Procurement Consultant

4Recruitment Services; Shrewsbury; Remote; GBP 92,000 - 101,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote working

Job summary

4Recruitment Services seeks an experienced Procurement Consultant for a remote role with a UK local authority based in Shrewsbury. You will lead Children’s Services procurement, develop the category approach and work with commissioners to progress priority procurements, ensuring commercial credibility and compliance for a large rural authority.

The role demands strong category management within Children’s Services, a track record of complex, high-value procurements, and the ability to align

Qualifications

• Significant procurement experience in Children’s Services, ideally within local government.
• Ability to develop category plans and procurement pipelines.
• Experience liaising with commissioners and cross-department stakeholders.
• Knowledge of provider markets related to children’s social care and SEND.

Responsibilities

• Engage with Children’s Services commissioners to understand current pipeline and priorities.
• Develop a coherent Children’s Services category plan connected to Adults and Public Health.
• Translate commissioning requirements into clear, proportionate procurement strategies.
• Lead and support complex and high-value procurements from early market through to award.
• Test assumptions, identify risks and shape realistic sourcing options with a critical friend approach.
• Balance compliance, value for money, provider-market capacity and outcomes for children.
• Provide structure and expertise to build sustainable capability as work progresses.

Skills

Procurement experience in Children’s_S

Local government experience

Category management

Stakeholder engagement

Job description

Our local authority client based in Shrewsbury are urgently seeking an experienced Procurement Consultant.

Job Details

• Remote working
• £500 to £550 Outside IR35

The Assignment

Children’s Services is the next major category to be addressed. The Council is beginning to establish the full pipeline and needs a consultant who can quickly understand the service context, develop the category approach and work alongside commissioners to progress priority procurements. The successful consultant will provide informed, diplomatic challenge while helping stakeholders reach solutions that are commercially credible, compliant and appropriate for a large rural authority. There is also important crossover with Adults and Public Health, so the category approach must recognise shared markets, services and commissioning priorities.

Key responsibilities

• Engage with Children’s Services commissioners to understand the current pipeline, service pressures, priorities and intended outcomes.
• Develop a coherent Children’s Services category plan, connected to relevant activity across Adults and Public Health.
• Translate commissioning requirements into clear, proportionate and commercially robust procurement strategies.
• Lead and support complex and high-value procurements from early market consideration through to award and mobilisation.
• Use market knowledge to test assumptions, identify risks and shape realistic sourcing options. Act as a critical friend to commissioners, providing constructive and diplomatic challenge where proposals may have unintended commercial, contractual or delivery consequences.
• Help stakeholders balance compliance, value for money, provider-market capacity, service quality and outcomes for children and families.
• Bring structure and expertise without judgement, helping the service build sustainable capability as work progresses.

Candidate profile

• Significant procurement and category experience within Children’s Services, ideally in local government.
• A strong understanding of commissioning environments and the ability to work collaboratively with commissioners.
• Experience developing category plans, sourcing strategies and procurement pipelines.
• Knowledge of relevant provider markets, potentially including children’s social care, social worker supply, SEND, early intervention, specialist placements and third-sector services.
• A track record of leading complex or high-value service procurements.
• The ability to connect Children’s Services requirements with related activity across Adults and Public Health.