Senior Procurement Officer/ ICT Category Lead

Cheshire West and Chester; Ellesmere Port; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in England is seeking a Senior Procurement Officer to lead procurement activities for ICT contracts. This pivotal role involves managing end-to-end procurement processes and collaborating with stakeholders to ensure compliance with relevant regulations. The successful candidate will possess broad experience in government procurement and strong relationship-building skills, effectively balancing innovation with policy requirements. This position allows for flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

Investors in People 'Gold' status benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Qualifications

• Broad experience in procurement within Local Government/Public Sector.
• Qualified in CIPS with strong experience in procurement roles.
• Proficient in research and market analysis.

Responsibilities

• Lead and advise on procurement strategies and market analysis.
• Manage tender evaluations and contracts.
• Ensure compliance with procurement regulations.

Skills

CIPS qualification

Procurement legislation knowledge

Strong relationship building

Market analysis skills

Tools

G-Cloud

Procurement portals

Job description

Overview

Procurement in Cheshire West and Chester is undertaken by adopting a Business Partnering approach, whereby the Senior Procurement Officer is the procurement lead for one of three Council Directorates. Senior Procurement Officers work with our key stakeholders within the Authority and with partners and suppliers to deliver best value in the sourcing of supplies, works and services. All activity will be in line with relevant legislation.

The post holder will manage the end-to-end procurement of ICT contracts, including high-value and complex projects, and representing the specialised procurement requirements of ICT with the Council’s ICT and Legal teams, and play a central role in delivering continuous improvement across commercial activities. Additionally, they will work closely with key stakeholders and with the Senior Manager Procurement to develop a series of agreed strategies for key procurement activity. The whole supply chain will be considered, and Procurement will be instrumental in the complete sourcing process.

You will be joining a fast paced procurement team at an exciting and important time in driving standards and best practice within our Business Partnering approach to procurement. You will play an important role in the delivery of a forward thinking, flexible, creative, commercial and collaborative procurement team, which aims to exemplify excellent procurement practice.

The Senior Procurement Officer/ ICT Category Lead is a pivotal role and involves leading procurement activities, providing specialist commercial advice, and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and best practices.

Responsibilities

• leading and advising on procurement strategies, market analysis, and route-to-market decisions
• drafting tender documentation and contracts
• managing tender evaluations, moderations, and supplier feedback
• supporting contract mobilisation, performance monitoring, change control, and risk management
• developing relationships with suppliers, SMEs, and voluntary sector organisations
• ensuring compliance with procurement regulations including The Procurement Act 2023, Public Contact Regulations 2015, Public Services Social Value Act 2012 and the Council’s own Contract Procedure Rules

The successful candidate will have broad experience of procurement within a Local Government/Public Sector environment and a thorough understanding of Local Government/Public Sector procurement regulations. You will be passionate about delivering sustainability and championing social value whilst achieving a successful balance between innovation and meeting corporate policies and regulatory requirements. You will be experienced in using a procurement portal for tenders.

We are looking for individuals who are CIPS fully qualified and have strong experience within procurement roles. You will be able to demonstrate knowledge of Procurement legislation and be conversant with procurement methodologies, techniques and proficient in completing research and market analysis.

You will be technically competent with experience in delivering complex projects working with a range of stakeholders internal and external to the council. You will work with suppliers to develop strategies to ensure the Council is receiving the most efficient service terms and conditions while maintaining value and cost efficiency benefits.

Ideally you will be experienced in end-to-end public sector ICT procurement and competent in using G-Cloud, CCS and other public ICT frameworks.

Your time will be spent working from home, other sites and the office to enable you to balance your home and work life. Determination and enthusiasm will be key, and you will be working with a range of stakeholders so relationship building will be important.

We are incredibly proud to be Investors in People ‘Gold’ status, which illustrates that we care about our people and are ambitious to do even more for them. We truly are an amazing place to work!

If your experience looks a little different from what we've identified and you think you can bring value to the role, we'd love to learn more about you!

For an informal discussion on this post, please contact Elaine Roberts-Smith at [e-mail]