Procurement Officer - Req24470

Job title:         Procurement Officer 

Salary:            PO2£37,335.96 to £40,221.00

Hours:             37

Contract:        Permanent

Location:        Civic Hall, Leeds LS1 1UR

As a Procurement Officer you’ll thrive on managing a variety of procurements and stakeholders, have a proven ability to manage and support complex activity and can confidently, clearly and effectively communicate and deliver change.

It’s not just about wasteful spending, cost cutting or finding the cheapest options available. It is about analysing and understanding the organisation’s needs, evaluating potential suppliers, negotiating contracts, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality goods, works and services. Effective procurement involves careful planning, market research and supplier relationship management. It focusses on identifying opportunities for innovation, promoting sustainability and ethical practices, and mitigating risks, by adopting a strategic approach, procurement can contribute to the overall success and competitiveness for Leeds City Council. 

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About you

As a Procurement Officer, you will bring to the role:

• Degree or relevant demonstrable skills or experience at a level equivalent to CIPS Global Standard for Procurement and Supply Operational competency level.
• An understanding of public sector tendering and contract management processes. 
• Demonstrate drive, energy, resilience, and self-management skills. 
• Good communication skills with the ability to influence, negotiate to form positive relationships.
• Knowledge, understanding and experience of implementing a procurement and project management methodology to drive service improvement.

About the role 

You will be responsible for providing advice and managing procurement processes of moderate complexity, risk, and value. They will support complex procurements, advise service leads, ensure compliance with procedures and contracts, and provide guidance on commercial activities. They will also support category management and provide advice to members and directorates. 

As a Procurement Officer, you will need to have the necessary skills and experience (or demonstrable understanding) to manage procurement projects effectively. Your main responsibility will be to support the management and monitoring of procurements in the FM and Transport category, with the goal of reducing costs and improving efficiency. As our next Procurement Officer, you will provide procurement support to important projects within the Council and the wider City Region. 

This is a great opportunity for you to move into a procurement role which can offer a variety of work in a vibrant and forward-thinking environment. There are up to two positions available.

The role is integral to our Facilities Management and Transport Category Team who support the delivery of strategic priorities and complex projects, procurements, and contracts for various departments across the Council.  These include food, fleet, transport, air quality/climate change initiatives and utilities with a strong emphasis on value for money and sustainability, whilst supporting directorates in ensuring that key stakeholders including elected Members, are appropriately engaged, implementing robust governance, approvals and decision-making processes.

There may also be a role available in our Business & Professional Services Category Team. This team delivers procurement projects for core services that enable the Council to function effectively. Many of the Services procured in the BPS enable the Council to meet its statutory obligations and are primarily for Financial Services, Insurance, Human Resources, Legal Services, Consultancy, Advertising and Marketing.  The BPS team does also procure a few supplies contracts such as Personal Protective Equipment, White Goods, Library Materials and Office Supplies.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement of 25 days plus statutory holidays. 
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions.
• flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements.
• a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities.
• a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further.

How to apply

Please complete the online application form.

Please upload your CV and complete a personal statement of no more than 500 words.

Read our guidance for further advice. Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application. 

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact, Derek Prest, Category Manager. Call 0113 37 85849 or email derek.prest@leeds.gov.uk

We promote diversity and want a workforce that reflects the population of Leeds. Leeds City Council is ranked 70 on the Stonewall Equality Index 2023. We are also an age-friendly employer, a Mindful Employer, and a Disability Confident Leader.

All new Leeds City Council appointments are made subject to the satisfactory completion of a six-month probationary period.
This role is based in the UK. Employment is conditional on confirmation of the right to work in the UK - either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa. If you do not have the right to work in the UK and the role does not meet eligibility for sponsorship, please consider carefully whether you meet the eligibility to apply.

Job Description

Job Purpose: Working as part of the team, you will live and model values and behaviours to help us to achieve our ambition to become the best city council in the country. Your role will be important in ensuring the council is more enterprising and efficient and ensuring that the authority has in place proper arrangements for the administration and delivery of procurements and supporting complex procurements. The role operates within the context of the council’s Business Plan Objective to increase efficiency. 

The post holder will be responsible for providing and leading professional advisory and management functions in respect of procurements which are of moderate complexity, risk, and value, supporting complex procurements advising clients and ensuring compliance with procedures, process, current contractual arrangements and a range of statutory and regulatory undertakings, supporting a category management approach and advising members and directorates on related commercial activity. 

The Procurement Officer will be able to demonstrate relevant skills and experience in the management of procurement projects and will be responsible for supporting the management and monitoring of procurements within identified categories to reduce spend and achieve efficiencies. 

Responsibilities 

• Developing and monitoring procurements undertaken on a regional and inter-council basis.

Skills Required

• Provide advice and guidance on procurement matters across the authority to senior officers and other stakeholders. 
• Support effective joint working within the council. Provide guidance and support to colleagues, clients, and immediate line reports, creating an organisational culture of shared accountabilities, learning and continuous improvement. 
• Support new ways of working and partnership working with key clients both internal and external to the council, to improve corporate priority outcomes and to ensure that developments and improvements remain focused on delivering outcomes for local people.
• Promote and support positive solutions to achieve diversity and equality of opportunity in all aspects of service delivery, community engagement activity and human resource areas. 
• Support effective consultation and communications with colleagues, clients, councillors, partners, and other stakeholders in accordance with council policy. 
• Support open, responsive, and accountable government, ensuring good governance compliance with financial and procurement procedures. 
• Manage all aspects of risk and be responsible for the safety of staff, clients, and contractors in accordance with all statutory obligations and relevant health and safety policies.
• Develop and monitor procurements undertaken on a regional and inter-council basis.

Knowledge Required

• Assist the Procurement Category Manager in providing advice to service departments prior to the commencement of the procurement, including procurement options appraisal, procurement plan, specification, pricing models, innovative partnership arrangements.
• Provide post-procurement advice and management, including the Contract Management Plan. 
• Provide advice regarding contract extensions, variations, and termination of contracts.
• Assist with the development, management and monitoring of the implementation of category management and category plans across identified categories of spend.
• Assist in reducing procurement costs and improving efficiency by identifying areas suitable for corporate contracts, e-procurement and developing other appropriate contractual arrangements. 
• Maintain a record of the savings achieved through the introduction of more efficient and economic procurement arrangements.
• Help develop the skills and abilities of service area-based staff to enable them to undertake procurement projects of varying size and complexity.
• Provide advice and guidance on the implementation of, and ensure compliance with, the council’s Contract Procedure Rules, relevant legislation, and statutory undertakings. 
• Ensure safety and safeguarding requirements are complied with. 

Experience Required

• Manage procurements of moderate complexity, risk and value, and where appropriate support procurements which are more complex and /or of higher risk and higher value, contributing to the delivery of the council’s procurement category management function and commercial approach as a whole.
• Contribute to the identifying and resolving of risks and issues in specific procurements.
• Coordinate and manage the tender process to Invitation to Tender stage including contributing to the development and preparation of tender documents for signoff, setting of evaluation criteria and methodology, publishing of relevant documentation and coordinating input from legal, technical, and financial specialisms.
• Contribute to, and where appropriate manage, the procurement process to Contract Award including evaluation of tenders and drafting and issuing of relevant documentation.
• At all stages of the procurement process respond to and communicate with bidders on behalf of the council.
• Report on spend and proactively advise departments regarding off-contract, non-contract and quasi-contract spend, achieving a reduction in such spend.
• Contribute to and guide the preparation and authorisation of contract document to ensure that properly drafted contracts are entered into; implement standardised documentation across procurements and categories.
• Manage procurements of moderate complexity, risk and value, and support complex procurements within a context of budget pressures and funding restrictions, ensuring the delivery and improvement of services which meet the needs of our communities and stakeholders.

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS: It is essential that the Candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post within the context of the specific role duties and responsibilities:  Candidates will only be shortlisted for selection if they can demonstrate through their application that they meet all the essential requirements.

Method of Assessment will be through one or more of the following Application Document, Test, Interview or Certificate.

• Degree or relevant demonstrable skills or experience.
• Relevant demonstrable skills or experience at a level equivalent to CIPS Global Standard for Procurement and Supply Operational competency level.
• Understanding of public sector tendering and contract management processes, with an understanding of the strategic procurement issues facing the public sector.
• Knowledge and understanding of commercial organisations and markets.
• Experience of effectively managing procurement contracts and supporting complex procurements to achieve objectives.
• Experience of applying different strategies for solving procurement issues.
• Experience of reviewing systems and procedures to improve service delivery.
• Demonstrate drive, energy, resilience and self-management skills as well as integrity, openness and awareness of others.
• Ability to present information in a clear and concise manner using a variety of presentational formats.
• Experience of working in a multi-discipline environment.
• Experience of supporting a multi-disciplinary and occasionally geographically dispersed procurement project team. 
• Experience of contributing to the successful management of change programmes which reflect service needs, provide value for money, and maintain quality 
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence, negotiate to form positive relationships 
• Ability to employ a range of management styles which focus on achieving results in terms of outcomes for staff and customers 
• Experience of delivering a high level of customer satisfaction with the quality of service
• Knowledge, understanding and experience of implementing a procurement and project management methodology to drive service improvement 
• An understanding and practical experience of procurement and commercial approach through all stages of the procurement life cycle.

Essential Behavioural & other Characteristics 

• Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct.
• Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon.
• Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council equality and diversity policies.
• Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health and Safety Policies.
• Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities. 
• Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade. 
• Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities.
• Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
• Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, equality & diversity policies of Leeds City Council. 
• Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person.
• The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.