Procurement Assistant Manager

Working for Essex; Chelmsford; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 32,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Public Sector Pension

27 days annual leave

Hybrid working

Job summary

Essex County Council is looking for a Procurement Assistant Manager in Chelmsford to support the Children’s & Families procurement team. This fixed-term, hybrid role is 25 hours per week with some home-working and regular office attendance about 2 days weekly.

The role focuses on cost scrutiny, negotiations, and delivering savings while collaborating with operations, finance and external providers to secure the best outcomes for Essex residents.

Qualifications

• Educated to A level with MCIPS or working towards such qualification or equivalent demonstrable work experience with continuing professional development.
• Comprehensive negotiating skills for multi-million pound contracts and proven ability to plan and deliver negotiations.
• Experience delivering continuous improvements in strategic arrangements with cost and service benefits.
• Awareness of working in a political environment.
• Knowledge of category management and using it in complex commercial environments to achieve cost or service improvements.
• Track record of managing strategic contracts in business-critical environments with measurable supplier performance.
• Knowledge of contract law and legislation relevant to the categories within their control and its market impact.
• Extensive knowledge of public sector procurement law and the ability to explain the law to non-procurement staff.

Responsibilities

• Understand and scrutinise placement costs and lead negotiations with providers.
• Deliver savings targets and secure the right support at the right price with operations, finance and external providers.

Skills

Negotiation skills

Category management

Public sector procurement

Contract law awareness

Stakeholder management

Education

MCIPS (or in progress)

Job description

Procurement Assistant Manager

Fixed Term,up to 18 months (March 2028)

Part Time,25 hours per week

Up to £ 29,037 per annum pro-rata

Location:Chelmsford

Closing Date: 2nd November 2026

This is a hybrid-working role contractually based in Chelmsford. The role allows for some home-working with a requirement to attend the office approximately 2 days per week, in line with business need.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this role. Applicants must have a current, unrestricted right to work in the UK.

Do you want to make a difference to real people and real lives? Do you want to be a part of helping to shape the future of our Procurement service at Essex County Council (ECC)?

Did you know that ECC spends c£1.2Billion per annum on 3rd party commissioned services, making it the 2nd largest spending Authority in the UK? The Procurement Team at ECC are award winning and support the organisation to deliver services to 1.4million residents. We use procurement to achieve more than financial value, helping to strengthen communities, support local businesses and ensure every pound spent delivers the greatest possible benefit for Essex residents.

The Opportunity:

Shape markets. Influence costs. Improve outcomes for children.

Our Children's & Families procurement team operates in one of the most challenging and high-profile areas of public sector procurement. Demand is growing, provider markets are complex, and every commercial decision has a direct impact on both public finances and the lives of children and families.

As an Assistant Manager, you will be responsible for understanding and scrutinising placement costs, leading negotiations with providers, delivering savings targets and helping the operations teams secure the right support at the right price. You'll combine commercial analysis with strong relationship management, working across operational services, finance teams and the external provider market.

This role requires resilience, curiosity and confidence. You'll need to navigate difficult conversations, challenge costs constructively, understand market dynamics and build partnerships that enable long-term improvements. In return, you'll have the opportunity to apply your commercial expertise in a role where the outcomes genuinely matter.

You can hear the success stories of some of our employees in our Blog via the following links

My Procurement Journey – Amanda

My Procurement Journey – Victoria

Jawid – Success Story

For more information on Procurement careers within the Council and the broader Procurement Service, visit https://workingforessex.com/careers-in-procurement

Why work with us?

• Make a difference to the local community, be that infrastructure, climate change or social care (adults and Childrens) and help us transform Essex to a circular economy as we redefine growth and focus on positive society-wide benefits.
• We are a very large procurement team with circa 120 staff and have seen the department grow by 25% over the last 18 months. Annual Spend of £1.2 billion.
• We are the only CIPS accredited County Council in the UK.
• We are the largest Local Authority Procurement Team in the UK and have a national reputation for excellence.
• Work for a high performing team with great team morale and friendly, helpful, and supportive colleagues.
• Happy to consider Public and Private sector backgrounds
• Great training pathways. Encouragement to all staff for their continual professional development with full support and guidance towards CIPS / MCIPS
• Flexible working – We offer flexibility in how you work, recognising that life doesn't always fit a standard schedule. Through agreed working arrangements, you'll have the opportunity to achieve a positive work/life balance while meeting the needs of the team and our residents.
• Local Authority Pension Scheme. For more details please visit: https://www.essexpensionfund.co.uk/
• 27 days annual leave plus bank holiday.
• 37 hour working week.
• Continuous Service – Joining us from another local authority? Then you could benefit from bringing your time served and benefits with you.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Educated to A level with a relevant professional qualification such as MCIPS or working towards such a qualification or equivalent demonstrable work experience with evidence of continuing professional development.
• Comprehensive negotiating skills appropriate to multi million pound contracts and experience of planning and delivering successful negotiations.
• Evidence of some experience of delivering continuous improvements in strategic arrangements with evidence of generating significant cost and service benefits.
• An awareness of working in a political environment.
• Knowledge of category management and experience of using this methodology in complex commercial environments to deliver significant cost or service improvements
• A demonstrable track record of managing strategic contracts in business critical environments. This should include evidence of defining, measuring and improving key elements of supplier performance.
• Evidence of some knowledge of contract law and legislation relevant to the specific category / categories within their control and its impact on market management, finance and contractual arrangements.
• Extensive knowledge of public sector procurement law with an ability to explain the law to non-procurement staff and find pragmatic solutions to potential legal difficulties.

For more information on the procurement service and the wider Corporate Function please visit https://workingforessex.com/role/corporate-services

Why Essex?

Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. To read more please visit: https://www.workingforessex.com/about-us/

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community.

If you have any queries regarding this role, or require anything further, please email [e-mail]

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