Senior Category Manager in Belfast

STRATEGIC UNIT: Procurement and Corporate Services

RESPONSIBLE TO: Head of Supplies and Services Procurement

The Senior Category Manager will assist the Head of Supplies and Services to ensure the successful implementation of a compliant, consistent and professional Procurement Service within EA. The Senior Category Manager will be responsible for providing specialist informed, professional, expert procurement advice and guidance; developing and leading a procurement category to ensure VFM and best practice procurement and contribute to the enhancement of procurement standards across the Category Management structure to ensure continuing CoPE accreditation and maintain full compliance with Northern Ireland Public Procurement Policy (NIPPP), Procurement Policy Notes and Department of Finance Sourcing Toolkit. They will be responsible for managing and leading staff.

Main duties and responsibilities:

• Setting Vision and Strategy: Working with the Head of Supplies and Service to establish, maintain and communicate a clear and compelling strategic direction for the service and category responsibility. Contribute to the development of a strategic plan for the Service and the development of the service-specific business plan. Translate the Corporate vision into service-specific direction and category strategy. Contribute to the development and implementation of new policies in line with strategic direction. Challenge conventional approaches, harness new approaches and technology and maximise efficiencies.
• Managing the Organisation to Deliver: Manage specialist areas delivery effectively to ensure that the service achieves the highest possible standards of performance and focuses on the needs of internal and external customers. Agree service performance targets with the Head of Supplies and Services and provide regular progress reports. Assist in the development agree and implement a robust annual operational plan for the service. Delegate responsibilities and deploy staff according to their skills and abilities to meet the needs of the service. Regularly monitor and review plans and make adjustments as required. Manage and continuously improve the service and specialist category to ensure delivery against performance targets, and to ensure that best value for money is achieved. Ensure that the service and specialist category contributes to overall Directorate and Corporate performance as appropriate, and provide update reports as required. Ensure that the Head of Supplies and Services and customers receives high quality service-specific advice. Apply resources effectively across specialist categories to maximise the delivery of front-line services. Consider the financial implications relating to effective models of service delivery, and contribute to the successful achievement of the Savings Delivery Plan. Ensure compliance with relevant legal, regulatory and statutory performance requirements. Manage the service and category procurement expenditure budget in accordance with all relevant financial policy and procedures. Follow agreed measures to deliver the service within budget, and take immediate corrective action as required. Contribute effectively to quality and performance management systems and ensure that the service is being managed as per the requirements of these systems. Ensure that employees within the service/specialist category team are provided with clear structure, roles and responsibilities and are supported to work in an integrated way. Focus on addressing key workforce issues including recruitment, employee engagement, retention and training and development. Investigate all complaints and adverse incidents where outcomes are below expected standards. Establish effective and rigorous quality assurance systems to maintain high standards.
• Leadership: Work closely with the Head of Supplies and Service to provide the service with leadership and direction ensuring that corporate, directorate and service performance standards are achieved. Promote the ethos and values of the authority and ensure that the service is focused on customer needs. Foster a culture that supports achievement of the authority’s Strategic Plan by role modelling core values and leadership behaviours to staff in the service. Lead/manage and communicate change and improvement initiatives within the service/specialist area. Lead, manage and develop staff within the service/specialist area. Encourage staff involvement and engagement in the strategic development and operational delivery of the service/specialist area. Actively encourage teamwork and self-development, and create opportunities to maximise individuals’ potential, stimulate innovation and connection at all levels with front line services. Promote a positive culture of performance management within the service through individual and small-team accountability. Foster a culture of constructive feedback and learning, and a genuine commitment to regular and effective appraisals. Prepare and deliver reports on behalf of the Authority as required.
• Building Relationships and Working with Others: Build and maintain effective, professional and respectful stakeholder relationships. Ensure efficient and effective internal communication with staff in the service/specialist area. Work closely with partner organisations, Head of Supplies and Services/Head of Commercial Procurement Services and colleagues to benchmark services and lead/manage and monitor change. Build and maintain effective working relationships and clear lines of communication with other Heads of Service/Assistant Directors within the Directorate and in other Directorates. Develop and maintain clear lines of communication and effective working partnerships with relevant external stakeholders and service user groups. Lead on/manage engagement with staff, schools and the public on major changes in the service/specialist category that may affect them. Work with external agencies; for example, education sector partner organisations, to identify opportunities for joint working that might bring greater consistency across the sector, and/or improve efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery.
• Job specific duties: Contributing to and supporting the delivery of EA Corporate objectives in relation to procurement; playing a major role in developing and implementing the EA’s Corporate Procurement Strategy, Procedures and Procurement Plan. Lead, develop, implement and monitoring category plans and category strategies and associated procedure and documentation in line with best practice and gain stakeholder engagement to plans. Developing Procurement Strategies and Policies within an EA Procurement Category and leading in the implementation of same. Managing an EA Procurement category function(s); to include planning and allocation of work to staff, providing leadership in the development of policies and plans, in line with the EA’s strategic and corporate planning objectives. Managing and supporting the implementation of Procurement Strategies by the production and delivery of comprehensive Action Plans, translating corporate and strategic objectives into realistic, achievable and time-bounded goals. Ensuring implementation of standardized procurement procedures and documentation to maintain a compliant, professional procurement function. Lead, develop, implement, manage and monitor the quality and productivity of the category, with management information and/or KPIs to support the achievement of objectives. Developing procurement strategies for the category as a whole and also for each individual tender requirement within the scope of the category. Proactively engaging in regular market sounding to establish feasibility, capacity, capability and encouraging innovation. Developing, implement and monitor contract management and supplier relationship management strategies as integral aspects of procurement activity across the categories. Proactively manage and monitor supplier performance in line with PPNs, Contract Management protocol, contractual terms and conditions and KPIs. Review, development and dissemination of good practice, keeping abreast with relevant case law and developments in Procurement. Ensuring mandatory use of eTendersNI for the procurement category. Where opportunities for collaboration exist, proactively work in conjunction with CPD and other CoPEs to drive the efficiency agenda. Plan and manage the workload and category specific procurement pipeline – linking to the wider EA procurement pipeline and achievement of deadlines for contract implementation. Analyse requests for DACs and provide advice to Head of Supplies and Services and Head of Commercial Procurement Services. Provide accurate, professional and expert advice, guidance, training and support to Board Members, EA staff and schools/customers/end-users on all Procurement matters ensuring awareness of and compliance with Procurement legislation. Ensuring that all Procurement staff are aware of and comply with Procurement policies, procedures and processes which underpin Procurement within the organisation. Build partnerships/networks with other Departments, schools, Government bodies, industry sector bodies and external service providers, for the establishment of mechanisms to share and improve Procurement information and services. Focus on building relationships with the supply chain; early market engagement, encouraging innovation. Liaising with Procurement professionals internally and externally; working co-operatively to ensure consistent and coherent approaches towards Procurement practices across all EA categories. Implementing and communicating the EA’s Procurement strategy and policies as they relate to the work of other sections.

This job description will be subject to review in light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works. Other duties of a similar nature and appropriate to the grade may be assigned from time to time.

In accordance with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act (1998), the post-holder is expected to promote good relations, equality of opportunity and pay due regard for equality legislation at all times.