Job title: Senior Procurement Officer (Construction and Housing)
Hours: 37 hours per week
Contract:Permanent
Location:Leeds
As a Senior Procurement Officer, you’ll thrive on managing public sector procurements, building relationships with stakeholders, and delivering real change.
It’s not just about processes, regulation, and cost-cutting. It’s about analysing and understanding the council’s needs, developing, and driving procurement strategies, evaluating potential suppliers, negotiating contracts, building trusted relationships with a wide range of colleagues across the council and with our external contractors, and ensuring the effective delivery of high-quality goods, works and services for our customers.
You’ll work within the construction and housing category, providing procurement advice, solutions and support to important construction related projects within the council and the wider city region. These are important projects that make a genuine difference to the lives of our residents.
Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.
About you
As a Senior Procurement Officer, you will bring to the role:
* Degree or relevant demonstrable skills or experience at a level equivalent to CIPS Global Standard for Procurement and Supply Operational competency level.
* An understanding of public sector tendering and contract management processes.
* An understanding of public procurement legislation and regulations.
* Drive, energy, resilience, and self-management skills.
* Good communication skills with the ability to influence, negotiate and form positive relationships.
* Knowledge, understanding and experience of implementing a procurement and project management methodology to drive service improvement.
* Ability to effectively manage and support a team.
About the role
As a Senior Procurement Officer, your main responsibility will be to drive and support the development, delivery management and monitoring of construction related procurement activity throughout the council and the wider city region. The goal is to develop and deliver robust procurement strategies, activity, and contracts in compliance with public contract regulations while also being mindful of the need of reducing costs and improving efficiency.
You will be responsible for managing a team, providing advice, and managing complex procurement activity. You’ll advise service leads, ensure compliance with procedures, procurement legislation and contracts, and provide guidance on commercial activities. You will also support a category management approach and the category manager with responsibility for construction and housing procurement and provide advice to members and directorates.
This is a great opportunity for you to move into a procurement role which can offer a variety of work in a vibrant and forward-thinking environment.
What we offer you
We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:
* a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement of 25 days plus statutory holidays.
* membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions.
* flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements.
* a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities.
* a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further.
How to apply
Please complete the online application form, ensuring you demonstrate suitability against the essential criteria outlined within the Personal Specification Essential Requirements below.
If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact, Phil Rigby – Construction & Housing Category Manager (phil.rigby@leeds.gov.uk / 0113 37 85973).
We promote diversity and want a workforce that reflects the population of Leeds and the communities we serve. Leeds City Council is recognised in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index 2024. We are also an Age-friendly Employer, a Mindful Employer and a Disability Confident Leader.
All new Leeds City Council appointments are made subject to the satisfactory completion of a six month probationary period.
This role is based in the UK. Employment is conditional on confirmation of the right to work in the UK - either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa. If you do not have the right to work in the UK and the role does not meet eligibility for sponsorship, please consider carefully whether you meet the eligibility to apply.
Job Description
Job purpose Assist the Procurement Category Manager and Heads of Service in coordination of the Construction & Housing Category’s procurement activities.
Responsibilities
* Provide professional advisory and management functions in respect of complex medium to high risk and/or value procurements and procurement projects.
* Seek to develop effective procurement strategies to achieve savings and efficiencies.
* Provide specialist advice, support and guidance on complex procurement issues and the most appropriate procurement routes.
* Consider Strategic Planning and develop and implement procurement strategies to optimize sourcing and supplier selection processes.
* Ensure that all procurement activities are compliant with corporate procurement policies and relevant legislation and regulations, including providing advice and guidance on the implementation of, and compliance with, the council’s Contract Procedure Rules, relevant legislation, and statutory undertakings including safety and safeguarding requirements.
* Oversee the procurement and delivery of contracts, ensuring they are within budget and timescales Identify and manage risks associated with procurement activities.
* Day to day supervision, including allocation/checking work, advising and training staff.
* Supervision and appraisal of staff in line with associated policies and procedures.
* Manage staff, and contribute to development through appraisal, supervision and training.
* Advise clients and ensuring compliance with procedures, process, current contractual arrangements, and a range of statutory and regulatory undertakings.
* Support a category management approach and advising members and directorates on related commercial activity.
* Management and monitoring of procurements, including where appropriate complex medium to high risk and/or value procurements and supporting complex procurements within identified categories to reduce spend and achieve efficiencies.
* Identify, develop and monitor procurements undertaken on a regional and inter-council basis.
* Contribute to effective communication, consultation, and joint working within the council. Provide direction and support to colleagues, clients, councillors, and partners creating an organisational culture of shared accountabilities, learning and continuous improvement.
* Contribute to new ways of working and to partnership working and relationships with key clients both internal and external to the council, to improve corporate priority outcomes and to ensure that developments and improvements remain focused on delivering outcomes for local people.
* Promote and support positive solutions to achieve diversity and equality of opportunity in all aspects of service delivery, community engagement activity and human resource areas.
* Support open, responsive, and accountable government, ensuring good governance compliance with financial and procurement procedures.
* Assist in reducing procurement costs, recording and measuring savings and improving efficiency by identifying areas suitable for corporate contracts and e-procurement, developing other appropriate contractual arrangements, through the introduction of more efficient and economic procurement arrangements and working with departments to reduce off-contract, non-contract and quasi-contract spend, achieving a reduction in such spend.
* Support the delivery of training relevant to procurement to a range of internal practitioners; help develop the skills and abilities of client-based staff to enable them to undertake procurement projects of varying size and complexity.
* Assist the Procurement Category Manager with the development, management and monitoring of category management and in providing advice at a senior level to service departments pre and post procurement, including procurement options appraisal, procurement plan, specification, pricing models, innovative partnership arrangements and the contract procurement plan, identifying and resolving risks.
* Provide advice and management regarding contract extensions, variations and termination of contracts. Manage procurements, including where appropriate complex medium to high risk and/or value procurements, within a context of budget pressures and funding restrictions, ensuring the delivery and improvement of services which meet the needs of our communities and stakeholders.
* Coordinate and manage the tender process throughout the lifecycle from early scoping of the procurement strategy and requirements to Invitation to Tender stage including the development and preparation of tender documents for signoff, setting of evaluation criteria and methodology, publishing of relevant documentation, including communication with bidders through to Contract Award including evaluation of tenders and drafting and issuing of relevant documentation.
* Contribute to and guide the preparation and authorisation of contract document to ensure that properly drafted contracts are entered into; implement standardised documentation across procurements and categories.
* The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.
Qualifications Degree in a relevant subject, CIPS qualification or relevant demonstrable skills or experience at a level equivalent to CIPS Global Standard for Procurement and Supply Managerial competency level.
Essential requirements It is essential that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria. Candidates will only be shortlisted if they can demonstrate that they meet all the essential requirements.
* Able to employ a range of management styles which focus on achieving results in terms of outcomes for staff and customers.
* Able to present complex information in a clear and concise manner using a variety of presentational formats.
* Knowledge, understanding and practical experience of procurement through its life cycle and project management methodology to drive service improvement.
* Understanding of public sector tendering and contract management processes, with an understanding of the strategic procurement issues facing the public sector.
* Knowledge and understanding of commercial organisations and markets.
* Experience of reviewing systems and procedures to improve service delivery.
* Demonstrate resilience and self-management skills as well as integrity, openness and awareness of others.
* Experience of effectively managing medium complexity procurement contracts to achieve objectives.
* Experience of applying different strategies for solving procurement issues.
* Experience of working in a multi-discipline environment and managing a hybrid team.
* Experience of successful management of change programmes which reflect service needs, provide value for money, and maintain quality.
* Excellent communication skills with ability to influence, negotiate and form positive relationships.
* Experience of delivering a high level of customer satisfaction with the quality of service.
Essential Behavioural and other Characteristics
* Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon.
* Be aware of and be able to understand and observe Leeds City Council policies.
* Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health and Safety.
* Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities.
* Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
* Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities.
* Be aware of and support difference ensuring equality for all, working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, equality & diversity.
* Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person.
* The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol, and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.
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