Main purpose of the job
The main purpose of this job is to:
1. Support the Assistant Director to a) deliver a programme of procurement projects as prioritised by the A&I Procurement Management Team b) deliver effective commercial challenge to the organisation and c) enable all spend owners (directorate / category) to maximise the value they receive from every £ they spend in the market.
2. Formulate and drive a consistent approach towards all sourcing, purchasing and tendering activity across nominated spend categories, ultimately ensuring that value for money is maximised, cost savings are generated, and social value benefits are delivered. The post holder will have indirect influence for an approximate spend of £30m pa.
3. Be personally responsible for the strategic planning, management and implementation of medium value / complex procurements / commissioning categories and deliver recurring cost effective outcomes, best value and continuous improvements, in line with internal/external constraints and corporate objectives.
4. Provide professional procurement advice and services to stakeholders, up to and including Assistant Director level based on their business objectives, challenges, and strategy creating savings and added value for all.
About the team
The A&I Procurement Team provides specific commercial challenge to the council using category management through a process of analysis of spend and external market data to develop effective strategies to reduce cost and improve service efficiency. Directorates will be expected to undertake their own tenders and quotations for low-risk procurement, with support from a procurement helpdesk and on-line templates, training and development opportunities which include a ‘Procurement Licence’. Above threshold procurements are undertaken by the Procurement Team.
What you will be expected to deliver in the role
This vacancy is for a Procurement Business Partner. A Procurement Business Partner uses their consultative skills to provide professional procurement advice and commercial services to stakeholders, based on their business objectives, challenges, and strategy creating value for all parties.
The principal objectives for this post are as follows:
1. Understand the Client: Develop partnerships and build relationships with key internal stakeholders up to and including Assistant Director level acting as a business partner and working alongside them as a critical friend to help them solve commercial problems and realise commercial opportunities while ensuring compliance with procurement policy.
2. Understand the Clients Commercial Drivers and Success Criteria: and turn them into a series of procurement projects with measurable outcomes. It is expected that this process would be carried out with a measure of commercial challenge to ensure that value for money and appropriate risk management underpins the commercial decision making.
3. Develop and deliver a Category Procurement Strategy: For medium value nominated procurement categories develop an organization wide procurement approach towards all sourcing, purchasing and tendering activity that makes clear how value for money is maximised, cost savings are generated, and social value benefits are realised. The procurement strategy should have short, medium, and long-term goals.
4. Develop and deliver a Savings Plan: Taking account of both Directorate commissioning plans and outcomes following initial category analysis develop a savings plan which delivers (1) cashable savings (2) cost avoidance savings / (3) value added benefits.
5. Lead Multi-Disciplinary Commercial Teams: Establish and a lead multi-disciplinary team(s) to review nominated procurement category spends with a view to identifying new and more effective ways of sourcing which deliver more value.
6. Build up a data bank of provider cost information: for nominated categories in relation to hourly rates / overheads etc. And use the information to a) lead informed price / cost negotiations b) allow fair and reasonable annual inflationary uplifts to be determined by the client c) enable procurement to advise the client and market on cost parameters for any service being tendered.
7. Work alongside the Client to ensure a strong Business Case: underpins all anticipated procurements. The business case will need to identify and quantify: 1) cashable savings 2) cost avoidance savings 3) value added benefits.
8. Increase the Proportion of Category Spend – which is “Spend under Management” (SUM): increase the proportion of category spend which is fully and actively managed under contract by Procurement in accordance with a commercial strategy agreed with the Client / Commercial Management Board.
9. Deliver Medium Value Procurement Projects: working closely with the internal client to decide the approach, produce the tender and contract documentation, manage the bidder interaction / evaluation and award through to the conclusion of the competition.
10. Provide Tactical Procurement Support guidance for ad hoc / spot procurement taking place within the category to ensure that wherever possible money is spent wisely and VFM is achieved.
11. Alongside the provider cost data set (above) use all appropriate forms of procurement intelligence to enable the business to make smart commercial decisions.
12. Compliance: Advise on applicable procurement legislation, guidance and good practise and applicable government policies and procurement routes to ensure that all commercial activities comply with regulations.
13. Procurement Pipeline: Develop a pipeline of procurement work through proactive category analysis and business partnering with key customers and reactively picking up (sometimes urgent) business needs.
14. Act as a first point of contact: act as a first point of contact for a nominated Directorate / Category using your detailed procurement knowledge provide expert support and advice on all commercial matters.
Although this list provides examples of what you will be doing it’s not intended to be exhaustive and you will have personal objectives linked to our People Plans and Strategies that will be discussed and agreed with your line manager when you start.
Person Profile – what you will bring to the team
Qualifications and professional memberships
1. Educated to degree level or equivalent skills and knowledge
2. Procurement / commissioning professional qualification (CIPS or equivalent)
3. In depth technical procurement knowledge / experience and knowledge of contract law
Values and personal qualities
1. Exhibits the council’s values and behaviours
2. Demonstrates personal resilience and accuracy under pressure or when faced with conflicting demands
3. Adapt behaviours and approach to ensure maximum performance from direct reports
4. Able to influence and negotiate at all levels of the organisation and with external agencies, bodies, and suppliers
5. Can plan, prioritise, and manage own and team’s workload as required
6. Budgetary and Finance experience – Desirable
Specialist knowledge skills and experience
1. Proven successful experience of working at a senior level in procurement within a large, complex and multi-disciplinary organisation. Understanding of the strategic context for procurement.
2. Proven experience in developing and implementing business processes and strategies which effectively link to departmental and corporate objectives.
3. Project management and planning skills and experience, with capacity to manage complex projects.
4. Proven enhanced interpersonal skills, including strong persuasive and negotiating skills and excellent written and verbal communications skills.
5. Proven commercial skills and commercial awareness. Understanding and awareness of different funding and contract arrangements.
6. Able to identify, develop and foster key partnerships with suppliers, customers and partners.
7. Experience of effective change management to improve performance both within the organisation and in the supply market.
8. Knowledge of legislation relevant to public procurement, data protection and transparency.
9. Able to analyse data and information, and present to a variety of audiences using appropriate media/communications.
10. Ability to prepare and present a business case to colleagues, senior officers and County Councillors.
11. Ability to write and present reports and ideas to colleagues, senior officers and County Councillors.
12. Understanding of council structure and political processes – Desirable.
If you are interested in this role please do reach out to me via email or telephone!
amberrayment@carringtonblakerecruitment.com
020 753 766 07
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