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Procurement Manager – Climate, Environment and Customer, Chelmsford
Client:
Essex County Council
Location:
Job Category:
Customer Service
EU work permit required:
Yes
Job Reference:
17f9b8691705
Job Views:
7
Posted:
18.02.2025
Expiry Date:
04.04.2025
Job Description:
Procurement Manager – Climate, Environment and Customer
Permanent
Full Time, 37 hours per week
Up to £52,983 per annum plus Flexible Working & Local Gov Pension
Working Style:
Closing Date: 2nd March 2025
Do you want to make a difference to real people and real lives? Do you want to be a part of helping to shape the future of our Procurement service at Essex County Council (ECC)?
Did you know that ECC spends c£1.2Billion per annum on 3rd party commissioned services, making it the 2nd largest spending Authority in the UK? The Procurement Team at ECC supports the organisation to deliver services to 1.4 million residents. We aim to lead the profession on exciting initiatives such as social value, climate action through procurement, and how we use our size and scale to support our Levelling up Agenda.
This is an exciting role with Procurement professionals in the Procurement team of Climate, Environment and Customer where your focus will be on the A130 PFI contract to lead key contract management workstreams related to the transition of the current contract that ceases in 2030.
You will have the opportunity to work within one of the largest categories of spend within Essex County Council. Excellent stakeholder skills at all levels, both internal and external, are key, as well as a positive ‘can do’ attitude with the ability to work under your own initiative and complete work to a high standard. You must be able to adapt to conflicting timeframes and challenging deadlines, ensuring these with a positive and proactive approach.
This is a great role in a vibrant and growing team. You’ll find an inclusive culture and a place where your opinion is valued, with the opportunity to progress your career.
You will be joining an established team of professionals, and this role would be ideal for an ambitious, hard-working individual with leadership skills who is also able to develop others as well as themselves. This role would also involve line management once established.
What’s in it for you?
* Flexible working – with no official start or finish time, you can make your work arrangement work around the other elements of your life, offering a fantastic work/life balance.
* 27 days annual leave (rising with service) plus bank holidays.
* As a large and friendly procurement team with circa 120 staff, we can offer great training pathways and encouragement to all staff for their continual professional development with full support and guidance towards CIPS / MCIPS.
* The roles call for extensive experience in the procurement lifecycle, but if you are currently focused on complex sourcing, category strategy, or strategic contract management, we can cross-train you in the other parts of the role where you may have less experience.
* We are the largest Local Authority Procurement Team in the UK and have a national reputation for excellence. We are also the only CIPS accredited County Council in the UK.
* Continuous Service – Joining us from another local authority? Then you could benefit from bringing your time served and benefits with you.
Come and make a difference to the local community, be that infrastructure, climate change, or adult social care, and help us transform Essex to a circular economy as we redefine growth and focus on positive society-wide benefits.
Accountabilities
* Lead the development, maintenance, and implementation of category strategies, ensuring alignment to commissioning objectives.
* Develop and implement innovative approaches and solutions in the delivery of complex projects to enhance levels of service and minimise costs. This requires working collaboratively with colleagues across the organisation and externally to ensure best practice can be achieved when implementing new ways of working.
* Collaborate with and exert influence on Directors, Senior Managers, and Members regarding the commercial and financial viability of differing commercial options for specific projects within complex and often contentious environments.
* Manage suppliers to ensure they consistently achieve the performance standards set out in contracts and that adequate controls are in place to protect the Authority’s interests.
* Take a proactive approach to identifying and investigating contractual, commercial, and market risks to ensure continuity of supply and protect the Authority’s interests.
* Operate a continuous improvement approach to identify and deliver ongoing changes while also leading the negotiation of commercial and contractual changes to ensure they consistently meet business requirements.
* Lead major projects and tenders, ensuring all sourcing activity fully complies with appropriate legislation and regulation while also complying with ECC policies.
* Work collaboratively with incumbent suppliers and potential new entrants to identify gaps in market provision and explore opportunities to close those gaps.
* Provide support and advice to stakeholders regarding any contractual or procurement matters.
* Support the adoption of best practice approaches with the aim of ensuring that the Procurement function is seen as ‘best in class’. Ensure policies, procedures, documents, and workflows are kept up-to-date and remain best in class.
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
* Educated to degree level with a relevant professional qualification such as MCIPS or equivalent demonstrable work experience with evidence of continuing professional development.
* Knowledge of category management and experience of using this methodology in complex commercial environments to deliver significant cost or service improvements.
* A demonstrable track record of managing multi-million pound strategic contracts in business-critical environments, including evidence of defining, measuring, and improving key elements of supplier performance.
* Experience of delivering continuous improvements in large, strategic arrangements with evidence of generating significant cost and service benefits.
* Knowledge of contract law and legislation relevant to the specific category/categories within their control and its impact on market management, finance, and contractual arrangements.
* Extensive knowledge of public sector procurement law with an ability to explain the law to non-procurement staff and find pragmatic solutions to potential legal difficulties.
* Comprehensive negotiating skills appropriate to multi-million pound contracts and experience of planning and delivering successful negotiations.
* Experience of working in a political environment and skilled in understanding and responding to different perspectives.
Why Essex? Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more
Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.
We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.
Apply and next steps
Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.
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