Category and Contract Manager - People Team

The advertised role will work within the Procurement People team with a focus on delivering procurement activity within the Learning Difficulty and Autism, Physical and Sensory Impairment, Mental Health, Public Health and Children and Families portfolios and offers the opportunity to really make a difference to the lives of the people of Essex.

Job Purpose
The role of Procurement is to work with stakeholders across ECC to understand requirements for goods and services, make an assessment of the market and determine the appropriate strategy for each spend area. The team also actively manage strategic suppliers and their contracts.

The Category and Contract Manager will manage the delivery of sourcing processes in a compliant and timely manner. They will be directly accountable for the effective management of contracts assigned to them, ensuring that service level agreements and key performance indicators are monitored and that any improvements required are well planned and executed. The role will negotiate all commercial or contractual terms to achieve positive outcomes as well as ensuring that contracts keep pace with ECC's changing requirements.

Effective leadership of multidisciplinary teams will be needed along with supporting the development of colleagues both within procurement and across the Authority.

Service/Functional Accountabilities
* Lead the development, maintenance and implementation of category strategies, ensuring alignment to commissioning objectives.
* Develop and implement innovative approaches and solutions in the delivery of complex projects to enhance levels of service and minimise costs. This requires working collaboratively with colleagues across the organisation and externally, to ensure best practice can be achieved when implementing new ways of working.
* Manage suppliers to ensure they consistently achieve the performance standards set out in contracts and that adequate controls are in place to protect the Authority's interests. Take a proactive approach to identifying and investigating contractual, commercial and market risks to ensure continuity of supply and protect the Authority's interests.

Dimensions
Lead the development of strategies which will determine how annual third party spend of up to £50 million is managed. Lead the management of contracts up to this value.

Leadership Behaviours/Professional Competence

Acts Strategically
Inspires - Displays a passion for making a difference. Creates and shares an ideal image of what we can become and motivates others to see exciting possibilities for the future.

Innovates - Thinks radically, takes risks and is prepared to make mistakes when looking for new ways to improve services. Sees disappointments as learning opportunities Seeks opportunities to challenge and change the status quo.

Engages People
Enables - Builds energised teams. Creates an atmosphere of trust, respect and dignity so others feel able to experiment with new or innovative ways of working.

Collaborates - Creates and develops networks and involves others to first understand their point of view and then join together in a common purpose. Crosses internal and external organisational boundaries to improve and deliver shared solution and services in ways that achieve mutual gain.

Achieves Results
Delivers - Develops a quality service by valuing and modelling professional excellence and expertise to enable the delivery of commercially, financially viable services, taking account of diverse customer needs and requirements.*

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

Educated to degree level with a relevant professional qualification such as MCIPS and or equivalent demonstrable work experience with evidence of continuing professional development.
* Knowledge of category management and experience of using this methodology in complex commercial environments to deliver significant cost or service improvements.
* A demonstrable track record of managing multi-million pound strategic contracts in business critical environments. This should include evidence of defining, measuring and improving key elements of supplier performance.
* Experience of delivering continuous improvements in large, strategic arrangements with evidence of generating significant cost and service benefits.
* Knowledge of contract law and legislation relevant to the specific category / categories within their control and its impact on market management, finance and contractual arrangements.
* Extensive knowledge of public sector procurement law with an ability to explain the law to non-procurement staff and find pragmatic solutions to potential legal difficulties.
* Comprehensive negotiating skills appropriate to multi million pound contracts and experience of planning and delivering successful negotiations.

Working for Essex welcome applications from all suitably qualified people regardless of gender, race, disability, age or sexual orientation.

Working for Essex is a trading name of Capita Resourcing Ltd. Services offered are those of an Employment Agency and Employment Business. Applicants will be required to register with us.