Category Manager

Job Title: Category Manager

Function: Commercial - Medical Technologies

Hybrid Worker – Expectation is two days per week on site at our Wakefield, Sheffield, Alfreton or Daresbury office

Contract type: 12 Month Fixed Term Contract

Salary: Offered on a starting salary of £47,874 with the potential to increase to £56,322 over the course of three years.

Closing Date: Tuesday, 27th October 2026

NHS Supply Chain currently has an opportunity for a to join our team during an exciting period of transformation, working to make it easier for the NHS to put patients first. 

As a Category Manager, you will lead strategically important programmes and projects that deliver measurable savings, value and improved patient outcomes across the NHS. Working closely with Category Leads and senior stakeholders, you will shape and execute category strategies that support national healthcare priorities, strengthen commercial performance and maximise value for NHS customers.

The role is focused on identifying and delivering opportunities that drive sustainable savings, improve patient outcomes, mitigate supply chain risk and support transformation across the category portfolio. You will lead complex commercial activities, including major framework procurements, market interventions and value-based initiatives, ensuring the category continues to deliver against NHS Supply Chain, NHS England and Department of Health and Social Care priorities.

A key aspect of the role is building and maintaining strong relationships with senior internal and external stakeholders, including NHS England (NHSE), Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Integrated Care Systems (ICSs), Trusts, clinical leaders, suppliers and industry bodies. Through effective engagement and influence, you will ensure category strategies align with customer needs, policy objectives and wider healthcare priorities.

Every day you will … 

• Lead strategic category projects and commercial programmes that deliver significant savings, value and service improvements across the NHS.
• Develop and implement long-term category strategies aligned to NHS Supply Chain, NHSE and DHSC priorities.
• Identify opportunities to optimise product portfolios, routes to market and commercial models to maximise value and patient outcomes.
• Lead complex procurement and framework activities from strategy development through to implementation, ensuring delivery of commercial and operational benefits.
• Build and manage effective relationships with senior stakeholders across NHSE, DHSC, NHS Trusts, clinical networks, suppliers and industry partners.
• Use market intelligence, customer insight and data analytics to identify emerging opportunities, risks and innovation within the category.
• Influence policy, strategy and decision-making through strong stakeholder engagement and evidence-based recommendations.
• Drive supplier collaboration and innovation to improve outcomes, strengthen resilience and support delivery of category objectives.
• Lead initiatives that improve supply chain resilience, mitigate risk and ensure continuity of supply for critical products.
• Support delivery of organisational savings targets and value-creation programmes through effective category leadership and commercial management.
• Champion continuous improvement and best practice, driving greater efficiency and effectiveness across category management activities.

What can we offer you?

We want to reward you for your passion, enthusiasm, and hard work so we offer much more than a competitive salary

• Hybrid working opportunities, giving you the flexibility to work collaboratively in the office and remotely.  
• We recognise our employees' hard work and contributions with annual bonus schemes, long service, and colleague recognition awards.
• 27 days holiday plus bank holidays
• We are dedicated to your development, through in-house training, support, and access to external qualifications to maximise your potential.
• A focus on your well-being offering 1 day of paid well-being leave and free access to the 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
• Generous pension scheme (with us contributing 12% when you contribute 6%)
• Access to our Flexible Benefits Scheme, where you can choose from a variety of benefits such as Life Insurance, Critical Illness Cover, Income Protection, Health Cash Plan, Dental Insurance, and additional pension contributions that suit you.
• 2 days of paid volunteering leave allowing you to give back to your community. 
• Access to many discounts from the Blue Light Card to NHS Discounts.

NHS Supply Chain, who are we?

Our role is to support the NHS to save lives and improve health. We are a part of the NHS family, and our role is to source, deliver and supply healthcare products, services and food for NHS trusts and healthcare organisations across England and Wales. 

We serve every NHS Trust and operate a national network of distribution centres, managing relationships with more than a thousand suppliers and delivering more than 8,000,000 orders each year to more than 17,000 locations. Doing all of this on behalf of the NHS gives NHS staff more time to focus on their main priority of providing excellent patient care.

What skills will help you thrive in this role?

• Delivery of agreed savings, value and efficiency targets.
• Successful implementation of strategic category programmes and frameworks.
• Improved stakeholder engagement and customer satisfaction.
• Strengthened alignment with NHSE and DHSC priorities.
• Increased supplier innovation, resilience and value delivery.
• Demonstrable contribution to improved patient and customer outcomes

Our Inclusive Commitment 

At NHS Supply Chain, we are committed to building an inclusive environment where difference is not only valued, but celebrated, giving everyone the opportunity to thrive in their career. Developing our people is key to our success, so if this role sounds like the right next step in your career but your experience doesn’t match perfectly with the job advert, we encourage you to still apply. 

Struggling to complete our application form, and require additional support? Reach out to our Talent Acquisition team at careers@supplychain.nhs.uk who will be happy to help you with alternative ways to apply.