Senior Procurement Specialist

Are you looking for a role where you can use your procurement and commercial skills and build relationships with a huge range of people? If so, then this exciting procurement opportunity could be for you.

As Senior Procurement Specialist you will play a crucial role in ensuring compliance with the public procurement regulations, identifying opportunities for savings and benefits and contributing to the wider government agenda, including improving business for Small & Medium Enterprises and delivering the sustainability agenda. The level of Delegated Purchasing Authority for this role is £5 million.

Reporting to the Procurement and Contract Services Portfolio Manager you will lead high value regulated tendering projects and manage, vary and extend contracts for a wide range of goods, services and works.

• Lead the development, planning and implementation of procurement strategies for high-value, high-risk procurements optimising value for money for customers.
• Be able to lead and manage all stages of the end-to-end public sector procurement process. This includes from initial conception, strategy development, through the full procurement delivery cycle, to contract award, ensuring compliance with relevant public procurement legislation and Scottish Government procurement policies.
• Ensure that all stages of your procurement delivery address the Sustainable Procurement Duty and contribute to the government’s sustainability agenda.
• Work effectively with a wide range of key stakeholders, including customers, colleagues and external markets to build professional commercial relationships and deliver credible procurement strategies and contracts.
• Actively manage suppliers and engage with customers advising them on their contractual agreements and options using contract and market knowledge.
• Be required to manage a number of activities and projects concurrently and therefore need to have effective time and task management skills.
• Support procurement initiatives that help NRS deliver and achieve its organisational Procurement Strategy objectives, representing NRS with suppliers and stakeholders, and monitoring the achievement of commercial targets.
• Work flexibly within the team and across the organisation to help deliver the organisation’s wider goals in line with the Directorate and Corporate Plans. This post may in future have an element of staff management responsibility and will require a high degree of stakeholder management.

CIPS Level 5 Advanced Diploma, WCC Advanced Practitioner Certification or relevant equivalent.

• ‘Equivalent’ may include accreditation from another relevant professional body or a relevant academic qualification at degree or post graduate level. Significant evidenced experience operating and delivering at an advanced level may be considered as equivalent when accompanied by a commitment to attaining an accreditation once in post.

This is a specialist role which requires evidence of a commitment towards continuous professional development, including external, advanced level professional accreditation of CIPS Level 5 Advanced Diploma, WCC Advanced Practitioner Certification or relevant equivalent*; or a commitment to attaining such an accreditation once in post.

Proof of qualifications will be checked at the assessment stage.

Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of behaviours, experience and technical criteria (if applicable) that candidates will be assessed on.

• Commercial Competence and Business Acumen
  - Level 3:
  Practitioner
• Legislation
  - Level 4:
  Expert
• Contract Law and Terms and Conditions
  - Level 3:
  Practitioner

The procurement competency framework sets out the common standard…