Senior Category Manager

Join Police Digital Service as Senior Category Manager (SCM) - Starting salary £75,000

The SCM undertakes allocated high risk, high value contract procurement and related procurement activities including market development, tendering, implementation, and monitoring of procurement contracts. The SCM also provides expert procurement, commercial and legal advice to members of the Company and external forces as required.

About Police Digital Service

Police Digital Service strives to be the go-to partner for technology developments and programmes across UK policing. Our team provides technical advice and delivers services to help policing and law enforcement organisations across the UK prioritise and focus on technology efforts. 

Key responsibilities

• Manage and undertake effective tendering activity for the whole procurement life cycle for high risk, high value ICT related contract procurements, in accordance with PCR 2015; implementation, monitoring and development of existing and new ICT contracts, including negotiating and setting contract specifications.  
• Utilise category management practices to profile, benchmark, research and assess the market. Manage procurement pilots, initiatives and product trials, and undertake market research for new or revised products, in conjunction with ICT stakeholders, and record evaluations and recommendations, gaining customer, and where appropriate, supplier feedback. This is to ensure products are of the appropriate quality and are financially viable/offer best value for use within forces.  
• Manage and develop supplier relationships and on-going negotiations for the assigned portfolio using procurement tools such as cost trend analysis, interpreting complex financial models and supplier performance reviews to monitor the quality and timeliness of goods and services provided. 
• Identify, and where possible mitigate risks, ensuring that all such contracts are operated in accordance within Financial Regulations, Contract Standing Orders, national/EU guidelines and best practice.  
• Manage any assigned Category Managers: provide direction and leadership, undertake staff appraisals, address welfare, capability and disciplinary issues and assist in the training and development of ICT staff. Assure the quality of their work for other allocated procurements.
• Provide advice and training to members of the organisation and those internal stakeholders who are responsible for ensuring contract management.
• Provide a comprehensive range of procurement advice to managers and staff across the Company, ensuring that the integrity and legal implications of procurement policies and activities are fully identified and addressed.
• Engage with the supplier market in developing new products and services via various working groups and programme / project boards for forces.  
• Represent the Company and engage with other parties from the public and private sectors including the Home Office, Crown Commercial Service, Blue Light Commercial Organisation and the major police suppliers, to create procurement/commercial opportunities that will benefit forces.
• Participate in the contract management and the periodic reviews of existing contracts as required. 

What you need to succeed in the role

• Hold MCIPS Level 6 in-line with the CIPS structure guidance or be able to clearly evidence equivalent levels of experience, technical knowledge and expertise by having worked as a leading Procurement professional within ICT Services for a complex, public sector organisation.
• Extensive experience in category management
• Extensive knowledge and understanding of contract law and the application of EU Public Procurement Regulations and legislation is essential.
• Experience of procurement and contract management across the ICT category and a broad, high-level technical understanding of ICT products and services and how technology is advancing.
• Experience of managing staff, preferably across a number of locations. 
• Strong negotiating, influencing, interpersonal and communication skills, as are essential to the role.
• Proven success in working in a political environment with senior stakeholders showing sound judgment and impact.
• Significant experience of translating business needs into commercial procurement strategies.

For a full list of responsibilities and criteria, please refer to the Candidate Pack.

Why Join us?

• Balance is important and we want you to take time off to recharge – we offer 28 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays, rising to 30 days after 5 years of service. Holiday Purchase also available.
• Flexible working hours - We trust you to do your job and we appreciate that life doesn’t always fit around a 9 to 5 workday. We operate core hours of 10 to 4, Monday to Friday (37hr week)
• We care about your well-being – we have an EAP that offers not just welfare benefits but also retail discounts
• Plan for the future – we offer an excellent pension scheme and life assurance cover
• Put your mind at rest regarding your health – offering remote GP, mental health and physiotherapy appointments via video consultation
• Family - Enhanced maternity and paternity pay along with a flexible return to work
• Community - one paid day off per year for volunteering

You can find out more here:
Benefits – Police Digital Service (pds.police.uk)

Diversity, equity and inclusion

We are committed to equal opportunity for all and will not discriminate on any grounds. We encourage applications from people from the widest possible span of experience. We particularly  welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates and people with disabilities.

Working Arrangements

This is a remote role. 

All applicants must be eligible for NPPV3 and SC clearances. Successful applicants will require NPPV3 clearance to have been approved before starting with PDS.