Senior Procurement Officer (Business Partner & Capital Projects)

at  Dorset Council

FURTHER INFORMATION

Whilst work travel has reduced considerably due to the use of virtual meetings, there may be occasions when travel is need therefore holding a driving licence is a requirement for this role.
This is a hybrid role, with a balance of remote working and office working (Dorchester), depending on business and project requirements.

ABOUT US

We’re passionate about making Dorset a great place to live, work and visit. Working for us should be no exception.

At Dorset Council we:

• provide more than 450 services to over 300,000 residents
• have ambitious aspirations
• are excited about our future
• care about Dorset and all the people who live here
• know that all roles make a difference and that our employees are key to our successYou will:
• have access to a range of employee benefits
• be part of an organisation that supports each other to grow and succeed
• have access to range of training opportunities which will help with your personal development and career progression

We are challenging ourselves to become a more diverse and inclusive organisation. We recognise that recruitment and inclusion of individuals with diverse skills, perspectives and backgrounds will bring real strength to the council and our communities. We have a commitment to equality and welcome applications from everyone.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. We offer an interview to everyone who declares a disability and meets the essential criteria for the role.
We are keen to make our interviews accessible. Let us know on your job application if you have a disability and need any reasonable adjustments.
We also look for applicants who share our commitment to our behaviours. We will ask you to evidence when you have demonstrated them as part of the selection process.
If appointed, the personal information we collect from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected, you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, and your data protection rights, can be found at https://www.cifas.org.uk/fpn.
We use generic job descriptions and person specifications. This means the job title on any attachments may differ from the job title in the advert. We may provide specific information in a context statement if relevant.
Find out more about how to apply

This is an exciting opportunity to join Commercial & Procurement as a Senior Procurement Officer (Business Partner) and be part of a dynamic team that is supporting the Council to be more commercially minded as set out in its Commercial Strategy – Commissioning and Procurement.
The Council’s procures a diverse range of external goods, services, and works which range from Stationery to ICT Infrastructure (Corporate); Speech Therapy to Residential Placements (People – Children); Adult Day Services to Residential Care (People – Adults); School Transport to Highways Surface Dressing (Place); School Nursing to Drug and Alcohol Treatment Services (Public Health Dorset).
There is never been an more important time to deliver effective procurement and contracts in light of ever challenging budget reductions and having to work within supply markets amid one of the hardest inflationary environments that have been seen in decades, and the forthcoming Procurement Act 2023. In this context, delivery of the Council’s ambition to make Dorset a great place to live, work and visit, requires resourcefulness, being commercially minded and more business-like in our approach.
By joining Commercial & Procurement you will be part of a team that is making a major contribution in delivering this ambition through ensuring commercial arrangements and contracts awarded by the Council represent value for money to residents of Dorset.

Key responsibilities of the role are:

• develop and promote the business partnering approach, working alongside other Business Partners within the team and Corporate Development
• supporting Directorates on the delivery of their strategic aims
• working alongside other Business Partners within the team and Corporate Development
• providing strategic support and guidance to Directorate leads
• tendering for directorate specific requirements that represents best practice
• delivering strategic sourcing and advice
• providing commercial advice and guidance to officers and suppliers
• supporting the delivery of being more commercially minded in what we do

We are interested in candidates that have:

• effective communication skills with the ability to work with multiple stakeholders, internally and externally
• experience with working with suppliers
• experience of supplier relationship management and contract management
• a commercial background
• knowledge of project management and able to project lead
• knowledge of procurement practice
• awareness of public sector procurement
• knowledge of how markets and supply chains work, with the ability to apply this to secure value for money and efficiencies

Looking for an individual who is keen to be part of a collaborative team that delivers results. A team that is forward thinking and driving the need for “being more commercially minded”.