Purchasing And Business Travel Team Leader - Req24162

Internal vacancy. Applications will only be considered from existing Leeds City Council employees.

As a Purchasing and Business Travel Team Leader you’ll thrive on working in a busy team ordering essential items for the whole of Leeds City Council such as stationery, office supplies and corporate workwear, taking a leading role on day to supplier management.

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 Purchasing and Business Travel Team Leader, you will bring to the role:

•  Well-developed experience of working with a wide range of people including face-to-face, telephone and written communication skills – including the processes for dealing with and sharing confidential and complex information.
•  Experience of working on your own, managing your own workload and using your initiative to adhere to time scales and deadlines.
•  Knowledge and experience of adhering to procedures and legislation relating to confidential information and financial regulations.
•  Ability to manage staff appropriately within the policies and procedures agreed by the Council e.g. managing attendance, appraisal schemes identifying and progressing training and development. 
•  Experience of working as part of a team and contributing to its development with suggestions for new ways of working.

About the role 

As our next Purchasing and Business Travel Team Leader you’ll manage a team who take responsibility for ordering essential items for the whole of the Council including office supplies, stationery and corporate workwear as well as arranging bookings for Business Travel and accommodation.  You will be responsible for day-to-day contract supplier engagement for these essential items including facilitating quarterly performance meetings. The work is fast paced and varied you will have the opportunity to work with senior managers to develop new policies and new ways of working.  You will use IT systems to produce reports for both dissemination within the Council and for discussion at contract supplier performance meetings. You will take responsibility for your team, be responsible for delegating work and ensuring deadlines are adhered to.

The role is integral to the Financial Services Team within BSC which also includes Accounts Payable and the Purchasing Card Team therefore you will have the opportunity to work flexibly within the wider team supporting these functions.

What we offer you

• a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement 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.

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 Nicola Bruce, Assistant Head of BSC on 0113 3787566 or email Nicola.bruce@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

Shared Services consists of over 1,000 employees in the Business Support Centre and Business Administration Service. Both of these services provide administration support activities to a wide range of teams and services across the council.

We help the council to streamline operations by redesigning processes, reviewing models of delivery to enable better sharing of resources and exploiting existing or introducing new technology to modernise the way we work.

Our staff use a range of computer programmes and systems to support services which include those working with teams based across the council in a number of different administration roles.

This role is working within the BSC Financial Services Team with responsibility for managing the Purchasing Hub and Business Travel teams which is responsible for the ordering of equipment including stationery, office supplies, PPE, workwear and office furniture for the Council and booking Business Travel and accommodation for colleagues across the Council.  The teams are fast paced and varied providing a service to over 40,000 Council employees . Supporting the authority’ss responsibilities in connection with Health and Safety legislation by ordering PPE and workwear and office equipment following DSE assessments. The team are also responsible for the ordering of all IT equipment for Integrated Digital Services.

The Financial Services team incorporates Accounts Payable and the Purchasing Card team which are responsible for the processing of invoices and Purchase card payments.  Due to the small nature of all these teams an element of crossover of duties and multi-tasking is required.  Therefore adaptability and flexibility are essential skills.

Responsibilities

• Work in conjunction with Senior Managers to develop new policies and methods of working in response to changes in legislation and best practice. Comply with Standing Orders, Financial Regulations and Quality Assurance procedures.
• Day to day responsibility for contract supplier management, including facilitating quarterly performance meetings. 
• Day to day responsibility for ensuring timely delivery of the service and relevant budgets. 
• Analyse and collate data for the provision of accurate management information and production of reports. 
• Identify problems and areas for improvement and offer solutions.
• Experience of leading and motivating staff including the planning, organising and delegation of work. 
• Ability to express ideas clearly with well-developed interpersonal and communication skills.
• Knowledge and experience of adhering to procedures and legislation relating to financial regulations.
• Experience of using IT applications and systems to produce, record analyse and evaluate information.
• Knowledge and experience of legislative business, financial, audit and operational requirements of the service, and the impact on its day-to-day work.
• Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade. 
• Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities as necessary to ensure up to date knowledge and skills.
• Improve own practice through observation, evaluation, discussion with colleagues and appropriate CPD programmes.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues, knowing when to seek help and advice.
• Contribute to the overall ethos, work, and aims of the service by attending relevant meetings, training days/events as requested.
• Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures e.g., child protection, health, safety and security, confidentiality, and data protection, reporting all concerns to an appropriate person
• Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, and promoting the values, standards, and equality & diversity policies of Leeds City Council. 
• Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse of equal opportunities, ensuring compliance with relevant policies and procedures.
• The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.
• The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and this role will be expected to work within these parameters.

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 interview if they can demonstrate on the application form that they meet all the essential requirements.

Skills required

• Able to work flexibly across different work locations and areas as appropriate.  
• Well-developed experience of working with a wide range of people including face-to-face, telephone and written communication skills – including the processes for dealing with and sharing confidential and complex information. 
• Working with high levels of accuracy with a good attention to detail.
• Able to manage staff appropriately within the policies and procedures agreed by the Council e.g. managing attendance, appraisal schemes identifying and progressing training and development interventions. 

Knowledge required

• Knowledge and experience of adhering to procedures and legislation relating to confidential information and financial regulations.

Experience required

• Experience of working as part of a team and contributing to its development with suggestions for new ways of working. 
• Experience of working on your own, managing your own workload and using your initiative to adhere to time scales and deadlines. 
• Experience of using IT applications and systems to produce, record and evaluate information.
• A good understanding of the purchase order raising process and the financial management system.
• Experience and understanding of the importance of providing excellent customer services and experience of dealing positively with challenging situations.
• Experience of expressing ideas and concepts clearly, with the ability to communicate effectively. 
• Experience of co-ordinating activities which involve liaison with customers and colleagues across multiple teams to solve problems and meet objectives through building positive working relationships. 

Behavioural and other Characteristics required

• Committed to continuous improvement.
• 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 to ensure up to date knowledge, skills, and continuous professional development
• Understand and embrace our values, behaviours and codes of conduct.