Job Description

**Please note: this is a fixed term opportunity to cover maternity leave, available from 02nd March 2026 for up to 12 months**
Are you passionate about procurement and motivated by making a difference?
This is an exciting time to join Barnardo's. Our new three-year strategy puts children, young people, and families at the heart of everything we do. Our newly revised Procurement function is a critical enabler of this strategy - ensuring our resources are managed sustainably and effectively so that we can continue to change childhoods and change lives.
This is where you come in.
We are seeking an experienced Category Manager to join our growing team and help shape the implementation of a category management approach across the organisation. You will play a key role in ensuring the delivery of high-impact, value-for-money procurement strategies across our Operations & Corporate Services portfolio.
We are looking for someone who brings both technical expertise and a collaborative mindset. You will have demonstrable experience of delivering successful procurement and contract management outcomes in complex environments and be confident working with stakeholders at all levels.
Key Skills and Experience

• Corporate and Operational Services Procurement Expertise (Preferred) - Familiarity with procuring corporate and operational solutions and services. For Barnardo's this includes traditional back-office services as well as goods and services to support our front-line operations in retail and children's services.
• Category and Procurement Strategy - Proven ability to develop and implement procurement strategies that align with organisational objectives and deliver measurable value.
• Contract and Supplier Management - Experience in managing supplier performance, negotiating contracts, and overseeing successful transitions to new contractual arrangements in line with relevant legislation and governance.
• Stakeholder Engagement - Builds strong relationships across various stakeholder groups with a broad range of subject matter. Adapts communication to influence, guide, and support internal stakeholders and suppliers.
• Coaching and Capability Building - Ability to share knowledge and support the development of commercial capability across teams.
• Risk Management - Identifies and mitigates commercial and sourcing risks to ensure resilience and value delivery.
• Data and Insight-Led Decision Making - Uses spend data, market intelligence, and contract performance insights to shape commercial decisions and deliver continuous improvement.

This is a unique opportunity to contribute to a mission-led organisation at a pivotal moment of transformation. If you're looking to apply your procurement expertise in a way that makes a tangible difference, we'd love to hear from you.
Please note that we do not operate under UK public procurement regulation so understanding and application of the Procurement Act is not a requirement of this job role.
Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.
Pay & Reward Framework
We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's . We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people.
For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay.
Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band - this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours. More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application.
Benefits
Workplace Offer: What it means for you
Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, in the community, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or depending on the role any combination of these. Please read through the advert carefully to understand the remits of hybrid working that will be specific to the role.

• Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.
• Annual Leave entitlement for full-time colleagues is 26 days per annum, increasing to 27 days per annum, after 3 years Barnardo's service, 29 days per annum, after 5 years Barnardo's service and 30 days per annum, after 7 years Barnardo's service. Those working less than full time are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata
• The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our HolidayPlus scheme
• A host of family friendly leave options including company Maternity Paternity and Adoption pay; together with all family additional leave options
• Service related sick pay from day 1
• Access to a Group Personal Pension with a matched 4% or 6% contribution from Barnardo's. Ability to pay via salary sacrifice to garner both tax and NI savings on your own contribution
• Death in service cover of 4x annual earnings for all staff contributing to our Group Personal Pension
• Cycle2work scheme
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Discounts and cashback from at high street shops including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via our Benefit Portal
• 20% discount at Barnardo's stores
• Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc
• Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support
• Access to Barnardo's Learning and Development offer

*T&C's apply based on contract
About Barnardo's
We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do. We are a Disability Confident Leader, are progressing our ambition to be an anti-racist organisation with Anti-Racism Commitments and actions in place and have networks for colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+, Black and Minoritised Ethnic and Women. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

Skills Required