Procurement & Contracts Manager required for 35 hours per week, Home based in the Northwest - Driver

Title: Procurement and Contracts Manager Reports to: Director of Finance, Procurement, Estates Responsible for: 2 Purchasing Assistants Job Purpose: Provide leadership and pro-active management to deliver quantifiable business benefits (both improved service delivery and financial performance) in the procurement of and contracting for all products and services for use by the business. Provide procurement and contract advice and support to corporate and operational colleagues, the Senior Leadership and Executive teams. The role holder will also be required to provide support to the Director of Finance, Procurement, and Estates in Committee related matters (hereafter referred to as the Director of Finance). Key Accountabilities: Leadership 1. Under the guidance of the Director of Finance, lead the development and group wide management of the procurement, supply side tendering and contracting arrangements to deliver the organisation's business objectives (reflecting industry recognised best practice); 2. Under the guidance of the Director of Finance lead the development and implementation of procurement policies and manage procurement and contract activities (e.g. supplier performance framework including frequency of review and operational and financial key performance indicators and outcome-based metrics); 3. Provide Procurement leadership/knowledge to ensure the Access Financials Procurement module is maintained on a timely basis and maximises benefits to the organisation. Financial & Regulatory 1. Set annual department budget in line with the strategic plan; 2. Deliver and manage to annual budget target; 3. Act as responsible person (Procurement) for sign-off on supply side tenders; 4. To ensure all aspects of compliance are adhered to for procurement, tendering and contract policies and other external requirements, including Anti-Bribery and Corruption and Fraud, Modern Slavery Act requirements. 5. Provide assurance from a procurement perspective re. the appropriateness of contracting arrangements being entered in to; Stakeholder Management 1. Work in conjunction with both operational and corporate colleagues to ensure the effective management of supply contracts and supplier tenders; 2. Manage supplier performance against key performance indicators (both financial and operational) and provide routine supplier reports as well as recommendations for improvements; 3. Work closely with housing providers, AFG's Housing Relationship Manager and Operations colleagues to ensure housing provision provided is appropriately contracted and service level issues arising are resolved on a timely basis. This will be a key area of focus for the role holder; 4. Develop excellent and effective relationships with key stakeholders, external providers and other agencies to ensure operational needs are fully understood and incorporated into the procurement process; 5. Work closely with operational and corporate colleagues to ensure contractual terms of new contracts are fully understood; 6. Transfer expertise and knowledge as appropriate across the organisation, sharing best practice, capabilities and expertise; 7. Act as conduit for all communications with external suppliers during the procurement and supplier management process. 8. Build lasting and meaningful relationship with existing, new and potential suppliers, As with the nature of time-bound tenders, there will be a need to work above and beyond contracted hours to ensure timely submissions.

• Experience in a senior procurement/contract management capacity (minimum 3 years) for a medium/large organisation - with a demonstrable record of effectively managing the supplier base and delivering financial savings, within a framework set by senior management.
• Experience of working in partnership with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrable supplier, contract management and tender experience.
• Experience of tendering contracts under EU procurement law or UK equivalent.
• Understanding of contract law relating to procurement and ability to translate into simple language.
• Experience of Budgeting and Reforecasting.
• Strong commercial and operational experience.
• Managing multiple tasks and prioritise workload of self and others to achieve objectives.
• Practical problem solving and solving complex problems.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and to tight deadlines
• Ability to form and maintain good working relationships with a wide variety of people at all levels including external organisations
• Strong interpersonal skills combined with a supportive and visible leadership style.
• Business and report writing.
• Knowledge of EU and UK procurement legislation
• Knowledge of tendering best practice and regulations, procedures and governance in relation to public sector tendering.
• Good understanding of contract structures, including legalities and interpreting legal statements.
• Knowledge of the commissioning process within Health and Social Care sectors.
Qualifications & Training
• Educated to degree level in a business qualification or equivalent.
• CIPs qualification/membership.
• Strong I.T. skills including Microsoft word, excel and power-point. Ability to utilise technology to assist the tendering and procurement team., Disability Confident
About Disability Confident A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.

This role is home based and involves travel within the northwest of England, we will only accept applications from residents of the northwest. With our extended flexible working options, you can also choose to work a 9 day fortnight or a 4.5 day week, supporting our employees with their work life balance. This role is Band III as per our structure.