Contract Manager

Leeds City College; Leeds; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An educational institution is seeking a Contract Manager in Leeds to oversee and manage estates-related contracts. Responsibilities include negotiating contracts, monitoring supplier performance, and leading cost-saving initiatives while ensuring compliance with public sector standards. Ideal candidates will have prior contract management experience and strong organizational skills. The role offers competitive annual leave and opportunities for professional development.

Benefits

Annual Leave: Curriculum and Management: 44 days plus bank holidays

Pensions Schemes With Generous Employer Contributions

CPD Opportunities: Annual staff conference plus 2 additional staff development days

Employee wellbeing initiatives: Family Friendly Policies

Discounted onsite spa and gym

Flexible and hybrid working opportunities

Qualifications

• Previous contract management experience and a good knowledge of building services and related legislation.
• Experience of operating Procurement systems.
• Strong organisation and communication skills with the ability to prioritise workloads.
• Ability to work under pressure whilst remaining calm.
• Good negotiation skills.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with colleagues to source and negotiate contracts with suppliers.
• Monitor supplier performance and ensure compliance with contracts.
• Lead cost-saving initiatives while ensuring quality.
• Maintain procurement systems and generate reports on spending.

Skills

Contract management experience

Knowledge of building services

Negotiation skills

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Tools

Procurement systems

Job description

About The Role

We are seeking a Contract Manager to oversee and manage estates-related contracts across Luminate Education Group. This pivotal role involves reviewing, updating, negotiating and ensuring compliance of all property, facilities, and estates service contracts. As a central figure in the estates function, you will lead on contract audits, risk assessments, and contract renewal strategies to align with procurement best practices and public sector compliance standards. Working closely with estates, finance, and legal teams, you will ensure that all contracts support value for money, operational continuity, and the strategic goals of the Group. This is an exciting opportunity for a highly organised individual with strong commercial acumen and a passion for driving process improvement. Your ability to navigate complex contractual landscapes and liaise with multiple stakeholders will be essential to modernising and streamlining our estates contract portfolio. Fixed Term Contract initially for 1 year, there may be potential for an extension.

What You Will Do

• Collaborate with colleagues to source and negotiate contracts with suppliers.
• Monitor supplier performance, ensure pricing is correct and contracts are being adhered to.
• Lead cost-saving initiatives while protecting quality, sustainability, and ethical sourcing.
• Maintain procurement systems and generate regular reports on spending, KPIs, and performance.

About You

• Previous contract management experience and a good knowledge of building services and related legislation.
• Experience of operating Procurement systems.
• Strong organisational and communication skills with the ability to prioritise workloads.
• Ability to work under pressure whilst remaining calm, clear thinking.
• Good negotiation skills.

Benefits

The group offers a range of excellent benefits, including:

• Annual Leave: Curriculum and Management: 44 days plus bank holidays
• Annual Leave: Curriculum support and business support: 39 days plus bank holidays
• Pensions Schemes With Generous Employer Contributions: Teachers’ Pension Scheme; Local Government Pension Scheme; People’s Pension Scheme
• CPD Opportunities: Annual staff conference plus 2 additional staff development days.
• Qualifications Including PGCE, Apprenticeships, Leadership And Management Courses.
• Employee wellbeing initiatives: Family Friendly Policies, discounted onsite spa (Printworks) and gym (Park Lane).
• Travel and commuting: Discounted travel available through Metro card, Northern Rail, First Bus, Arriva Bus and Cycle to work schemes.
• Flexible and hybrid working opportunities: Please speak to the recruiting manager regarding flexible opportunities as these differ between roles.

About Us

Luminate Education Group is a collective of education providers based in Yorkshire with one clear purpose: to make a positive difference to people’s lives through genuinely transformative education and training. We offer a wide range of job vacancies across our business support functions - Finance, Human Resources, ITSS, Marketing, Communications, Executive Support, Estates and Food Services. As an education provider, we are committed to lifelong learning and investing in our workforce, and you’ll have access to a broad variety of training and professional development designed to help you continually develop and grow. Luminate Education Group consists of: Harrogate College, Keighley College, Leeds City College, Leeds Sixth Form College, Pudsey Sixth Form College, Leeds Conservatoire and University Centre Leeds.

Safeguarding

At Luminate Education Group we are committed to the safeguarding and welfare of all our students. All successful applicants will be required to complete mandatory pre-employment checks which include an enhanced DBS check, online checks and must have two satisfactory references. Please be aware that it is a criminal offence to apply for this post if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity in connection to children.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in recruitment is key to our Group’s values. We are dedicated to fostering a workplace that embraces equality, diversity and inclusion in all its forms, where every candidate is treated with fairness, respect, and equity. Our recruitment processes are designed to ensure equal opportunities, remove bias, and promote a diverse talent pool. To find out more about what our commitment to EDI means to us please click here to learn more about our EDI objectives.

Recruitment Agencies

We do not accept unsolicited CVs and applications from agencies and will not be liable for any fee in connection with a candidate that has been submitted speculatively through any agency that has not been expressly instructed for a particular vacancy as part of our Preferred Supplier List.