Senior Strategic Category Management Lead x2 - Technology and Facilities

Senior Strategic Category Management Lead-Technology and Facilities

The Bank is a diverse organisation, and each of its 5,000 people are committed to public service and dedicated to promoting the good of the people of the United Kingdom by maintaining monetary and financial stability.

The Bank spends approximately £300m annually on third party goods and services via contracts procured through the central Procurement Division. This expenditure is committed over a wide variety of categories that include ground breaking technology and payments systems that service over £675bn of payments every single day, activities required to maintain a Grade 1 listed building, and the specialist contracts required to print and distribute bank notes.

To enhance leadership and coordination of the Bank's commercial activities, the Procurement Division is adopting a Strategic Category Management (SCM) approach. We are seeking experienced commercial professionals to lead this initiative. A Senior SCM Lead will oversee all commercial delivery within the Technology category, embedding best practices, engaging senior stakeholders, developing strategies, managing sourcing pipelines, and ensuring contract outcomes align with strategic goals. Leading a team of 10-15, the ideal candidate will have deep expertise in the technology category, public sector procurement, and the Procurement Act 2023/Public Contracts Regulations 2015. This role reports directly to the Head of Strategic Category Management.

Job Description

To better lead and coordinate the Bank's commercial activities, it has been decided that the Procurement Division will pivot to embrace a Strategic Category Management ("SCM") approach,and we are seeking experience commercial professionals to lead the development and implementation of this new initiative.

This new SCM approach will be led by a Senior Strategic Category Management Lead, responsible for all aspects of commercial delivering within the Technology category, and for embedding SCM best practice into the Bank. The role will encompass engaging with senior stakeholders to developing commercial category strategies for all area of strategic spend within the Technology category; staying abreast of market capability and future trends to assess the deliverability of what has been proposed; overseeing the delivery of a complex pipeline of strategic sourcing activities required to create the correct contractual estate and then and overseeing the management of key strategic contracts, to ensure that the outcomes and benefits envisaged during the planning and tendering phases are delivered through the contract terms.

Responsible for a team of 10-15 commercial professionals, these individuals will have in-depth knowledge of the technology category that they will lead, including a full understanding of the current commercial landscape and the opportunities for future developments and innovation. They will also have significant experience in leading public sector commercial teams, developing category management best practice, operating complex sourcing exercises in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023 and the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and managing key strategic contracts and supplier relationships

This role will report directly to the Bank's Head of Strategic Category Management.

This is a people management role. You will be responsible for day to day management of a team of 15 staff and for defining roles and responsibilities. You will develop your team through sharing information effectively, coaching and communicating a clear vision to ensure that your staff are productive, engaged and motivated to deliver the area's aims. This will include setting clear goals and smart stretching objectives that are aligned to those of the team, division and directorate. You will also be responsible for managing all staff-related matters that may arise including performance, absence and sickness.

Number of direct reports: 5

Responsibilities

The responsibilities for this role will be to support the Head of Strategic Category Management establish thew new SCM capability by taking on responsibility for one of the Bank's Strategic categories of spend

Each of the new Senior Strategic Category Management Leads responsibilities will include

• leading a team of 10-15 public sector commercial professionals, responsible for delivering the sourcing and strategic contracting activities required to deliver the outcomes of the Category Strategies

• engaging with senior stakeholders responsible for each area of strategic spend within their Category to understand their current supplier and commercial landscape, future and strategic objectives that, when coupled with market data and trends, will be used to create medium- and long-term category strategies for each area,

• providing commercial and specialise category insight and challenge to senior partners on alternative delivery methodologies and contract models available with supplier markets to craft the Bank's category strategies,

• supporting the development of a coordinated pipeline of the Bank's future procurements, both tactical and strategic that will collectively deliver the commercial landscape that will underpin the delivery of the commercial strategies,

• overseeing the management of the Bank's strategic contracts within each category to ensure both their individual performance and that they contribute to the objectives of the respective category strategy,

• supporting the development of appropriate relationships with Bank's key, strategic suppliers and coordinating senior bank representative engagement,

• ensuring that the category strategy and all commercial activity undertaken to deliver it follows Bank policy and the relevant legislative regime, including the new Procurement Act 2023,

• collaborating with the supplier management team to embed third party risk management controls into the deliver and management of the category strategy,

• working with experts to support the implementation of the Bank's sustainability and ESG policies into the Bank's contracts and supply chain,

• align with the commercial function's efficient and consistent use of eProcurement systems, in line with the defined workflows (aligned to internal policy), and

• acting as a role model in the Bank including modelling listening and asking for feedback in a positive and professional manner.

Minimum Criteria

• Extensive knowledge of new and emerging trends within the technology supplier market and supply chain, with a record of using this knowledge to deliver value and new benefits to an organisation

• Experience of strategic category management best practice within a similarly complex organisation.

• Significant proven record of delivering sophisticated category strategies within a public sector environment.

• Experience of supplier relationship management technique and using these to build long-term, strategic partnerships with key suppliers, within the public sector procurement environment

• Experience in crafting sophisticated delivery pipelines of sourcing activities to support the delivery of the category strategy, including the use of innovative commercial and procurement models, in compliance with public sector procurement legislation and regulation.

• Strong partner leadership skills and assertiveness, with ability to challenge.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of working within a Public Contract Regulations 2015/Procurement Act 2023 controlled environment

• MCIPS qualification (or equivalent Commercial experience)

• Effective interpersonal skills, ability to build rapport and constructive relationships.

• Demonstrable influencing skills

• Excellent management skills and experience

• Excellent written and oral communications skills, with the ability to present and communicate clearly and succinctly at all levels.

• Self-motivation, with the ability to work both on your own initiative and as part of a team.

Bank Behaviours

In addition to the role requirements outlined above, the holder of this role is expected to act and behave in line with the following behaviours:

• Customer focus

• Business acumen

• Evidence based decision-making

As well as the Bank of England behaviours:

Act Inclusively

• Acting inclusively

• Earn trust

• Embrace differences

• Inspire purpose

Drive Growth

• Courage

• Demonstrate self-awareness

• Develop talent

Deliver Outcomes

• Developing vision

• Achieve results

Our Approach to Inclusion

The Bank values diversity, equity and inclusion. We play a key role in maintaining monetary and financial stability, and to do that effectively, we believe we need a workforce that reflects the society we serve.

At the Bank of England, we want all colleagues to feel valued and respected, so we're working hard to build an inclusive culture which supports people from all backgrounds and communities to be at their best at work. We celebrate all forms of diversity, including (but not limited to) age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status . click apply for full job details