Supplier and School Relationship Officer

Overview We are seeking a Supplier & School Relationship Officer to manage relationships with a range of suppliers to ensure the delivery of high quality, cost effective services that deliver best value for money and helps achieve commercial objectives and outcomes for traded services.To facilitate and support the process of sourcing and procurement of best value and compliant goods and services that are required as part of the provision of catering and other traded services to schools and settings. Responsibilities * Act as a key customer account and relationship operative for Traded Services, managing a portfolio of key accounts, fostering strong ongoing relationships with all stakeholders, customers, suppliers and business partners * Responsible for the quality assurance and operational performance monitoring ensuring suppliers adhere to agreed service levels, KPIs and pricing thereby ensuring that contractual commitments are met. * Support with the mobilisation of new contracts in liaison with suppliers, relevant stakeholders and customers ensuring successful operational start up and delivery of services. * Produce statistical data relating to supplies and usage which underpins the preparation of contract specifications and tenders. * In conjunction with the finance function, play a key role in the preparation of invoices, identifying exceptions, anomalies and pricing errors prior to forwarding to Accounts Payable. * Maintain contracts database and management information that is accurate, up to date and easily understood. * Develop and maintain both new and existing customer relationships, promoting the range of opportunities available through brokered suppliers and partners. Qualification, Skills, Knowledge, Experience * Certificate/Diploma in contract management from a reputable organisation * Relevant qualification in Procurement and Tendering * Evidence of relevant continuous professional development * Substantial experience of managing strategically important contracts, delivering improvements in services for users and cost savings. * Experience of collaborative working to determine viability of procurement options and best fit service provision through market testing and benchmarking * Demonstrable experience of analysing data and producing reports to facilitate business decisions. * Experience of managing difficult conversations * Experience of collecting, analysing and presenting large numerical data to senior management * Experience of supplier and contract management where the purchaser is a public sector body * Strong proven knowledge of Supplier Contract Management * Demonstrable knowledge of Tendering and Evaluation process * Able to organise tendering and contract processes * Systematic problem solver * Excellent organisation skills and attention to detail Pay Rates PAYEE – £22.55 Umbrella – £28.15 Location – Town Hall, Romford, Havering, RM1 3BB