The South West Police Procurement Service (SWPPS) has an exciting new opportunity for a Category Manager to join their regional team of experts delivering procurement services to the five Police Forces in the South West. It is a fantastic time to join the team as it continues to grow and deliver value for money through the procurement lifecycle, having a positive impact on the policing service we provide to our communities. The team is almost thirty strong and are responsible for over 500 contracts with a spend of circa £350m.
Procurement in policing is varied and includes works, goods, and services that support operational policing. As a Category Manager you will strategically lead on the SWPPS approach to managing and delivering successful regional procurement in identified key sub-categories whilst applying a sound knowledge of public procurement law with an understanding of broad political, economic, and legislative trends.
The role is expected to facilitate, mediate and in some cases lead on national collaborative agreements, requiring a political awareness and ability to understand formal and informal politics at regional and national level. You will also lead an experienced procurement team.
Applicants should be able to demonstrate a strong commercial acumen with a graduate Level CIPS qualification (MCIPS), a Degree Level Qualification, or significant commercial experience at a senior level with department accountability. Desirable:
Prince 2, MSP, Management of Risk
This is a hybrid working role with flexibility to work from home and/or one of the five Police Headquarters in the South West region (Exeter, Portishead, Gloucester, Devizes, Winfrith). There is an expectation to attend occasional onsite meetings within the region.
It is a full-time position however part-time hours are also considered.
This is a great opportunity not only to join one of Policing’s largest procurement teams and gain from all the benefits that brings, but ultimately contribute to operational policing and make a positive difference to the communities we serve.
Assessment
The first assessment will be online via an external provider SHL. This will assess your numerical and verbal reasoning. The pass mark for the assessment is 30 percentile.
The second assessment will be by way of a face to face presentation, which the candidates will need to prepare before the interview date, a briefing will be provided once successful at the online assessment. This will then be followed by a structured interview.
