Head of Procurement and Contracts

**Head of Procurement and Contracts**

**Reports to**:Director of Operations

**Salary**: Grade M (currently £57,050 - £62,860 p.a.)

**Location**: Trust-wide (Suffolk and Cambridgeshire). Remote working possible with limited travel.

**Contract type**: Full-time, permanent

**Responsible For**:
Whilst the post will not carry direct line management responsibilities the post-holder will provide advice and guidance to staff based in the Trusts schools - both the technical and leadership role in respect of the proper management of procurement across the Trust and its academies. This advisory role will be conducted with support staff but also to Executive Headteacher, Headteacher and Local Governing Body level where required.

**Purpose of the Role**:
The key purpose of this role is to secure the delivery of the Trust’s procurement strategy, ensuring the Trust meets its legal obligations and achieves best value for money in all areas where contracts are in place with third parties. In effect, delivering efficiencies through effective procurement and contract management.

The post-holder is tasked with establishing best practice for managing contracts with a strong focus on the use of technology underpinning service delivery.

The role will require the development of strong relationships with a range of internal and external contacts at all levels across the Trust and supplier base from senior leaders to operational managers.

**Key Duties and Accountabilities**:

- Support the Directors of Finance and Operations to manage the delivery of high quality, value for money, customer focused procurement and associated activity across the organisation.
- Deliver and update the procurement strategy for the Trust.
- Take a leading role in the tendering, evaluation, placement and monitoring of a wide range of procurement activities.
- Actively promote the procurement function within the Trust including the development and improvement of training and skills of staff involved with procurement.
- Support the development, embedding and continuous improvement of the contract management framework including the tools, templates, methods and processes which underpin the activity.
- Support the building of partnerships with local suppliers which produces community related benefits and targeted recruitment and training.
- Undertake the arrangement of procurement contracts and contract management for a range of goods and services operating within the framework of the financial controls manual, contract standing order and procurement legislation.
- Take a lead on tendering and management of contracts and seek opportunities to achieve financial savings and value for money against contracts.
- Maintain an up-to-date knowledge of procurement legislation and take a lead in ensuring colleagues are aware of any changes.
- Responsible for all pre-tender activities and requirements information gathering.
- In liaison with the Trust’s Director of Human Resources determine any TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings for the Protection of Employment) implications for in and/or outsourcing of supplies and services used by the Trust.
- Managing all supplier related incidents and complaints (that impact on performance of the contract) from the Trust and escalates issues where necessary. Ensures that problems are dealt with quickly and that corrective action is initiated in a timely manner.
- Chairing regular review meetings with contractors for assessing past performance and setting future targets. This involves maintenance of accurate records of all meetings.
- Set suitable and challenging performance indicators by which to monitor suppliers and service contractors and lead on monitoring of suppliers' performance in line with KPIs, contractual obligations and service level agreements.
- Lead on the delivery of any centrally procured contract as it relates to the Trust’s estate.

**Other Responsibilities**
- To act as a pro-active and constructive member of the Active Learning Trust.
- To support and inform the work of the Board of the Active Learning Trust by production of reports and attendance (if required) at Board and committee meetings in an advisory capacity.
- To work as a member of a project or task team concerning the promotion of the work of the Trust.

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**PERSON SPECIFICATION**

**Experience**

**Essential**
- Long term experience of establishing and maintaining a strong and good quality procurement awareness and environment, preferably across multiple sites.
- The development, production, and dissemination of the full range of procurement policies and procedures necessary to maintain financial control in an organisation of such a type as the Trust.
- Use of IT skills and ICT packages for the analysis and comparison of tenders and other financial information.
- Experience of contract negotiation on complex, high value contracts exceeding £1m.
- Relationship building with managers to en