Senior Procurement Officer - Social Care

About the Borough

This special place in Southwest London between the capital and the country has been a Royal borough for longer than anywhere else - it is where the first kings of England were crowned.

Today, it is a vibrant and diverse borough, with a long history and strong cultural and community heritage. Kingstons riverside location, fantastic retail offer, historic marketplace and church, parks and gardens all make Kingston town centre the vibrant space it is, and each of our district town centres (Surbiton, New Malden, Tolworth and Chessington) have something unique to offer.

Situated in Zone 6, Kingston is among the best-connected town centres in London with direct train links from Kingston and Surbiton stations to Clapham Junction and London Waterloo, as well as Wimbledon for an interchange with the London Underground and Tramlink.

Kingston s people are innovative and entrepreneurial, and have a strong sense of community pride. The borough has been home to great industry and creativity for many years, reflected in assets such as the Rose Theatre, the International Youth Arts Festival and Kingston University, which boasts more new graduate business start-ups than any other.

We have seen tremendous generosity and compassion within our communities, particularly in response to COVID-19, which is a demonstration of Kingston s key strength. The council offers a strong level of support to vulnerable groups and those who need additional support, which has also increased significantly as a result of the pandemic. Like most places, the average age of our population is rising as more people are living longer, so we are working closely with residents to help them maintain their independence and further improve the cost-effectiveness of our service to meet the ongoing rise in demand.

Kingston is home to people from diverse and interesting cultures and backgrounds, which helps to create the rich sense of community shared across the borough. In particular, Kingston has a large Sri Lankan Tamil community and is home to more people from Korea than any other part of the UK.

Your role as Senior Procurement Officer will focus on the delivery of various contracts for Adults Social Care, Children and Public Health. You will help develop and implement innovative approaches to supply arrangements that minimise costs and commercial risk, and deliver savings, whilst at the same time enhancing the services the council provides through added social value.

You will be supporting the Commissioning & Procurement Manager for Corporate and Communities in the delivery of an exciting programme.

Your role will include:

• Managing the procurement process for high value/ risk contracts/ procurements
  
• Liaising with internal stakeholders to establish procurement requirements
  
• Conducting market research and producing analysis
  
• Managing end to end tendering process
  
• Leading on the preparations of the tender documentation
  
• Liaising with suppliers and drafting contract documentation
  
• Providing advice and support regarding the governance process within the context of the Councils Contract regulations and Public procurement legislation
  
• Supporting learning and development of the commissioning community in Kingston
  

• Hybrid: remote working with 2-3 days in the office in Kingston upon Thames
  

Requirements

• All applicants must be resident in and have the unrestricted right to work in the UK.
  
• All applicants must submit a cover letter for this role. Any applications without a cover letter will be rejected.
  

Demonstrate commitment to own personal and professional development to meet the changing demands of the role

Demonstrate innovation and creativity

Actively engage in positive cross organisational communications and team working

Communicate clearly, confidently and appropriately with colleagues using the best methods of communication for the task.

Role specific skills:

Proven commercial skills and procurement experience in a public sector environment

Substantial understanding of Public Sector procurement regulations and experience of managing procurement over PCR threshold

Ability to manage multiple projects and effectively manage own workload

• Educated to Degree level or equivalent, relevant experience.
  
• Professional Qualification Management
  
• Professional Qualification CIPS
  
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development
  

Benefits

• 24/27/30 days annual leave days annual leave dependent on role, in addition you will receive 8 statutory bank holidays
  
• Local government pension scheme
  
• Interest free season loan ticket
  
• Cycle to work and Zip Car Scheme
  
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres through a Keep it Kingston card
  
• Comprehensive Learning and Development programme
  
• A forward thinking and networked organisation where employee s views are valued.
  

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

In addition we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff allowing you to work flexibly from multiple locations, whilst on the move from your mobile or tablet and at home following the recent introduction of Google Mail and Apps which have acted as a key enabler for collaborative and streamlined working. Our staff also use a virtual desktop which you ll be able to access from anywhere, and access to up-to-date messaging and video technology that fosters network and collaboration.

Youll benefit from the opportunity to work on a multitude of projects, big and small, so your learning and experience is maximised.

Were also making big changes in Kingston at the moment, with all staff having recently received a new Google Chrome device, and the refurbishment of our Guildhall 2 building. Our new office environment is modern and dynamic, reflecting the Council s direction of travel to becoming a networked, collaborative and agile organisation, and will include features such as open meeting spaces, group meeting pods, video conferencing, new desks, project tables, height adjustable desks, personal lockers, team storage, quiet working cubicles, touchdown benches, one-to-one meeting pods, and rest and eating spaces.