Category Manager – Construction

Are you an experienced Construction Category Manager who is looking for a new challenge? Do you have experience of leading Construction-related procurement programmes for a large-scale complex organisation? Can you build and maintain effective relationships at a senior level both internally and externally to support the procurement strategy?

We are seeking to recruit a Construction Category Manager into our Procurement team. The Category Manager role plays a key role in the purchasing department within the Finance Division at Imperial College London that has responsibility for leading and managing all purchasing activities across College.

Duties and responsibilities

As a Category Manager (Construction), you will lead and manage the procurement and category management on a College-wide basis of Construction-related projects including New Builds, Refurbishments, fit outs and other related projects as required.

You will be responsible in developing and managing a wide variety of College-wide contracts that provide best value for money and are linked to performance improvements to ensure that resources are deployed in the most efficient, economic, and effective manner.

You will also provide professional procurement advice and consultation to senior managers and departments, from initial sourcing strategy through to the development and drafting of technical specifications, competitive tendering, supplier evaluation and selection, and contract management and monitoring.

In addition to the above, you will advise senior managers of issues that might affect their operational and financial strategies, and be a lead on securing commitment from the purchasing community to support the College’s objectives to enable the delivery of procurement savings and achievement of operational and financial strategies. You will also manage the procurement process for all Construction related contracts (including the use of consortiums where appropriate) from establishing requirements through sourcing, negotiation, and contract management.

Essential requirements

• Degree level or equivalent in-depth experience
• A registered full Member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (MCIPS) or equivalent in the Construction field
• Have in-depth Construction category management experience
• Extensive and significant procurement experience working in a complex environment in either the public or private sector
• Significant experience and knowledge of managing senior level contract negotiations with large suppliers and customers
• Demonstrable experience of managing procurement programmes and projects delivering a significant change
• Highly developed analytical and problem solving skills with high levels of attention to detail
• Ability to advise and influence senior managers in relation to data/ information and decisions they must take
• Highly developed communication skills with the ability to impart complex, sensitive and specialist information that may be highly contentious to diverse audiences
• Well developed negotiation, persuasive, facilitating, and influencing skills and ability to think strategically

Further information

This is a full time and open-ended position, and you will be based in the South Kensington Campus.

Due to the nature of this role we will be shortlisting candidate as applications are received. We therefore reserve the right to close this vacancy as soon as a suitable candidate has been appointed. It is therefore advisable that you submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

Candidates are required to complete an online application.

The College is currently trialling a Work Location Framework until early 2023.  Hybrid working may be considered for this role and the role holder may be expected to work 60% or more of their time onsite, with 40% the minimum time spent onsite.  The opportunity for hybrid working will be discussed at interview.

Documents