Procurement Manager

Places for People; Preston; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension with matched contributions up

Bonus scheme for colleagues

35 days holiday

Healthcare cashback plan

Wellbeing support

Access to Place Rewards

Training and progression

Life Assurance

Free gym membership

Job summary

Places for People, the UK's leading social enterprise, seeks a Procurement Manager to lead high-value frameworks and dynamic markets for Procurement Hub in Preston. You will manage tendering and negotiations end-to-end, drive best value and compliance, and work with customers, legal advisers and suppliers to mitigate commercial risk across multiple categories.

This is a hybrid Preston role, around two days per week on site.

Qualifications

• Experience in a relevant procurement role.
• Understanding of the Procurement Act.
• Experience managing several complex or high-value procurement projects at the same time.
• Practical knowledge of procurement legislation, procedures and compliant tendering or negotiation processes.
• Experience developing strategic stakeholder relationships and producing analytical reports or procurement documentation

Responsibilities

• Create and manage high-value frameworks and dynamic markets for Procurement Hub, delivering complex procurement projects across several categories.
• Manage tendering and negotiation processes from start to finish, ensuring best value, compliance and risk management.
• Develop robust procurement documents and provide technical advice during Customer meetings.
• Engage suppliers, manage strategic relationships and respond to procurement queries.

Skills

Procurement experience

Procurement Act knowledge

Complex proj management

Legislation compliance

Stakeholder relations

Tools

Microsoft Office

Salesforce

e-tendering

Job description

As the UK's leading Social Enterprise, we move lives forward every day by building, managing and supporting thriving Communities. From new homes, social housing and student accommodation to leisure, education and Community initiatives, our work makes a positive difference to millions of People across the UK. And that takes People who care about doing the right thing. People who are ambitious, ready to grow and motivated to make a difference through the work they do.

We're looking for Colleagues who bring energy, curiosity and ownership. People who enjoy being challenged, support those around them and want to keep raising the bar. Because when we perform at our best, we create more opportunities to invest in our Customers, our Communities and each other.

Experience matters, but it's only part of the story. If you share our values and want to build a career where your work has real impact, we'd love to hear from you.

More About Your Role

As our Procurement Manager, you will create and manage high-value frameworks and dynamic markets for Procurement Hub, delivering complex procurement projects across several categories. You will manage tendering and negotiation processes from start to finish, ensuring best value, legislative compliance and the effective management of commercial and contractual risk.

Working with Customers, internal stakeholders, legal advisers and consultants, you will develop robust procurement documents and provide technical advice during Customer meetings. You will use your knowledge of the market to engage suppliers, manage strategic relationships and respond to procurement queries. You may also deliver supplier management and consultancy services that support the continued growth of Procurement Hub.

This role is based in Preston around 2 days a week.

At Places for People we are committed to a safe working environment so a basic DBS check is mandatory.

Essential Criteria

• Experience in a relevant procurement role.
• An understanding of the Procurement Act.
• Experience managing several complex or high-value procurement projects at the same time.
• Practical knowledge of procurement legislation, procedures and compliant tendering or negotiation processes.
• Experience developing strategic stakeholder relationships and producing analytical reports or procurement documentation

More About You

You can take ownership of complex procurement activity and guide projects through to successful, on-time delivery. You are confident influencing stakeholders, explaining technical procurement matters and balancing value with compliance, commercial priorities and contractual risk.

You will be comfortable reviewing and creating operational policies and procedures, working across Microsoft Office products and using data to inform clear recommendations. Experience of e-tendering platforms, Salesforce or procurement within housing, the public sector or a procurement consortium would be an advantage.

What You'll Get

We know rewarding work deserves rewarding benefits. That's why, alongside a competitive salary, you'll have access to a package designed to support you at work and beyond.

• Pension with matched contributions up to 7%
• Bonus scheme for colleagues at 2%
• 35 days holiday (including bank holidays) with the option to buy or sell days
• Healthcare cashback plan for everyday medical costs, with private GP and health support services available
• Comprehensive wellbeing support including counselling, flu jabs, our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and access to our Wellbeing Hub, supporting your mental, physical and financial wellbeing
• Access to Our Place Rewards, offering discounts and savings on groceries, travel, shopping, home products and other lifestyle purchases
• Ongoing training, professional qualifications, internal development programmes and career progression opportunities
• Recognition programmes including Star Awards and Colleague Awards, celebrating achievements and recognising great work
• Strong focus on inclusion, wellbeing and colleague engagement
• Free membership to Places Gyms
• Life Assurance to provide financial security for your loved ones, alongside access to will writing services to help you plan for the future with confidence

Safeguarding

At Places for People, safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. We are committed to creating safe communities for our customers and colleagues by protecting children, young people, and adults at risk from harm, abuse, and neglect. We follow robust safeguarding policies and procedures, ensuring all employees, volunteers, and contractors uphold the highest standards of safeguarding and accountability. Our recruitment process includes pre-employment checks, including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks where applicable, to promote a safe and secure working environment. By joining Places for People, you are expected to contribute to our safeguarding culture, following our policies and reporting concerns to protect those in our communities

Armed Forces

We are proud to support the Armed Forces Covenant. Places for People will guarantee an interview for any candidate who is serving or has formerly served in the Armed Forces, as a reservist, armed forces veteran (including the wounded, injured and sick), cadet instructor and military spouse/partner and who meets the essential criteria for the vacancy.

Disability Confident

We are proud to be a member of the Disability Confident scheme certified as Level 2 Disability Confident Employer. This helps us to successfully employ and retain people with disabilities and health conditions. Disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for a vacancy will be guaranteed an interview. The Equality Act 2010 (Disability Discrimination Act 1995 for NI) defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment that has sa substantial and long-term negative effect on their ability to do daily activities.

Neurodivergent

Neurodiverse individuals have highly valuable skills, and we recognise that a traditional interview process sometimes works against them and doesn’t allow them to self-advocate. Neurodiverse applicants who meet the criteria for a vacancy will be guaranteed an interview.

As part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion, we offer a guaranteed interview to candidates who are disabled, neurodiverse, or have served in the Armed Forces, provided you meet the essential criteria for the role. If you would like to be considered under this scheme, please indicate this in your application.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview experience, please let us know. We're happy to work with you to ensure you have the opportunity to perform at your best.

We understand the importance of a supportive and inclusive work culture so please talk to us at interview about flexibility you may need. We can't promise to give you exactly what you want, but we promise not to judge you for asking. For this role we are open to discussing the possibility of reduced hours, flexible start and finish times or compressed hours.