Procurement Manager

We have an exciting opportunity for a Procurement Manager to join Herefordshire Council’s Commercial Services Team. Forming part of the Corporate Services Department, the Commercial Services Team is a dynamic, multi-skilled team which provides council directorates with commercial, procurement and contract management advice and support.

This permanent position is ideally suited to someone with a procurement/commercial background who wants to advance their career in a busy and supportive workplace. You will be responsible for managing a dynamic team of six Commercial and Procurement Officers, together with whom you’ll provide advice and assistance to Council’s departments on a wide range of issues, varying in complexity, in order to proactively find solutions and maximise value for money whilst also ensuring compliance with relevant legislation.

The role will require you to support the Commercial Services Manager in the planning, organisation, management and delivery of the commercial and procurement service to drive and deliver an efficient, effective and responsive service for the organisation, whilst promoting a commercial value for money culture.

The successful candidate will demonstrate strong leadership, management and coaching/mentoring styles to drive the development of the team and advocate and will drive positive change in the development of excellent public sector procurement practice within the organisation. You’ll have excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, refined analytical and problem-solving skills along with a strong ‘can do’ attitude.

The successful candidate will also be expected to deputise for the Commercial Services Manager as required. You will evidence a strong background in leading on procurement projects that are complex both in terms of the services being procured and the stakeholder dynamics across a wide range of subject areas including construction and social care.

The successful applicant will be able to demonstrate experience of working at a senior level in a commercial and procurement team and must be able to evidence demonstrable achievements in a public sector procurement and supply environment. You will be suitably qualified by having CIPS level 6 (or actively working towards this) or educated to degree level or equivalent and demonstrable experience for both.

Flexible Working: We fully recognise the importance of work-life balance and consider Herefordshire Council to be a modern, vibrant workplace where creativity and collaboration is actively encouraged. We’re offering you the flexibility to work from home or in the office. If you would like to compress your hours to give yourself more time in the afternoons or mornings then this is possible, and we also recognise that this can change to suit as circumstances change. Most of our team work flexibly and largely work from their home, with the occasional day in the office to attend meetings and work collaboratively on projects.

We anticipate that this would be the case for this role and therefore we encourage applications from nationwide commercial and procurement specialists. We are a friendly team who strive to work together, interact and problem solve in order for everyone to feel fully supported. We are happy to discuss career aspirations and will support you to achieve them. You will be part of a team who strive for excellence and continuous professional growth, working in a supportive and flexible environment.

Benefits of working for Herefordshire Council: A competitive salary, generous holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme, which includes:

• Pension Scheme Enrolment in the Local Government (LGPS)
• Generous Annual Leave: 31 days’ annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days per annum
• Flexible working: flexi-time, job-share, part-time hours and, in some instances, home working
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 access to support and counselling
• Payment of professional membership fees
• Pick your perks – our benefits include access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits. This includes savings, cash back and discounts.

We welcome applicants whatever their personal characteristics or social identity. All requests for flexible working arrangements and reasonable adjustments will be considered.

The following candidates will be interviewed if they meet the essential criteria for the post they are applying for:

• Those who indicate that they have a disability. This is part of our commitment to the “Disability Confident” scheme;
• Those who indicate in their supporting statement that they are an Armed Forces Veteran or Reservist. This is part of our pledge to support the Armed Forces Covenant;
• Those who indicate in their supporting statement that they are a Herefordshire care leaver. This is part of our commitment to supporting young people leaving our care.

Please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification for more details of this role. To apply, please submit your CV and complete the supporting statement within the application form, referring to the job description & person specification, detailing how you meet the specific requirements of the role.