Supplier & Contract Assistant

West Northamptonshire Council; Northampton; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

West Northamptonshire Council relies on a wide range of technology suppliers and contracts to deliver digital services that support our residents, communities and colleagues.

As a Supplier & Contract Assistant, you'll play an important role in helping us manage these relationships effectively, ensuring accurate information, strong governance and excellent service delivery across our Digital, Data & Technology (DDaT) portfolio.

Qualifications

• Experience in contract administration, supplier management, financial administration or procurement support is beneficial.
• Strong analytical and organisational skills with attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Support day-to-day management of supplier, contract and financial information, ensuring accuracy and governance.
• Produce reports, analyse information, monitor contract activity and identify trends and risks.
• Support contract lifecycle activities such as renewals, reviews, procurement exercises and supplier performance monitoring.
• Respond to supplier and contract queries, coordinate meetings and governance activities, maintain documentation and action logs.
• Contribute to continuous improvement, strengthening reporting and data quality across the portfolio.

Job description

West Northamptonshire Council relies on a wide range of technology suppliers and contracts to deliver digital services that support our residents, communities and colleagues. As a Supplier & Contract Assistant, you'll play an important role in helping us manage these relationships effectively, ensuring accurate information, strong governance and excellent service delivery across our Digital, Data & Technology (DDaT) portfolio.

Working as part of the Supplier & Contract Team, you'll support the management of approximately 130 technology and digital service contracts covering software, hardware, cloud, hosting and support services. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys working with data, contracts and business information, and who wants to develop specialist knowledge in supplier, procurement and contract management within a supportive and collaborative environment.

What will you be doing?

You'll support the day-to-day management of supplier, contract and financial information, helping to ensure records remain accurate, up to date and compliant with governance requirements. Working closely with colleagues, suppliers and stakeholders, you'll produce reports, analyse information, monitor contract activity and help identify trends, risks and opportunities that support informed decision-making.

A key part of the role will involve supporting contract lifecycle activities such as renewals, reviews, procurement exercises and supplier performance monitoring. You'll respond to supplier and contract queries, coordinate meetings and governance activities, maintain documentation and action logs, and help ensure contractual obligations are monitored and managed effectively.

You'll also contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, helping to strengthen reporting, improve data quality and refine supplier and contract management processes. Through your work, you'll support the effective management of a significant digital services portfolio that underpins the Council's technology operations.

You're an organised and analytical individual who enjoys working with information, solving problems and supporting effective decision-making. You have strong attention to detail and can confidently manage records, reports and business information while maintaining high levels of accuracy and data integrity.

You'll have excellent communication and relationship-building skills, enabling you to work effectively with colleagues, suppliers and stakeholders at all levels. Comfortable working independently as well as part of a team, you're able to manage competing priorities, meet deadlines and use your initiative to resolve issues and identify improvements.

Experience in contract administration, supplier management, financial administration, procurement support or a similar business support role would be beneficial, although we're equally interested in candidates with strong analytical and organisational skills who are keen to develop their expertise. Above all, you'll share our THRIVE values and our commitment to delivering efficient, innovative and high-quality services for the people of West Northamptonshire.

At West Northants Council, it's about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is 'to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive'. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.