Job Title: Senior Procurement Specialist
Salary: £40,221 opportunity to progress to £44,428 - Pay Increase pending
Hours: 37.0
Location: Welwyn
Contract Type: Permanent
Directorate: Resources
About the team
Herts FullStop, a trading division of Hertfordshire County Council, was established in 1954 and is built on the premise of being a supermarket for educational establishments specialising in soft FM services and educational resources. Our visionis to enable schools to deliver an education every child deserves and continually satisfy our customers through delivering educational services and resources that teachers trust that purchasers' value and that brings quality to life.
Herts FullStop has over 60 years' experience of supplying goods and services to educational establishments. Our catalogue service has over 18,500 products which are delivered to customers across the country.
This is an exciting opportunity to join the HFS procurement team. We are looking for a procurement professional to help manage the end-to-end procurement processes for goods and services. With excellent communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to motivate staff and manage stakeholders.
It is the role of the Senior Contract Support Office to assist the Head of Purchasing to maintain adherence to both the Public Contract Regulations (2015) and Hertfordshire County Council's internal Contract Regulations.
You will join a friendly, dedicated, and inclusive team within HFS, supported by the wider cross functional team with Hertfordshire County Council.
About the role
Working closely with Contract Managers, the Strategic Procurement Group, HCC Legal and Finance teams to draft contractual documentation suitable for publishing.
Managing the procurement process from project start up through to award ensuring compliance to the PCR (2015).
Working with Contract Managers to analyse the result of the procurement process and present outcomes to the head of service for sign off.
Working closely with Contract Managers to resolve any issues that may arise at during the contract management phase.
Support the Head of Purchasing and the Contract Managers in seeking efficiencies and new business opportunities where practical.
Develop existing procurement processes, considering alternative routes to market where appropriate, for example the use of CCS frameworks.
Management of the HFS procurement pipeline, ensuring the pipeline is kept up to date and shared with all Stakeholders such as Head of Purchasing and Contract Managers. Strategic Procurement Group, Legal and Finance teams so all teams can plan accordingly.
Management of the HCC Contract Register ensuring that the data for all HFS contracts are current and accurate.
Working closely with HFS finance team to assist with the collection of contractual rebates.
Working with democratic services to ensure the Forward Plan is up to date with all HFS contracts with a value of £500,000 or more.
Monitor Herts FullStop's spend compliance and report findings and suggest improvement plans to the Head of Purchasing.
Manage collaborative opportunities with other local authorities to maximise benefits for all parties.
About you
Essential:
- CIPS Level 4 (or working towards) in addition to a good general level of education. MCIPS would be advantageous.
- Experience or knowledge of Public Sector Procurement
- End-to-end procurement experience
- Proficiency in IT and advanced Excel capabilities are crucial.
- Ability to manage and manipulate date, reconcile issues, and produce information and reports.
- Knowledge of delivering financial outcomes through robust procurement.
- The ability to work through complex terms and conditions with an eye for detail.
- Proficiency in managing an active and busy inbox and tender portal.
- Experience in a fast-paced stimulating environment.
- Ability to provide updates to members of the buying team and contract managers.
Desirable:
- Knowledge of the Procurement Act 2023 - training/self-study will be provided.
- Advocacy in procurement practices.