Job summary
- Main area
- Procurement
- Grade
- Band 4
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 210-2025-74-A
- Employer
- Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Countess Of Chester Hospital
- Town
- Chester
- Salary
- £26,530 - £29,114 pa
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- Today at 23:59
Employer heading
Category Officer
Band 4
Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, staff pride themselves on not only leading through clinical excellence, but also by creating an environment where all staff are valued and appreciated. To achieve this, the Trust has embarked on an exciting new strategy focused on continuous improvement.
Our vision is to improve the lives of our community and provide excellence in healthcare, through partnership and innovation
Our High Performance Culture will support everyone to be the best version of themselves by being true to our Trust vision, values and behaviours.
We welcome applications from colleagues from our local and neighbouring communities of all backgrounds and identities, who are currently under-represented within our region such as Black, Asian, Minority ethnic and those with disabilities.
As a region we are reviewing the way we work, and exploring how new working practices that support flexible working can create a positive work-life balance. As part of our recruitment process we will explore how our inclusive employment policies, flexible working, staff engagement forums, Trust facilities and services can be of mutual benefit.
Job overview
Working hours: 37.5 hours per week
A new and exciting opportunity has arisen to join our dynamic team as a Category Officer in the Procurement Department at The Countess of Chester Hospital.
The Category Officer will provide a professional procurement service to the Trust and undertake and assist in the formulation and implementation of Trust Contracts.
This role will suit a candidate who is looking for development opportunities and enjoys working in a fast paced environment within an Acute Trust setting. The role involves significant stakeholder engagement both internally and externally. You will be able to work independently and also as a team, ensuring compliance with the Trust SFIs and public sector legislation.
Main duties of the job
- To identify and assist in the development, analysis and the process of contracts at national, regional and above threshold levels in accordance with Trust Standing Financial Instructions and Standing Orders.
- To lead on reviewing and maintaining the contract data base through effective contract management by actively monitoring and updating database in a timely manner.
- To assist in the research and evaluation of the marketplace and conduct benchmarking exercises through the comparison of appropriate routes of supply chain and the effective use of collaborative purchasing.
- To provide Customers with advice and guidance surrounding the services and procedures provided by the Procurement Team.
- To engage with external stakeholders
Working for our organisation
The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provides services to West Cheshire and to Welsh patients covered by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership. Its services are provided from three locations:
- The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 438 general and acute beds
- Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 56 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility
- Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population.
The Trust employs over 5916 staff (headcount) which includes temporary bank staff and provides acute emergency and elective services, primary care direct access services and obstetric services to a population of approximately 411,000. This includes 361,000 residents in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire which has a population of approximately 50,000.
The Trust is a busy district general hospital and in 2022/2023, there were more than 503,342 patient attendances (inpatient, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery. This is an increase of nearly 10,000 compared to the previous year when there were 494,387 patient attendances.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
See Job Description for further details.
Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values.
Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs will be deducted from their salary over the first three months of employment.
You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £16 per year applies.
New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.
Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.
Good luck with your application.
Person specification
Qualification
Essential criteria
- NVQ Level 3 in Supply Chain or Procurement or CIPS Level 4 or the equivalent buying experience.
- Understanding of knowledge of Contract Law through short courses and experience or equivalent.
- Understanding / experience of Supervisory and Delegation skills
Desirable criteria
- A minimum of two years’ purchasing experience.
Knowledge and experience
Essential criteria
- Experience in the use of Microsoft Office applications – Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
- Must be able to meet pre-set schedules and deadlines, and deal with queries efficiently whilst working in a methodical manner, paying particular attention to accuracy
- Ability to work unsupervised on own initiative and be an effective team member
- To respond to unexpected changes and adopt a flexible attitude.
Desirable criteria
- Evidence of ongoing development
- Experience of a large multifunctional organisation.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Sue Donaldson
- Job title
- Purchase and Supply Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01244 366698
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