Commercial and Procurement Officer

Kent County Council; Maidstone; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority is seeking a Senior Commercial and Procurement Officer to provide expert advice and guidance in procurement practices. This position requires a commitment to commercial excellence and experience in managing complex projects within the public or private sectors. Applicants should possess CIPS level 5 or be willing to achieve it. Your ability to communicate effectively and build relationships will be key to driving value in procurement processes, supporting the council's delivery of best value for its residents.

Qualifications

• Previous commercial or procurement experience in private or public sector required.
• Strong work ethic and ability to manage multiple projects.
• Excellent communication skills to build stakeholder relationships.

Responsibilities

• Provide expertise in commercial and procurement practices.
• Support the planning and management of procurement arrangements.
• Ensure compliance with relevant procurement regulations.

Skills

Commercial expertise

Procurement knowledge

Interpersonal skills

Data analysis

Education

CIPS level 5

Job description

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council, therefore, has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

We are looking for an ambitious and motivated professional to join our Division as a Senior Commercial and Procurement Officer in the People category, which covers Adult Social Care, Children’s and Young Persons, Integrated Health including Public Health and Families, Communities and Education services. The People category accounts for over £850m spend under management. Commercial and procurement staff within the team work to support commissioning colleagues operating in a dynamic, challenging market, where no two days are the same.

Responsibilities

As a Senior Commercial and Procurement Officer, you will be responsible for providing professional commercial and procurement expertise, advice and guidance, using a risk-based approach, to assist stakeholders to plan, develop, source, and manage procurement arrangements, to effectively meet organisational and business objectives.

The focus of the role will be to support the procuring and subsequent letting of all category contracts to ensure compliance with the Procurement Act 2023, the Healthcare Service (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 and the Council's Spending the Councils Money policy.

Qualifications

To join us, you will have achieved CIPS level 5, or be able to demonstrate a commitment to work towards this level, and have previous commercial or procurement experience either in the private or public sector. You will have an excellent work ethic, be organised, and be able to manage multiple projects. You will be able to demonstrate strong procurement knowledge to support clients in delivering their commercial pipeline. You will have excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate effectively and build relationships with internal stakeholders and suppliers. You will have the ability to research, analyse and interpret data/information to support the development of procurement plans and category strategies.

In this role, each day will offer a chance to build on your experience and skills which will help shape the future of Kent.

Kent County Council's Commercial and Procurement Division, which has achieved the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply's Accreditation for Excellence, is driven by its mission to ensure the Council is delivering 'best value' for residents across £1.2b of contracted spend. By 'best value', we mean much more than value for money and delivering savings; we are committed to delivering wider social, environmental, and economic benefits to Kent communities, and supporting the Kent economy., Work that works for you and us - let’s talk flexibility!

KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds, faiths and those with caring responsibilities, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

Please note - if you are interested, please apply soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.