Procurement Manager

at  Medr

ABOUT US

We are a new arm’s length body of the Welsh Government, responsible for the strategy, funding and oversight of:

• further education including colleges and school sixth-forms;
• higher education including research and innovation;
• adult education and adult community learning; and
• apprenticeships and training.

Operational since 1 August 2024, we work in close collaboration with our partners to enable a tertiary education and research system which is centred around the needs of learners; society; and economy with excellence, equality and engagement at its heart.

Our values really matter to us, they help shape the culture of our organisation:

• Dysgu (to learn; to teach; to educate) - learning is at the heart of everything we do. We believe curiosity fuels innovation and helps expand our horizons.
• Cydweithio (to work together; to collaborate; to co-operate) - we can achieve far more together than we ever could alone.
• Cynnwys Pawb (to include everyone; to involve everyone) - we are passionate about inclusion, seeking to create the right conditions for everyone to achieve their full potential.
• Rhagori (to exceed; to excel) - we have high aspirations for tertiary education and research in Wales and always set high standards for ourselves to be the best we can be.

EXPERIENCE

• Knowledge and experience of working within procurement environment and legislative constraints, being able to impart information in a clear and concise manner, identifying risks and implement mitigating actions.
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills, able to deal with staff at all levels within an organisation and have experience of dealing with external stakeholders and suppliers specifically.
• Work independently on projects and procurements, developing ideas and implementing improvements, whilst working collaboratively across an organisation or organisations.

WELSH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

We have undertaken an evaluation of the Welsh language requirements of this post to ensure we are living our values in relation to our Welsh Language.
For this post the Welsh language requirements are:
Desirable
Welsh essential means that having Welsh language skills is considered a requirement for this post and will form part of the assessment criteria.

Welsh desirable means that whilst having Welsh language skills is useful for the role, it is not an assessment criterion, so it won’t disadvantage you during recruitment if you don’t currently possess these skills.

• Reading
• Spoken
• Understanding
• Written

QUALIFICATIONS

Part qualified, currently working towards or intention to work towards CIPS qualifications and membership.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £36,219, Medr contributes £10,492 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

EXPERIENCE

• Knowledge and experience of working within procurement environment and legislative constraints, being able to impart information in a clear and concise manner, identifying risks and implement mitigating actions.
• Work independently on projects and procurements, developing ideas and implementing improvements, whilst working collaboratively across an organisation or organisations.
  The initial sift will take place on 20 November 2024.
  Candidates who successfully navigate the sift stage will be required to complete an online exercise to enable us to determine their behavioural and personality preferences. Immediately on completion you will be given a report which highlights your strengths plus some development tips to help you prepare for interview. Candidates should note that the online exercise is not intended to eliminate anyone from consideration. Instead, it serves as a tool to aid in the decision-making process.
  Following this, you will be required to participate in an interview which will be conducted on 5 December 2024.
  The following attribute and experience will also be assessed at interview:

EXPERIENCE

• Strong analytical and problem solving skills, able to deal with staff at all levels within an organisation and have experience of dealing with external stakeholders and suppliers specifically.
  We strive for a diverse and inclusive workplace and we want to help you demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. We are happy to discuss any person-centred adjustments required to the recruitment process. Please contact pobl@medr.cymru
  We’re looking forward to meeting everyone invited to interview at our new headquarters in Capital Quarter, Cardiff. We don’t usually pay travel expenses, but if this presents a real barrier to your attendance in person or if you require a reasonable adjustment, please let us know in advance by emailing pobl@medr.cymru so we can discuss and agree arrangements prior to your interview.
  Following interview we are committed to offering constructive and actionable feedback to support you on your future career journey.

NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE JOB

As part of the Procurement team, you will be responsible for Medr obtaining value for money for the goods and services it procures. You will oversee compliance with all relevant procurement regulations and help Medr adopt procurement best practice, taking on board current and soon to be revised Welsh and UK government procurement policy and legislative requirements. You will develop and communicate Medr’s procurement policies and procedures to staff and stakeholders; and interact with various internal and external stakeholders, building strategic relationships.

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

• Responsible for the management of procurement processes, which will include contract and award notices, setting and agreeing tender strategies, supplier engagement, tender evaluation, contract award, and handling contractual changes, whilst ensuring clear approval mechanisms and controls are in place to demonstrate value for money.
• Provide advice and support to our staff and teams on procurement policy, procedures, procurement requirements and contract management.
• Support both Senior Procurement Managers in the strategic implementation of changing UK legislation from the end of October 2024, ensuring that Medr’s processes and procedures are compatible with the new legislation.
• Oversee procurement elements of the Microsoft D365 finance and procurement system, so staff can obtain their goods and services efficiently.
• Utilise e-procurement sourcing tools and provide analysis of data and reporting information to aid strategic and senior decision making.
• Provide support with running Medr’s purchasing card scheme.
• Develop your professional knowledge both on the job and by working towards and completing professional procurement qualifications.
• Assist in developing Medr’s procurement intranet and website pages considering changing UK and Welsh procurement legislation and using the latest information relating to procurement best practice.
• Although there is currently no managerial or supervisory responsibilities for this role, it is hoped that as the team develops a graduate trainee or apprentice will join the team. In order to develop staff and ‘grow our own’ we would hope that this position would line manage them. This would provide further development opportunities for the Procurement Manager role and help with succession planning.

We are a new arm’s length body of the Welsh Government, responsible for the strategy, funding and oversight of:

• further education including colleges and school sixth-forms;
• higher education including research and innovation;
• adult education and adult community learning; and
• apprenticeships and training