Category Manager in Leeds

Vico Homes is built on the foundations of WDH. Due to upcoming retirements, we are looking for two Category Managers to join our Procurement Team. A home is more than four walls and a roof. It should be a safe place, a place to start things, a place of opportunities, a place to grow, and a place where you feel you belong. These are the places we provide for today and for the future. This is what marks us out as one of the leading players in the social housing sector. We have over 32,000 homes across the north of England, home to tens of thousands of people. And people are at the centre of what we do.

Our people are approachable and professional, but we're not afraid to be optimistic and show our passion for what we do to support our customers. We share a common vision, acting confidently to ensure we remain at the forefront of making it happen. Together, we're building better futures and vibrant communities.

About the role

As the Category Manager, your manager will be our Senior Category Manager. You will work 37 hours a week on a permanent basis, working flexibly in the Vico Homes operating area based at our Head Office in Castleford. As the Category Manager, you will be responsible for supporting the strategic management of key procurement categories, delivering value for money, social value, and compliant procurement outcomes across the organisation.

You will work in conjunction with colleagues, the Senior Category Manager, and Head of Procurement in the delivery of an effective procurement function for Vico Homes, excelling in compliance, governance, best practice, and in accordance with Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and the Procurement Act 2023.

What you'll do

• Be responsible for the management of medium to high value, high risk, and complex projects and contracts, as required, to ensure regulatory and contractual compliance, identify and manage risks that may arise through the operation of the contract, and implement robust financial and operational controls which maximise Performance, Value for Money, and Social Value.
• Support and manage Vico Homes procurement categories and procurement systems, developing category procurement and sourcing plans to maximise spend leverage and deliver bottom line efficiencies and value for money, whilst managing commercial and financial risk and meeting legislative and regulatory requirements.
• Work in conjunction with the Senior Category Manager in developing commercial and operational purchasing strategies and pipelines, ensuring optimal supplier performance, value for money, and migration of risk in line with legislation and regulation.
• Develop strong relationships with a wide range of stakeholders to understand service needs and provide commercial advice.

What we're looking for

• MCIPS or part qualified status (minimum Level 4) with continued active study.
• Experience of sourcing a wide portfolio of different goods and services for medium to high value projects.
• In-depth knowledge of Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and Procurement Act 2023.
• The ability to work through complex problems with the minimum of supervision and to think critically, constructively, and productively as an individual and in cooperation with others.
• A customer-focused and collaborative approach to working with a wide range of stakeholders from within and outside Vico Homes.

For more information or an informal chat about the role or working for Vico Homes, please contact Matt Peters, Head of Procurement, or Mark Whitehouse, Senior Category Manager.

Working for Vico Homes

Want to work in a place that values you? Where you're offered a competitive salary and a great pension? And where you can make a real difference? You're in the right place! We have a strong and inclusive culture and we're always on the lookout for talented and dedicated people to be part of our teams. You spend a lot of your waking hours at work, so we offer a workplace where you can really be yourself, feel valued, and access opportunities to progress and develop. We are recognised as a disability confident employer and have the Investors in People accreditation.

Working at Vico Homes brings lots of great benefits, including:

• Holidays - 26 days holiday (rising to 31 after five years' service) and an extra day off on your birthday, plus bank holidays and an Annual Leave Purchase Scheme.
• Pension - generous employer pension contribution.
• Flexible working - we're happy to talk flexible working, including our WorkSmart approach to hybrid working, reduced hours, compressed hours, or other flexible working patterns.
• Vico Homes Rewards - a fantastic range of lifestyle savings and salary sacrifice schemes including cycle to work, home electronics, and our car benefit scheme.
• Colleague wellbeing - a range of initiatives to support our people including an Employee Assistance Programme, Volunteering Scheme, and dedicated Wellbeing Champions.
• Colleague development - a range of initiatives to support personal development including training, support with professional membership fees, internal and external qualifications, mentoring, and personal coaching.

How to apply and what happens next

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all. Read the job description, person specification, and guidance notes below. You'll receive an automatic reply to let you know we've received your application. We'll then score all the applications against the person specification and contact you to let you know if we're inviting you to interview. If you have any questions about a career at Vico Homes, you can contact us by email.