Contracts Officer

Overview: This role provides procurement, supply chain management and contract oversight across the Housing, Property & Construction Service. The postholder will help ensure compliant procurement routes, robust supplier relationships, and the delivery of social value and efficiency savings across a diverse programme of construction-related activity.

The Contracts Officer will manage end-to-end procurement processes, prepare tender documentation and pricing schedules, support the evaluation, negotiation and award of contracts, and ensure full compliance with legal, financial and internal contract standing orders. The role includes maintaining and updating contract frameworks and digital systems such as Accuserv and OPEN, and helping construction teams identify and fulfil their procurement needs.

A key part of the role is monitoring supplier performance and contributing to contractor review meetings, ensuring the organisation secures best value and maintains strong, productive supply chain relationships. The postholder will provide commercial and contractual advice to officers and stakeholders, support supplier payments and spend analysis, and work with external procurement partners including OPEN, Prosper and the Northern Procurement Alliance.

We are looking for a confident and capable procurement professional with strong analytical and problem-solving skills, able to work effectively with suppliers, colleagues and stakeholders at all levels. You will bring excellent communication skills, strong ICT capabilities across spreadsheets, databases and finance systems, and the ability to interpret data from both manual and digital sources. You will be comfortable prioritising a varied workload, working under pressure when needed, and contributing positively as a team player.

Responsibilities:

• Manage end-to-end procurement processes, including preparing tender documentation, pricing schedules and performance indicators.
• Support the evaluation, negotiation and award of contracts, ensuring compliance with legal, financial and internal contract standing orders.
• Maintain and update contract frameworks and digital systems (e.g., Accuserv and OPEN).
• Help construction teams identify and fulfil procurement needs.
• Monitor supplier performance and contribute to contractor review meetings to secure best value and maintain strong supply chain relationships.
• Provide commercial and contractual advice to officers and stakeholders; support supplier payments and spend analysis.
• Collaborate with external procurement partners including OPEN, Prosper and the Northern Procurement Alliance.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Experience in procurement, ideally within construction-related environments.
• Familiarity with pricing schedules, schedules of rates and activity codes.
• Strong negotiation skills and a track record of process development; ability to work independently and professionally.
• Desirable: knowledge of building materials, familiarity with contract forms and terms, and understanding of procurement in a political-governance context.
• Desirable professional qualification such as CIPS.

What We Offer and Our Commitments:

Our People First strategy is a commitment to making North Tyneside Council an exceptional place to work, where everyone can thrive and flourish. We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and to creating a workplace that reflects the communities we serve. We prioritise safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk of harm; all staff and volunteers share this commitment. We provide reasonable adjustments in recruitment and workplace arrangements as needed to support applicants and employees. We recognise the role of our Carbon Net-Zero 2030 Action Plan and our climate initiatives in our operations and the borough.