Category Manager

Category Manager Closing date

The closing date is 28 November 2025

This is a chance for you to cement your own reputation, as the Procurement team is starting to flourish, enjoying greater visibility and influence within the organisation and across the region. This will be vital in embedding more consistency and accountability in procurement and commissioning activity across the hospital. You'll work closely with colleagues across the hospital and across the South West London Acute Provider Collaborative to review current practice, identify areas to develop and achieve better value for money which we can be re invested into patient care. The ability to adapt quickly to the context of the NHS is important - we'll want you to be proactive in engaging with other service areas and to be able to ask the right questions around how goods and services are currently procured.

We are looking for individuals who are strong communicators, with excellent analytical skills, a methodical approach, who strive for ownership, who want to engage with and influence a large array of stakeholders, and make a difference to patient care.

Main duties of the job

As the Clinical Category Manager, you will provide a proactive category management and procurement service to the 4 Trusts across South West London, covering strategic advice and operational matters, operating as a recognised, trusted and influential business partner and ensuring that the service is efficient, cost effective and responsive to the changing needs of South West London and wider NHS.

This role also involves you delivering demonstrable cash releasing savings annually as part of the services' cost improvement programmes and meeting key performance and efficiency targets.

About us

St George's Hospital is one of four major trauma centres for London, and home to hyper acute stroke and heart attack centres. We operate one of London's four helipads, which means that we treat some of the most unwell and severely injured patients from across the south of England. We are one of London's largest children's hospitals, with one of only four paediatric trauma units in London.

Job responsibilities

Please find attached the detailed information within the job description and person specification for review.

Person Specification Qualification & Education

• Membership of Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply CIPS Level 6
• MCIPS, or NVQ Level 4
• Evidence of continuous professional development

Experience

• Significant experience of multicommodity and services procurement experience
• Significant experience as recognised negotiator, and experience in a lead role
• Significant experience of corporate contracting and management of commercial affairs
• Experienced in producing and understanding business plans, reports, contracts and service level agreements
• Experience of working in a customer focused environment
• Advanced complex negotiation and contracting experience and demonstrable record of high achievement against set targets
• Significant Procurement experience in Healthcare services provision in UK Private sector or International sector
• Significant experience of managing Procurement personnel
• Experience of working within the NHS and an understanding of current issues

Personality Requirements

• Committed to increasing the profile of Procurement within the Services
• Committed to business service provision
• Dedicated, assertive, persuasive and ethical
• Self-confident and motivated
• Ability to operate and guide in high pressure environment

Knowledge and Skills

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong persuasion and influencing skills.
• Ability to lead and implement change in a challenging environment.
• Thorough understanding of commercial issues and purchasing techniques including the rules and policies governing public sector procurement
• Ability to manage and coordinate large and complex projects involving multiple personnel from different organisations.
• Ability to analyse and evaluate data and make recommendations on the best value options for procurement and supply.
• Ability to manage multiple contracts to ensure best value for money and high service level
• Knowledge of software packages to produce correspondence, charts; graphs and presentations.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Excel to an advanced level to produce graphs; mathematical and logical formulas.
• Understanding of Global Healthcare Market

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer name

St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

St Georges University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

2nd Floor Wandle Annex, St George's Hospital, Blackshaw Road

Salary

£64,156 to £71,148 a year pro rata inclusive of HCAS (Inner)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

200-NN A&C-Z

Job locations

St Georges University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

2nd Floor Wandle Annex, St George's Hospital, Blackshaw Road