Role: Senior Category Manager, Head of Professional Services
Contract Length: run until 8/4/21
Location: London
IR35: IN SCOPE
Pay Rate to Candidate: GBP750 a day
Minimum Requirement:
See post below
Security Clearance: SC
Please provide current sponsor and candidates DOB
CV Deadline: Thursday 15th COP
Interview Process: Skype OR F2F

Senior Category Manager, Head of Professional Services

You'll be part of a team of category managers managing common goods and services used throughout the Ministry of Defence. You'll lead the professional services category, this encompasses consultancy, and legal & insurance services; a category of expenditure circa GBP500m per annum. The Ministry is a government department responsible for implementing the defence policy set by Her Majesty's Government, it is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces.

As our professional services Category Manager, you'll primarily be responsible for the category strategy; you'll play a crucial role in delivering this, to do so you'll be supported by our senior commercial officer for professional services. This is a high-profile role, working closely with our Head of Category Management and our Head of Commercial.

Broadly speaking, you'll be a senior leader within the Head Office team; you'll develop relationships with our suppliers and provide clients with insights regarding the category; you'll seek to build long-term strategic plans for development, while overseeing support staff.

Job Purpose
You'll develop and implement the professional services category strategy, based on customer demand, market analysis and engagement with all relevant stakeholder groups;
You'll ensure spend data is consolidated and segmented by category and relevant groupings to inform the on-going development of the category strategy;
You'll provide commercial advice and guidance to category customers, ensuring efficient and effective application of the category strategy in sourcing delivery;
You'll develop category commercial expertise, ensuring the development of knowledge of market trends, innovation, developing commercial models and enhancements in service or product specifications;
You'll provide day-to-day leadership for your category, including commercial controls and reviews, managing resources and category requests';
You'll contribute to the development of effective tools and continuous improvement techniques, actively participate in activities that facilitate the embedding of best practice into Head Office category management activities;
You'll drive innovation and work with the team to consistently review current Commercial processes, policy and governance, and general ways of working to identify opportunities for improvement;

The ideal individual
You'll have strong experience in professional services categories;
An ability to jump into different roles for tactical situations;
Proven track record in professional services procurement;
Confident, articulate and a proactive thinker;
Strong communication and presentation skills;
Team player;
Commercially minded;
Intrinsically motivated with the ability to generate ideas and solutions

Essential skills and experience
Demonstrate excellence in the ability to deliver the category strategy including value and cost savings;
Proven strong stakeholder management throughout all levels of an organisation
Significant experience in Category Management, Contract Management & Commercial Excellence;
Detailed working knowledge of Category Management and the processes to support this;
Proven ability to professionally deal with unexpected issues arising throughout the delivery of complex projects;
Reading and understanding of contractual language;
Gravitas to be able to act as a strategic or tactical lead in front of senior stakeholders;
Clear articulation of the strategy and ability to summarise succinctly often complex principles and logic;
Experience of leading teams and able to transfer knowledge to upskill teams;
Experience of working in a Defence/government environment.