Senior Contracts Officer

**About Us**
In West Sussex we are learning as a community of multi-disciplinary services how to work together more effectively. At the heart of what we do are the principles of safety and quality of care. We know that continuous financial pressures need to inform our decision making and we aim to sustain good quality care by working more proactively with service providers across the county.

These roles will support the work being undertaken as part of the Adults and Health commissioning programme, working as part of an existing Contracts Team and enhancing its remit so it has capacity to develop and support contractual arrangements for services for adults and older people with care and support needs.

We are committed to ensuring continuous improvement in the quality of care for our customers and our expectation of the health and social care market which deliver those services is high.
**About The Job**
Salary**:Grade 12 £40,876 to £43,857
**Working Pattern**: Full time, 37 hours
**Contract Length**: 18 month fixed term
**Location**: Chichester

**Closing Date**: Sunday 6th March

As a Senior Contracts Officer, you will be part of a team that will ensure good quality, affordable services are available for all our residents. Working proactively with the existing and emerging markets, you will develop relationships with customers and providers that ensure the services are responsive and meet need with a focus on outcomes and quality.

You will be responsible for managing a number of medium / high risk - value contracts to ensure performance is achieved at the appropriate level. The contracts will vary in size and complexity depending on the services being offered and the outcomes required. Supported by the broader team, your role will collate performance information through the set up and management of routine monitoring processes including regular contractor meetings. You will identify performance issues, agree improvement plans and use your knowledge of the performance levers within contracts to improve outcomes.

A key aspect of this role will be the development of outcome-based contract performance measures focused on customer experiences, service quality and financial performance. Your understanding of how outcomes and impact can be agreed and how these can be achieved through procurement/ tendering processes will be critical. In addition, an understanding of market dynamics and market intelligence /development strategies will be key.
**Experience and Skills**
Key Skills**:

- Advanced analytical skills in order to interpret and manipulate very varied and complex contract / tender information in relation to services/supplies required by the client, with the ability to organise and plan and meet set targets e.g. for timely progression of tenders.
- Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills in order to interact effectively with a range of high-level clients and contractors and create and maintain effective working relationships. Including the ability to influence clients/contractors to make decisions that they would not otherwise make, to promote understanding of technical procurement/contract information and to successfully advise and guide clients to make sound procurement decisions which could have a significant impact.
- Strong problem solving skills with the ability to anticipate problems and resolve issues independently, planning solutions and making sound pragmatic decisions which could have a direct / wider impact on the business / service and could be business critical, for example, tackling difficult problems of technical, professional, resource or people related nature.
- Ability to deliver a demanding procurement/contract management service.
- Ability to forward plan over the long term, making effective judgements in order to continuously develop and review the effectiveness of service and staff to meet deadlines and objectives.
- Effective people management skills including performance management skills and the ability to provide direction and support to individuals and teams in order to build and maintain relationships and influence activities.
- Excellent literacy and numeracy skills in order to understand very complex tender documents, contracts and to check statistical financial information in relation to services/supplies.

**Qualifications and/or experience**:

- Degree, or equivalent qualification or experience in Procurement/Contract Management, demonstrating that level of applied knowledge in researching, analysing and evaluating arguments and information.
- PRINCE 2 - Project Management - Desirable
- Relevant advanced theoretical or organisational knowledge of systems, procedures and policies associated with operating a demanding procurement/contract management service.
- Significant experience delivering a high-level procurement/contract management service on behalf of clients.
- Significant experience of monitoring and/or managing complex contracts effectively to