Procurement Officer

Post Title: Procurement and Contracts Officer

Job Purpose: To ensure St Clare Catholic Multi Academy Trust has compliantly procured third party contracts with suppliers, delivering high quality goods and services and value for money. Prepare and undertake procurement activities for St Clare Catholic Multi Academy Trust, manage supplier relationships and monitor contractual performance and ensure that opportunities for continual improvement are explored and implemented.

Responsible to: Chief Financial Officer

Responsible for: None

Internal Working Relationships: CFO, Principal, Senior Leadership Teams, Finance Assistants/Officer(s), Financial Accountant, Central Service Teams, Budget Holders, Trust Staff and Learners.

External Working Relationships: Suppliers, Contractors, Procurement Framework Bodies, Partner Academies, Education Skills Funding Agency, Local Authorities, Internal and External Auditors.

Hours of Work: 18.5 - 37 Hours per week - Term Time or Full Time

Grade and Range of Post: NJC Range 17 - 26 (£26,845 - £32,909) Pay Award Pending

Main / Core Duties: Assist the Chief Financial Officer to develop St Clare Catholic Multi Academy Trust’s strategy on procurement, contract management and continuous service improvement. Develop a medium to long-term procurement roadmap highlighting key and high value procurement activities in support of St Clare’s procurement and contract management strategy. Engage with central and academy colleagues to develop their annual procurement plans, exploring opportunities for consolidation and identifying routes to market as well as pre-market engagement, where appropriate. Preparing tender documentation by liaising relevant colleagues and budget holders as required, including recommending appropriate key performance indicators (KPIs) and management terms for inclusion. Management of end to end procurement exercises, advising on and leading colleagues and budget holders through the procedures and working with the Chief Financial Officer and external legal advisors to finalise the agreements/contracts. Ensure that procurement management processes are developed and implemented to achieve efficiency and value of money (VfM). Advising on and assisting budget holders with managing supplier performance against contractual terms and KPIs. This may include helping them understand and oversee service level compliance, identifying and reporting upon areas of concern or for improvement and assisting with remedial action, liaising with the Chief Financial Officer and external legal advisors where necessary. Maintaining and monitoring St Clare’s contracts register to ensure all relevant parties are fully aware of contractual periods. Ensure St Clare colleagues and operational budget holders make timely decisions on required contract extensions or contract close out. Where re-procurements or new service procurements are required, ensure they are planned in a timely fashion and transition periods factored in and monitored. Liaise with St Clare colleagues and budget holders to check current status of contracts and informing the Chief Financial Officer and Head of Finance when service variations require contract change or Job Description: Procurement and Contracts Officer Page 3 of 5 increased/decreased spend or when contracts are dormant or no longer needed. Actively manage St Clare’s relationships with suppliers, contractors and procurement framework bodies including attending meetings and responding to requests for information where necessary.

Operational Planning: To manage own workload to ensure the timely, accurate and consistent provision of management reports. Prepare and keep updated an annual procurement plan for St Clare Catholic Multi Academy Trust as a whole and report progress to the Chief Financial Officer on a termly basis. Ensure supply chain risk is addressed when planning procurement activities with St Clare colleagues and budget holders to help mitigate risk contractually and through supplier/contractors relationships.

Service Development: Identify opportunities for continual improvement in services and improving value for money (VfM) through the procurement process. Develop opportunities to streamline and consolidate procurement activities utilising electronic tendering portals and other available resources. Provide a customer focused service, ensuring that effective and constructive working relations are developed and maintained.

Staffing and Staffing Development: Identify procurement and contract management training needs while liaising with St Clare colleagues and budget holders. Develop engaging programmes of training and support to address basic and more complex procurement and contract management needs.

Recruitment / Deployment of Staff: None

Quality Assurance: Benchmark prior and current procurement activities against public sector procurement frameworks for quality and value for money VfM). Annually report on the suitability of procure