Associate Procurement Operations Specialist

WMJobs; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 67,000 - 86,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Hybrid working

Local Government Pension Scheme

Generous annual leave

Job summary

Birmingham City Council is seeking an Associate Procurement Operations Specialist to provide strategic leadership for procurement operations across the Council. You will lead a high-performing team and drive compliance, innovation and continuous improvement while embedding best practice.

The role reports to the Associate Director of Procurement Operations and focuses on delivering value for money, governance and social value within a complex, regulated environment.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership experience in commercial procurement and governance.
• Experience developing policy, governance, and operating models.
• Knowledge of public sector procurement legislation and procurement acts.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and partners.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Procurement Operations function to foster collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Drive implementation of the Council's Procurement and Commercial Strategy for value for money.
• Develop procurement policy, governance, and capability frameworks across services.
• Ensure compliance with the Procurement Act 2023, including governance and audit assurance.
• Provide strategic leadership for business planning and performance across procurement.
• Act as Assurance Lead for CPAC, advising on high-value, high-risk activity.
• Build relationships with senior leaders and external partners to shape strategy.

Skills

MCIPS leadership

Strategic procurement

Governance & policy

Stakeholder management

Analytical thinking

Team leadership

Education

MCIPS membership or equivalent

Job description

Birmingham City Council,

Associate Procurement Operations Specialist

Permanent

Grade 7 - £66,627 - £85,845

Consultation grade - subject to formal evaluation under the Equal Pay Programme

Working 36.5 hours per week

Sponsorship is not available for this post. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK that does not require employer sponsorship for the duration of the appointment.

Lead the future of procurement across one of the UK's largest local authorities

Birmingham City Council is transforming the way procurement supports the city, and we're looking for an exceptional leader to help shape that future.

As Associate Procurement Operations Specialist, you will provide strategic leadership for procurement operations across the Council, ensuring our policies, governance, performance and capability frameworks enable outstanding commercial outcomes. Leading a high-performing specialist team, you'll drive compliance, innovation and continuous improvement while embedding best practice across the organisation.

About The Role

Reporting to the Associate Director of Procurement Operations, you will:

• Lead and develop the Procurement Operations function, creating a high-performing culture focused on collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement.
• Drive the implementation of the Council's Procurement and Commercial Strategy, ensuring procurement supports organisational priorities, delivers value for money and promotes ethical use of public funds.
• Lead the development of procurement policy, governance, assurance and capability frameworks, embedding consistent standards across Commercial and Procurement Services and the wider Council.
• Oversee the Council's compliance with the Procurement Act 2023, including transparency requirements, social value, governance, commercial risk management and audit assurance.
• Provide strategic leadership for business planning, organisational performance, capability development, communications and professional standards across procurement.
• Act as the Assurance Lead for the Commercial and Procurement Assurance Committee (CPAC), providing expert advice and scrutiny on high-value, high-risk commercial activity.
• Build influential relationships with senior leaders, elected members and external partners to shape commercial strategy, drive organisational improvement and champion procurement excellence.

About You

You'll be an experienced procurement leader with the strategic vision and leadership capability to influence change across a large, complex organisation. You'll bring:

• Full MCIPS membership (or equivalent professional expertise) together with recognised leadership experience or qualifications.
• Significant senior leadership experience within commercial procurement, governance or procurement operations in a complex, highly regulated environment.
• Extensive experience developing procurement policy, governance, assurance frameworks and operating models that deliver organisational improvement.
• In-depth knowledge of the Procurement Act 2023, public sector procurement legislation and commercial governance.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders, elected members and strategic partners while navigating complex political and organisational environments.
• Strong experience leading multidisciplinary teams, developing capability and embedding a culture of continuous improvement and professional excellence.
• Excellent strategic thinking, communication and analytical skills, with the ability to translate complex legislation, policy and organisational priorities into practical solutions.

Why Join Us?

Commercial and Procurement Services is at the heart of Birmingham City Council's transformation programme. In return, we offer:

• A rare opportunity to shape procurement strategy and governance across one of Europe's largest local authorities.
• A senior leadership role with genuine influence over commercial policy, organisational performance and public value.
• The opportunity to lead the implementation of the Procurement Act 2023 and help define the future of procurement across Birmingham.
• Ongoing investment in your professional development, leadership capability and career progression.
• Flexible and hybrid working opportunities where service needs allow.
• A competitive Local Government Pension Scheme and generous annual leave entitlement.
• The opportunity to make a lasting difference by ensuring every pound of public money delivers the greatest possible value for Birmingham's communities.

We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the communities we serve. Our data tells us that for this level of role, ethnic minorities are underrepresented and therefore we will use positive action to support us to achieve diverse shortlists. This may mean that recruitment times are a little longer, but we think this is worth it to achieve our aim.

Birmingham City Council is an accredited Disability Confident Leader employer, and we are committed to employing, retaining and developing all of our people.

We want to ensure your recruitment journey with us is a positive and equitable one, so please let us know if there are any reasonable adjustments, additional support, accessibility needs, or if there is any way in which we can support you through your application.

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be undertaken.

Proof of Right to work in the UK will be required for all applicants in accordance with UK Home Office requirements, before any employment offer can be confirmed.

Job Description and Person Specification - RM-00137101-Associate Procurement Operations Specialist-Job Description (1).pdf