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Job DescriptionOrganisation: Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO) Work Location: Barnsdale Way, Enderby, Leicester, LE19 1ES Salary: £42,498 - £46,344 per annum (pro-rata for part-time)Working Hours: 37 hours per week. Contract Type: PermanentClosing Date: 15th June 2025Interview Date(s): TBCCategory manager 2 available posts for different teams. 1 x Energy team 1 x Place & Environment Are you looking for a rewarding career where you can make a difference in public sector procurement? Are you accustomed to delivering high value strategic procurement projects? Are you a people person with experience of managing staff? About UsFor more than 30 years, ESPO has been one of the UK's largest public sector buying organisations working with a wide variety of suppliers to deliver savings and efficiencies to our customers. With the value of our procurement exceeding £1 billion per annum, our 350 staff are committed to helping public sector customers across the UK - in education, local government, charities and emergency services - to deliver best value. From consultancy services to curriculum products, school meals to cleaning services, ESPO's buyers procure a diverse spectrum of products and services across a number of category areas - Building & Facilities Management, Catalogue, Education, Energy, Environmental Services & Waste Management, Food & Catering, Highways & Vehicles, ICT, Professional Services, and Social Care & Public Health - all offering exciting opportunities for development.About the RoleESPO is looking to appoint an experienced Category Manager to join our team of procurement professionals. As well as managing a specific category and delivering their own portfolio of framework agreement renewals, the successful candidate will need to manage a small team of staff who will either be CIPS (Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply) qualified / working towards the accreditation, or support staff. With experience of conducting public sector procurement being expected, the candidate will be responsible for managing a range of key stakeholders and applying a professional procurement approach to the delivery and management of framework agreements. This role will involve Hybrid working.About YouTo apply for this post, you must have: Extensive experience in purchasing, procurement and supply procedures and processes, including sourcing, tendering, evaluation techniques etc Proven track record of managing a varied workload, completing procurement projects on time and delivering high performance Negotiating and influencing a range of stakeholders including customers, suppliers and collaborative working partners building relationships to achieve results Sound knowledge of procurement processes and the EU procurement legislation, sufficient to advise colleagues, customers and suppliers Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (or committed to working towards achieving) or other professional body Degree or equivalent qualification or equivalent demonstrable experienceWe'd also expect you to share our commitment to our values and will ask you to evidence when you have demonstrated them as part of the interview process.What we offer: Flexible working opportunities and access to employee benefits portal 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays (increasing to 33 after 5 years' service), and a scheme to buy additional leave. Local Government Pension Scheme with a generous employer contribution Great office location next to Fosse Park, with free on-site parking and easy access to M1 and M69.Interested in Flexible Working?We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of ESPO. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below. This may include requests for term-time working, part-time hours, compressed hours, flexible start and finish times, home/remote working, etc. For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:Gareth Smith, Procurement Service Manager Email: gr.smith@ Andrew Stanford, Procurement Service Manager Email: a.stanford@How to ApplyESPO is an inclusive organisation which is on a journey to embed and celebrate equality, diversity, and inclusion at every level. We warmly welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, as having a diverse workforce with different perspectives and ideas is fundamental to our values and enriches the services we offer our customers. We particularly welcome applicants from Ethnically Diverse and LGBTQ+ communities and people with disabilities to create a balanced workforce and one that reflects the customers we serve. Applicants with a disability who meet the criteria listed in the 'About You' section above will be offered an interview under the Disability Confident Employer Scheme.To apply for this job, please click 'Apply Now'. You will need to upload a supporting statement as part of your application which explains how you meet the criteria listed in the 'About You' section above. For more information, see the How to Apply section on our career site.We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post, please contact our Employee Service Centre: applying for this post, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.About UsAbout ESPOWe're a unique organisation, owned by the public sector and sharing their values and ethos, but operating with a commercial edge. As a specialist procurement body, we pride ourselves on establishing procurement solutions that save money for the public sector. View our prospectus to find out more.We have modern, open-plan offices with excellent transport links and a friendly workplace environment. We offer flexible working, a generous holiday entitlement, a contributory pension scheme, training (including professional CIPS qualification) and opportunities to develop your career.ESPO is supported by wide range of roles across many different disciplines including sales, marketing, IT, procurement, finance, operations (warehouse management and transport planning) and customer services. So whether you are interested in a public-facing role or playing your part behind the scenes, ESPO could be the place for you.To learn more about working for ESPO please visit .