Procurement Officer

**Commercial and Procurement Lead**

**Location: Huntingdon (hybrid working)**

**Salary: £36,846 pa plus excellent benefits and hybrid working as well as development opportunities and support to develop to full MCIPS**

**ABOUT THE CAMBRIDGESHIRE FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE (CFRS)**

CFRS is one of the best fire and rescue services in the UK - but don’t take our word for it. Our recent His Majesty's Inspectorate for Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) highlighted our positive culture, our dedication to developing our people and the things we do to promote inclusion across the service.

The Service is dedicated to delivering an outstanding service to the communities we are proud to serve. We are currently looking for two **Commercial and Procurement Leads **to join our welcoming, forward-thinking fire and rescue service.

**About the Role**:
Working within our Commercial Team, this service critical role will see you provide effective and efficient procurement of goods and services on behalf of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority (CPFA) to ensure organisational objectives are delivered as well as supporting regional, national and inter agency collaborations you will:

- Provide an efficient and flexible procurement service delivering in accordance with Public Procurement Regulations, Authority Policies and Best Practice, value for money principles, innovation, ethical trading and will do this by working closely with key stakeholders and the category market.
- Support and promote appropriate procurement strategies to deliver compliant procurement activities, ranging from Low Value tender processes to Finder Tender Service thresholds as well as utilising National Frameworks for new and existing requirements.
- Be responsible for managing all aspects of the procurement lifecycle to ensure best practice, responsible and ethical delivery and management of contracts, whilst ensuring all documentation is current and valid for transparency and auditing purposes.
- As a category lead engage with a range of departments and key stakeholders and ensure consistent advice and guidance is provided to deliver a smooth and effective procurement process.
- Provide an understanding of the relevant market conditions, procurement options available as well as advise on potential supply chain risk and vulnerability including the potential for commercial and reputational risk and report accordingly.
- As well as achieving cost effectiveness and innovation for the Authority take account of Corporate Social Responsibility/ Sustainability, social value and identifying potential risks with Modern Slavery, whilst always demonstrating effective use of public funds in all commercial activity.
- Support the delivery of awareness sessions and specific procurement / contract guidance to all colleagues in line with procurement regulations and internal procurement guidance, to increase the commercial awareness across the Authority.
- Undertake analysis of relevant financial data, review the contract register to identify, forecast, improve and implement changes to contracts and future purchases which enable savings opportunities and or innovation.
- Work with other Public Sector bodies and partner organisations to identify collaboration opportunities within the categories. Engagement with Blue Light Commercial Organisation and support the National Agenda for all procurement projects that offer benefits to both the Authority and wider Blue Light Organisations.

**About You**:
Everyone is welcome at CFRS and we’re committed to building a diverse, inclusive and professional support team. The experience required in this role includes:

- Membership or be working towards MICIPS and/ OR
- Good commercial awareness preferably within a public sector environment with experience of running and managing procurement processes and the resulting contract management.
- Experience of an e-tendering portal to provide an auditable tendering mechanism.
- You’ll have a good knowledge of the Public Procurement Regulations, principles of GPA and WTO Parameters and some knowledge of the New Procurement Act due to come into effect.
- An understanding of value for money principles, Innovation, Social Value, Sustainable Procurement and Ethical Trading including Modern Slavery.
- Proficient in Microsoft based packages, including Sharepoint, word and excel to manipulate and interpret numerical data, along with familiarity of Teams.
- Your clear and concise ability to communication with others will allow you to thrive in the
role.
- An appetite to develop further.

**WORKING LIFE AT CAMBRIDGESHIRE FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE**:
You don't have to wear a firefighter's uniform and run into burning buildings to play an important role in the Service. A role in our support functions offers the chance to build a challenging, rewarding career and the opportunity to give something back to the community. We’re a modern and progressive place to work and pr