Procurement Manager

Job summary

About Us

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

• further education
• higher education including research and innovation;
• apprenticeships
• adult community learning; and local authority maintained school sixth forms.

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.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and accredited as a Living Wage employer.

Location

Our headquarters is in 2, Capital Quarter, Cardiff, which has been specifically designed to meet our needs. This is where most colleagues will meet to collaborate, both with each other and with stakeholders.

As we operate across Wales, we also have limited office and collaboration space in Welsh Government offices in Llandudno Junction, Aberystwyth, Swansea and Merthyr Tydfil.

Main purpose of the role

As part of a small 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 Welsh and UK government procurement policy and legislative requirements. You will develop and communicate Medr’s procurement policies and procedures to staff, suppliers and stakeholders; and interact with various internal and external stakeholders, building strategic relationships.

Job description

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.
• Supporting the Head of Procurement and both Senior Procurement Managers in the strategic implementation of changing legislation, ensuring that Medr’s processes and procedures are compatible with existing legislation.
• Taking the lead on Medr’s corporate contracts, ensuring contracts are re tendered or extended in a timely manner.
• Utilise e-procurement sourcing tools and provide analysis of data and reporting information to aid strategic and senior decision making.
• Team Lead running Medr’s small purchasing card scheme.
• Develop your professional knowledge both on the job and by working towards and completing professional procurement qualifications.
• Developing Medr’s procurement intranet and website pages considering 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.

Key challenges

• Maintaining attention to detail in a challenging and changing environment, including as a result of new procurement legislation in the UK and Wales.
• Challenging the conclusions of others while maintaining effective working relationships with staff, suppliers, and stakeholders.
• Leading small projects and producing reports/data independently while keeping your key stakeholders and colleagues informed.
• Having confidence when imparting procurement knowledge, and providing support, guidance and training on various aspects of procurement in an affective and timely manner.
• Managing the expectations of internal and external stakeholders.

About your team

Medr’s Procurement Team currently consists of a Head of Procurement and two Senior Procurement Managers who have extensive public procurement experience and knowledge. You will be working closely under the guidance and direction of the Senior Procurement Manager within the wider Procurement, Payroll, and Finance Directorate.

This is an exciting time to be joining the team and learn from our experienced managers, as we continue to roll out new procurement policies and procedures and develop systems to support the procurement process for Medr, becoming a vital part in the development of this newly established team.

About your line manager

Loren Williams, Senior Procurement Manager.

Loren has worked in public sector procurement for 7 years along with 2 years in the private sector. They have a degree in Logistics and Supply Chain Management as well as having a master’s in Strategic Procurement while also being MCIPS qualified.

Person specification

What you will bring

Attributes

• Act with Integrity – You consistently act in the best interest of the team, organisation and its stakeholders and take responsibility for your decisions.
• Agile – You drive forward improvements, through collaboration, embracing new technologies and nurturing a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
• Drive - You demonstrate strategic thinking and a results-oriented approach.
• Resilience – You create a culture of adaptability and resourcefulness as part of the team and the wider organisation, offering support and encouragement to the team and colleagues.

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 implementing 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 evaluated that the Welsh language requirements for this post are:

Desirable

Welsh desirable means that while 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.

Qualifications