Procurement opportunities

Salary: from £55,056 up to £63,367
Grade: SM1
Contract: permanent - full time

Role summary

You will have overall responsibility for an allocated category of spend (approximately £250m) and will lead creation of a sourcing strategy for that category. You will develop and implement a sourcing strategy that aligns with the council’s procurement strategy, including the delivery of procurement and contracting requirements across different directorates. You will manage a team of specialist procurement and contract management staff who are themselves middle managers, ensuring their accountability for the service strategy and plan. As a centre of expertise for procurement and contract management, you will provide effective leadership, support and advice. This role is of key importance in delivering our procurement vision - working collaboratively to deliver efficiencies, value for money and sustainable quality through a proactive commercial approach to procurement and commissioning for the communities of North Yorkshire.

Duties and responsibilities

• working with the Head of Procurement to develop team plans and achieve agreed category objectives
• lead a team of procurement and contract management specialists
• coordinating the procurement and contracts program for external suppliers
• manage high-profile and complex procurements from inception to operational handover
• keep abreast of supplier market developments
• support future strategy and policy development
• identifying challenges and develop innovative solutions
• lead the implementation of innovative market approaches
• managing complex procurement issues and mitigating associated risks
• providing training and development opportunities for the team
• collaborating with internal stakeholders to identify savings and efficiencies
• develop strategic relationships with various stakeholders
• addressing feedback and managing stakeholder relationships effectively

Experience / qualifications

• full CIPS qualification
• leadership experience in delivering challenging outcomes
• senior management achievements in complex organisations 
• in depth knowledge of procurement legislation, including Public Contract Regulations 2015
• understanding of public sector purchasing and relevant environments
• experience in procuring and managing various categories typical to local authorities
• extensive knowledge of e-tendering systems and procurement processes
• extensive understanding of the procurement life cycle, including market analysis, relationship management and complex commercial negotiating
• proven track record of driving improvements and achieving targets, with a demonstrable high-performance history
• experienced in the co-ordination, collation, analysis and reporting of complex information from numerous sources to diverse audiences
• excellent people management ability, with a strong record of leading teams to success through your development and motivation
• strong communicator, with the ability to write guidance, reports and presentations
• track record of developing and maintaining effective working relationships

 Senior commercial manager job description (pdf / 330 KB)

Apply online: Senior commercial manager 

Salary: from £48,474 up to £52,504
Grade: N
Contract: permanent - full time

Role summary

With the council spending around £650m annually across various services, you will play a vital role in leading on the development of the council’s contract management strategy and delivering operational plans to embed sound contract management principles. You will collaborate with senior commercial managers to ensure that commercial motivations and market drivers are taken into consideration when decisions are made. Overseeing all contract management activities across our three master category areas (People, Place and Professional), you will identify and manage contract management actions and objectives. As a key player in the procurement management team, you will ensure the contracting team are held accountable for timely and budget-compliant delivery. You will line manage a team of procurement professionals, motivating them to ensure that the strategic objectives of the council are achieved.

Duties and responsibilities

• work with senior management to contribute to team planning and the development of future strategies, implementing innovative approaches
• foster a culture of commercial awareness, delivering value for money for the council
• manage high risk contracts, managing their performance and developing strategies to mitigate against risks
• lead and line manage a team, coaching and motivating them to ensure high performance
• ensure compliance with regulations, drive savings and provide accurate and up to date reporting
• engage stakeholders from across the council effectively, maintaining strong working relationships to achieve procurement objectives
• responsible for the identification, development, management and delivery of the annual contract management action plan, including the identification of contract savings, for all three master category areas
• ensure appropriate advice, guidance and training is available to the whole council on supplier contracts and to work collaboratively with directorate contract managers, contract owners, the service and legal services

Experience / qualifications

• demonstrable achievement in a large and complex organisation
• leadership experience in delivering challenging outcomes
• senior management achievements in complex organisations
• in depth knowledge of procurement legislation, including Public Contract Regulations 2015
• understanding of public sector purchasing and relevant environments
• strong commercial acumen
• experience in procuring and managing various categories typical to local authorities
• extensive knowledge of e-tendering systems and procurement processes
• extensive understanding of the procurement life cycle, including market analysis, relationship management and complex commercial negotiating
• ability to understand, analyse and interpret complex data
• excellent people management ability, with a strong record of leading teams to success through your development and motivation
• strong communicator, with the ability to write guidance, reports and presentations
• track record of developing and maintaining effective working relationships

 Senior contract manager job description (pdf / 332 KB)

Apply online: Senior contract manager

Salary:

• lower level - from £35,745 up to £40,221
• higher level - from £40,221 up to £44,428

Grade: JK - L
Contract: permanent - full time

Role summary

You will ensure that all procurement and contract management activities provide the very best value for money for the council. Providing professional advice, guidance and insight regarding markets, suppliers, and contractual options to help support service delivery and improvement. You will be responsible for developing and implementing category strategies, identifying cost-saving opportunities, and ensuring the procurement process is efficient and aligned with North Yorkshire Council’s objectives. You will ensure compliance with the overall category sourcing strategy, the council’s procurement and contract management strategy, procurement and contract procedure rules, financial regulations, and UK legislation on public procurement and contract management.

Duties and responsibilities

Category Procurement Officer Grade JK

• support Senior Commercial Managers and Senior Commercial Officers in execution of category management and ongoing procurement activity
• manage the procurement process from Market engagement to contract administration
• ensure timely and quality delivery of medium to high value procurement activities, whilst adhering to council standards and governance frameworks
• maintain accurate information on the progress of procurement projects
• apply commercial acumen to projects and challenge others where appropriate to drive value for money
• identify, manage and escalate risks
• undertake price and process benchmarking and reporting
• address supplier performance issues and risks

Category Procurement Officer Grade L - in addition to duties listed above

• mentor procurement and Contract Support Officers and Procurement Officers
• develop structures knowledge sharing through the internal mentoring program
• assist with onboarding new team members and sharing best practice
• deliver training on procurement and contract management processes
• represent the council at Strategic Procurement Group regionally

Experience / qualifications

Category Procurement Officer Grade JK

• qualified to CIPS Level 4 or be willing to complete this
• significant procurement experience, with understanding of procurement legislations and systems and an awareness of local government/public sector procurement
• demonstrable experience of the development and drafting of tendering and contracts documentation and related information and experience of management of contracts
• capability to work to tight timescales and to achieve targets 
• excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to have challenging conversations as required
• self-motivated with the ability to work under pressure and prioritise a workload
• experience of working collaboratively with a broad range of stakeholders across both internal and external departments to ensure that all procurement and contracting activities are fit for purpose and provide value for money

Category Procurement Officer Grade L - in addition to duties listed above

• proven track record in high value procurement and contract management
• extensive experience across multiple spending categories
• extensive knowledge of Public Contract Regulations 2015
• experience of mentoring and supporting colleagues in procurement

 Category procurement officer job description (pdf / 307 KB)

Apply online: Category procurement officer

Salary: from £35,745 up to £40,221
Grade: JK
Contract: permanent - full time

Role summary

As a key part of the contract management team, you will ensure that the council’s sourcing and procurement strategies along with national legislation and standards are adhered to. You’ll work closely with suppliers and services, analysing and utilising performance data to find solutions and resolutions. You will also assist with the development of future contract management plans, using your problem-solving skills and thinking outside the box to suggest improvements and challenge where appropriate. You’ll help to support the management of contracts of up to £10m in value, or those which have been deemed as medium-high risk.

Duties and responsibilities

• deliver medium-high value contracts, whilst adhering to council standards and governance frameworks
• maintain accurate information on the progress of contracts activities
• support the contract management training programme to ensure skills and capabilities are embedded across the council
• have strong commercial awareness and use appropriate challenge to deliver value for money
• identify, manage and escalate risks
• undertake price and process benchmarking and reporting
• address supplier performance issues and risks

Experience / qualifications

• qualified to CIPS Level 4 or be willing to complete this
• significant procurement experience, with understanding of procurement legislations and systems and an awareness of local government/public sector procurement
• demonstrable experience of contract drafting, management and supplier relationship management
• familiarity with e-tendering systems
• ability to analyse complex data and use it to inform decision making
• capability to work to tight timescales and to achieve targets
• excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to have challenging conversations as required
• self-motivated with the ability to work under pressure and prioritise a workload
• proactive team player

 Contract officer job description (pdf / 298 KB)

Apply online: Contract officer

Salary: from £35,745 up to £40,221
Grade: JK
Contract: permanent - full time

Role summary

This role is imperative to ensuring procurement policy and governance is reflective of the needs of the council. Working as part of a professional team, you will work to optimise cost effectiveness, always adhering to the council’s procurement strategy and within scope of UK public procurement legislation. You will be on expert on this legislation and have the ability to communicate it effectively to colleagues to ensure compliance, facilitating awareness raising across the council. You will analyse, interpret and report on performance data, enabling you to identify and resolve any areas of concern identified. You will be a key contributor to the delivery of procurement strategy and activity, thinking innovatively to propose viable solutions and address operational requirements.

Duties and responsibilities

• monitoring procurement strategy and key performance indicators
• development of internal training on systems, processes and governance
• development and implementation of procurement strategy that reflect best practice
• managing procurement processes, including market engagement, supplier negotiations, drafting specifications and managing contracts
• identify, manage and escalate risks
• contributing to the achievement of objectives set by the Senior Procurement Governance Officer
• undertake price and process benchmarking and reporting
• keep up to date with information, training and development and the support the rollout of this information to the service

Experience / qualifications

• qualified to CIPS Level 4 or be willing to complete this
• significant procurement experience, with understanding of procurement legislations and systems and an awareness of local government/public sector procurement
• demonstrable experience of contract drafting, management and supplier relationship management
• familiarity with e-tendering systems
• ability to analyse complex data and use it to inform decision making
• capability to work to tight timescales and to achieve targets 
• excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to have challenging conversations as required
• self-motivated with the ability to work under pressure and prioritise a workload
• proactive team player

 Procurement policy officer job description (pdf / 292 KB)

Apply online: Procurement policy officer