Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Context

The Procurement and Contract Management Service (PCMS) are responsible for ensuring that all procurement and contract management activities (commercial arrangements) provide the very best value for money for the council. We provide professional advice, guidance and insight regarding markets, suppliers, and contractual options to help support service delivery and improvement.

The council spends approximately £650m pa across a wide portfolio of services.

The prime purpose of this role is to oversee and have overall responsibility for a master category of spend and to lead the creation of a Category Sourcing Strategy. Develop and implement a sourcing strategy for the category that sits within and aligns to the councils procurement strategy. This will include the delivery of the procurement and contracting requirements within the category across different directorates.

Ensuring compliance with procedures, process, and current contractual arrangements.

You will report into the Head of Procurement & Contract Management and will be required to work with the other Senior Commercial Managers and the Senior Contract Manager in order to ensure the Category Sourcing Strategies take account of market drivers and commercial motivations to inform decisions and approaches.

You will lead on the identification, development and implementation of appropriate commercial and performance management, procurement, and contract process management (including risk management), supplier relationship management and governance, ensuring this is in place and applied to procurement projects and over the life of the contracts.

You will be responsible for the strategic planning, management and oversight for all procurement and contract management activity across their Master Category area. This will include the development of the category sourcing plans for the service, ensuring the procurement and contracting teams within their portfolio are held accountable for delivery on time and within budget.

You will work as part of a professional team to support the delivery of value for money across the council, operating within the framework of the councils procurement strategy, ensuring compliance with procedures and processes.

You will undertake line management responsibilities and will be expected to work closely with the other Senior Commercial Managers in managing and allocating resource to deliver the councils core workplan and traded procurement and contracting projects in a timely and effective manner.

Our ambition is summed up in 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. This role will promote, and effect change to ensure delivery of this vision.

You will be a leader within a centre of expertise for procurement and contract management, ensuring at all times that there is proper compliance with the overall Category Sourcing Strategy, the Councils Procurement and Contract Management Strategy, Procurement and

Contract Procedure Rules, Financial Regulations, and UK Legislation on procurement and contract management.

Responsible for providing procurement category leadership, support, and advice to assist in the management of approximately £250m of the Councils yearly expenditure.

Develop and implement a strategy for the category which ensures continuous improvement in costs and quality, and implementation of best practice procurement. The strategy will include:

• portfolio analysis;
• detailed market intelligence;
• cost modelling;
• sourcing options;
• internal and external supply chain policies.

A key element of the role is the operational management of a team of middle managers within the service, ensuring the team are held accountable for the timely delivery of the service strategy and service plan.

You will have a lead role in working with suppliers and key stakeholders within Directorates. The post hold will be required to brief Members and Directorate management teams, as necessary, on key strategic issues within their category area.

You will be instrumental in the development of proposals for the councils procurement & contract management strategy and the service plan, and the subsequent activity across the council. The postholder will lead a specified element of the strategy and service plan.

Ensure that at all times there is proper compliance with the Category Sourcing Strategy, Councils Procurement Strategy and Contract Procedure Rules, Financial Regulations, European and UK Legislation on procurement.

Develop relevant category information in order to get the most from the supply market and to be aware of market trends, inflation and commodity indices including supplier appraisal. Ensure effective use of market intelligence to continuously improve category performance.

Represent the Council externally on procurement issues particularly in relation to Category Management when so required.

Ensure as far as practicable the use of standard formal documentation and procedures throughout the Council.

Monitor and evaluate spend, throughput on contracts and contractors to identify high or aggregated expenditure which can then be addressed in line with the developed category strategy.

Market the benefits of the category management approach to Senior Stakeholders including Directorate Leadership Teams.

Take the lead in identifying and delivering savings and efficiency gains to meet any Council identified targets for the category.

Take the lead in maximising collaborate opportunities within the category and drive forward sub-regional and national procurement initiatives where appropriate.

Identify appropriate performance indicators for the category and provide statistical returns as required. The provision of appropriate category spend information and the preparation and submission of reports as required e.g. Corporate Procurement Board, Audit Committee etc.

Contribute to service and budgetary planning and to take the lead in relation to the category.

The above is not exhaustive and the post holder will be expected to undertake any duties which may reasonably fall within the level of responsibility and the competence of the post as directed by the Head of Procurement and Contract Management.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Relevant degree (i.e. Supply Chain Management), or a professional qualification related to procurement (CIPS Level 6).
• Active membership of the professional body Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply.
• Commitment to CPD.

Desirable

• Significant experience of leading Procurement teams

Experience

Essential

• Fully CIPs qualified.
• Demonstrable evidence of leading Procurement teams to deliver challenging outcomes.
• Demonstrable evidence of achievement at a senior management level in a large complex organisation.
• In depth knowledge and understanding of procurement legislation, including Public Contract Regulations 2015.
• Good understanding of public sector purchasing organisations and the current social, economic, legislative, and political environment in which they operate.
• Expertise in procuring and managing a range of categories that are typical to a Local Authority.
• Good understanding and practical application of procurement project management processes.
• In depth knowledge and understanding of procurement systems (e-tendering).
• In depth knowledge and understanding of various current forms of contract, contract documentation, systems, and processes for multiple procurement categories.
• Knowledge of risk management within a medium to large organisation.
• A detailed awareness and understanding of the whole life cycle of procurement including market analysis, procurement strategy, tendering, contract management and relationship management.
• Experience of Procurement and Contract Management including commercial negotiation of significant value and/or complexity of risk.
• Experience of promoting procurement best practice and policies.
• The development and implementation of plans relating to the achievement of targets and objectives to drive improvements.
• Evidence of high-level performance in; either Procurement or Supply Chain Management.
• Evidence of undertaking complex procurement projects.
• Programming of procurements and contracting activity.
• Experience of effective resource management in challenging and competing work demands.
• Use of e-tendering systems.
• Use of HR systems.
• Experienced in the co-ordination, collation, analysis and reporting of complex information from numerous sources to diverse audiences.
• Experience of working at a regional or national level with peers in the development of procurement practices.

Desirable

• Knowledge of North Yorkshire Council contract procedure rules.
• Knowledge of North Yorkshire Council line managers responsibility.
• Contract management.
• The local government context.
• Significant experience of Supply chain management.

Occupational Skills

Essential

• Excellent commercial acumen. Substantial skills related to procurement and contract management demonstrating abilities in procurement / contract practice and procedure and knowledge of legal principles.
• Analytical skills covering written, graphic, numeric, and statistical information and involving risk assessment.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship building skills.
• Strong people management skills and leadership qualities.
• Team working skills including the ability to develop and motivate others.
• Proactive, self-motivated and works from own initiative.
• Development, monitoring and application of procedures to ensure consistent quality of service.
• Excellent communications skills, verbal and written, especially in writing guidance and reports and presentation.
• Developing strategic and tactical approaches and delivering on key policies in relation to procurement, involving work with officers in other Directorates and partners across the wider public sector at all levels.
• Prioritisation of practices and processes to meet objectives and targets, especially in relation to planning, programming, and organising workload, meeting targets and deadline.
• Evidence of the ability to develop and maintain stakeholder relationships at all levels of a customer organization.
• Demonstrable achievement and understanding of equality and diversity in employment and service delivery within a comparable organisation.
• Effective problem-solving skills.
• Decision making skills.
• Emotional intelligence and resilience.
• Oral communication - face to face where appropriate, ability to communicate with varied audiences.
• Ability to demonstrate sensitivity to different needs of key Council stakeholders including within the Service.
• Flexible approach with the ability to respond effectively to changing circumstances, without losing focus or direction.
• Persuading, influencing, and negotiating skills Successfully persuades, influences and/or negotiates with internal stakeholders and suppliers.
• Ability to adapt to changing situations and respond professionally and positively, working with others to find solutions.
• Analytical skills.
• ICT skills - Microsoft Office, Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Teams (or equivalent software).

Employer details

Employer name

North Yorkshire Council

Address

County Hall

Racecourse Lane

Northallerton

North Yorkshire

DL7 8AE