About this role
Job summary
Devon Procurement Service (DPS) is recruiting six Senior Sourcing Managers (B7) to join a newly established procurement service. DPS brings together expertise and buying power across Devon to deliver better value, stronger contracts, and improved outcomes for patients.
We contract on behalf of:
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Torbay & South Devon NHS Foundation Trust Devon Partnership NHS Trust University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust Livewell Community Services
By working as one, we are transforming healthcare procurement through scale, consistency, and innovation across these categories:
Digital & Corporate / Professional Services (1 role) Health & Social Care & Clinical Support (2 roles) Medical & Surgical (1 role) Major Capital Projects, Estates & Facilities (2 roles)
Applicants should state their preferred category or indicate flexibility, subject to experience.
You will lead complex sourcing activity, work closely with senior clinical and operational stakeholders, and shape strategic contracts delivering system-wide value.
We offer hybrid and flexible working, with office bases in Exeter, Barnstaple, Torbay, and Plymouth. Occasional travel across Devon will be required.
Recruiting managers' contact details are provided--candidates are encouraged to arrange a short MS Teams discussion.
Interviews will take place on the 3rd or 4th June 2026.
Main duties of the job
As a shared service, all members of the DPS are expected to ensure consistency and parity of service provision, prioritisation and commitment to all Partner Trusts. All DPS staff will ensure proportionate resources are deployed to meet each Partner Trust's service requirements.
The Senior Sourcing Manager executes sourcing activities for DPS to provide excellent customer service, best value and compliance with DPS governance. The Senior Sourcing Manager shall work in accordance with direction from the Category Manager to ensure that sourcing is a value-adding activity through the development and execution of excellent Sourcing Plans for each project.
The Sourcing Manager shall manage team performance, ensuring that the teams / areas for which they are responsible achieve or exceed the Service Level Agreement KPIs and internal DPS performance metrics and have oversight of supplier relationship management activities. The senior sourcing manager is also responsible for identifying and investigating areas for future opportunities and bringing added value to the benefit of the department and the ICS to develop and maintain target financial savings. They will also ensure all procurement is conducted in line with the Category Management procurement strategy. The post holder is responsible for the sourcing of goods and services to ensure value for money, meeting the needs of stakeholders and complying with ICS corporate governance and relevant public procurement legislation.
About us
We are a people business - where every member of staff matters and can make a difference. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Joining University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust means becoming part of a team of dedicated staff, who are committed to leading the way through innovation, clinical excellence and great customer care. The Trust has great opportunities for career development in a highly progressive working environment. We offer all of this in a vibrant, modern city with a historic reputation for adventure. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY. If you have any issues with applying online and need additional support including reasonable adjustments with the application process please contact the recruitment manager for this post who will put you in touch with the recruitment team. We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants around less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. Please contact the recruiting manager to discuss this prior to your application submission. We commit to giving this full consideration in each case. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, as diversity strengthens our teams. It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.
Job description Job responsibilities
***Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as Priority and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.***
OPERATIONAL
1. Work in accordance with the direction of the Category Manager to ensure that sourcing is a value-adding activity.
2. Handle high-value and complex sourcing activities, in line with category strategies, from inception to completion. This includes developing sourcing strategy, managing tenders through to contract award.
3. Investigate, develop and deliver individual complex sourcing plans to best address the challenges set out by Category Management, delivering excellent customer service, best value for money and compliance with DPS governance.
4. Works with stakeholders to define procurement requirements and translate them into clear, compliant specifications.
5. Sponsor the achievement of DPS Procurement Delivery Board approval of all project gateways, including the Procurement Outcome Report.
6. Provide effective handover of sourcing projects to the Manage & Enable function for contract and/or SRM.
7. Proactively work to achieve Service Level Agreement KPIs and internal DPS performance improvement metric targets.
8. Lead the development and execution of supplier management strategies to ensure high performance and value delivery from key suppliers.
9. Oversee and evaluate supplier performance against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), addressing high-level issues and driving continuous improvement.
10. Resolve complex supplier disputes and performance issues, ensuring minimal disruption to operations and maintaining strong supplier relationships.
11. Engage with senior stakeholders to align supplier management strategies with organisational goals and provide expert advice on supplier-related matters.
12. Ensure all supplier management activities comply with relevant legislation and internal policies, supporting the development of robust governance procedures.
13. Responsible for input into procurement project delivery, informing on potential sourcing approaches, ensuring that the project reflects appropriate potential sourcing approaches
14. Responsible for providing and receiving highly complex information when dealing with a range of issues from both internal and external stakeholders
COMMUNICATION
15. Establish professional relationships with identified stakeholders.
16. Use communication, negotiation, and influencing skills to engage a range of staff to ensure the successful of sourcing activity in accordance with agreed Commercial and Sourcing Plans.
17. Lead communicating Sourcing Plans and Procurement Outcome Report recommendation to the DPS Delivery Board for approval, including attending the DPS Delivery Board.
18. Engage with key senior stakeholders engaged in Sourcing projects. This will include dealing with Directors, Clinicians and Patient\Staff side representatives and communicating with people with extremely strong opposing views and objectives i.e. decommissioning services, out-sourcing, change etc.
19. Build and maintain the reputation of DPS as a highly professional service with effective business partnering arrangements ensuring maximum satisfaction among both internal and external stakeholders.
20. Champion a culture of customer service excellence and value for money delivery in sourcing.
21. Work with the Performance and Reporting team to support the development and deployment of streamlined process and communication to enable category management and sourcing to create robust plans and to drive process efficiency improvement.
MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP
22. Manage the team delivering all sourcing activity to deliver DPS strategies and plans.
23. Identify the level of resources required to deliver individual sourcing projects.
24. Provide commercial support to the budget setting process undertaken by the Partner Trusts.
25. Management of own time, project team and project plan to ensure delivery of sourcing projects in accordance with the agreed Commercial Strategy and Sourcing Plan.
26. Show effective leadership to ensure that sourcing projects are delivered successfully, including proactively demonstrating leadership behaviours.
27. Act as a role model for innovation and improvement within the team.
28. Maintain a culture of flexibility and responsiveness and to respond swiftly to changing priorities.
29. Responsible in full for all aspects of line management of direct reports, including staff development, performance management, identification of training requirements, managing sickness absence, grievance, disciplinary procedures, and recruitment.
Person Specification
KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE Essential
High level of demonstrable experience of sourcing activity in a relevant field Significant demonstrable experience of stakeholder management in a customer and results focused environment
Desirable
demonstrable Experience of working within the NHS Previous demonstrable experience of working as a Procurement Manager
QUALIFICATIONS Essential
Relevant qualification to degree level or equivalent demonstrable experience Significant demonstrable experience of stakeholder management in a customer and results focused environment Proven Evidence of continued professional development at postgraduate level or equivalent
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Employer details Employer name University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
Address University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (host site)
Various across Devon, see below
Plymouth, Exeter, Torbay & Barnstaple (based from any)
PL6 4YE
Employer's website https://www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)