sector
• Agile and adaptable ways of working
• The ability to prioritise short-term and long-term initiatives aligned to organisational priorities
• Excellent risk management approach with a balance between outcomes/timescales and process/compliance
• A strong action-orientation and delivery focus
• Resilience in challenging environments
• Clear, confident communication skills at all levels
• A commitment to team development and capability building

You will work closely with:

• Clinical leaders
• Operational teams
• Budget holders
• Executive and senior leaders

The role will be in an NHS provider. The working environment is:

• Fast-paced, dynamic and often pressurised
• Frequently operating in turnaround or financial recovery contexts
• Requires resilience, adaptability and pace
• There is a high degree of focus on delivering cost savings either tactically or strategically

You will bring:

• Category management expertise and experience
• Demonstrable delivery against challenging financial savings targets
• Experience of introducing innovative approaches, processes and ways of working
• A clear personal track record of delivery, impact and procurement leadership
• The ability to analyse spend, contracts, pricing models and supplier proposals

Successful candidates will be able to evidence:

• Delivery of material financial savings
• Making and owning difficult decisions
• Being visible with strong senior-level engagement and communication skills
• Effective deployment of category management and strategic sourcing practices
• Ability to provide assurance, through delivery and management of others, to senior leaders

We are looking for candidates who have:

• A track record of delivering financial savings
• MCIPS desirable; relevant procurement experience essential
• Led or supported procurement categories
• Delivered full lifecycle procurement projects

A track record of delivering multi-million £ financial savings

• MCIPS desirable; significant relevant procurement experience essential
• Led one or more large / complex procurement categories end-to-end
• Delivered full lifecycle procurement projects
• Private sector experience advantageous
• A strong strategic and organisational knowledge

You will be:

• Motivated by clear targets and accountability
• Aligned to Attain's values-led culture
• Comfortable being held to account for outcomes and savings
• Bringing a competitive mindset, proactively identifying opportunities to create value, improve outcomes and strengthen our clients' commercial position
• Comfortable challenging the status quo, spotting commercial openings and acting with pace to convert ideas into tangible results
• Innovative, demonstrate curiosity and have passion for the category you lead
• Pragmatic and challenge unnecessary process and avoid procurement for procurement's sake; focuses on what adds value and keeps activity proportionate, compliant and aligned to the desired outcomes
• Relentless in identifying and pursuing saving opportunities and improvements
• Calm, credible and assured under pressure
• Commercial mindset
• Highly analytical, be able to interpret data and have strong problem-solving skills

The benefits include:

• Competitive salary
• Performance/profit-based annual bonus of up to 10%
• 27 days of annual leave, plus bank holidays
• 6% employer contribution pension scheme
• Company-paid subscription to a professional body
• Hybrid working but also opportunities to work in coworking spaces
• A suite of learning tools to support continuing professional development
• Experience a rich variety of delivery projects across different care areas

At Attain our culture and company values promote a supportive and inclusive environment where our employees' differences are nurtured to enable everyone to reach their full potential. We are committed to a culture where respect and understanding is fostered, and the diversity of people's backgrounds and circumstances are positively valued as they enable Attain to continually bring creativity and innovation to our clients work and internally. Our recruitment process reflects this commitment, focusing on skills, capabilities, and experience to ensure fairness and equity at every step.