Procurement Officer

About the role

North Northamptonshire Council are looking to recruit a Procurement Officer to join our procurement team, working in the People Services Category. The candidates appointed to the roles will be an essential part of the team delivering procurement activity on behalf of the Council.

• Some procurement experience in any social care sector (education, children's, social care, public health) and knowledge of procurement processes, including tendering;
• Enthusiasm for working in procurement and a willingness to learn about public sector procurement;
• Good oral and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate with a range of stakeholders including those in a senior roles;
• Good general IT skills and the ability to learn new systems quickly;
• Ability to manage a number of different projects and tasks at the same time.

The successful candidate will report to a Procurement Manager and will benefit from being a part of an experienced and knowledgeable team.

The role will be based initially from Cedar Drive, Thrapston and then Haylock House, Kettering.

If you wish to have an informal discussion please call Susan Trowers .

We may close the vacancy earlier than the advertised deadline if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible to ensure that your application is considered for the role.

The remit of the Procurement Team is to develop the Council-wide procurement policy and strategy and provide professional expertise and support to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the procurement of goods, works and services for North Northamptonshire Council and The Northamptonshire Children’s Trust.

The Team provides expert advice and support service to all front-line departments in addition to letting and managing a range of corporate contracts on behalf of all departments.

The Procurement remit is to transform the way the Council and the Trust procures goods and services and to develop innovative procurement strategies and e‑procurement solutions that will enable more efficient processes, improved service‑specific contracts and a suite of common corporate contracts.

Good oral and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate with a range of stakeholders including those in senior roles.

Computer literate to intermediate level in Word, Excel, MS Project (planner) and PowerPoint with knowledge of procurement electronic systems such as ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning).

Ability to liaise with stakeholders both internal and external, Procurement clients, customers and 3rd parties.

Evidence of being able to provide professional advice, support and guidance.

Enthusiasm for working in procurement and a willingness to learn about public sector procurement.

Here at North Northamptonshire Council, we're transforming for the better, using all our creativity and imagination to create the best life for our local people.

You’ll find that we have a wide range of careers that may be more surprising than you think!

Why choose us?

• a competitive salary
• a pension scheme, where we pay a significant contribution on top of your contribution. It provides life cover and ill‑health protection.
• lots of opportunities to develop your skills, knowledge and potential in a large unitary council
• generous leave entitlement (28 days, rising to 33 days) and bank holidays, plus the option to buy up to an extra 10 days
• hybrid and flexible working arrangements, where practicable for service needs to help you with a healthy work‑life balance.

We provide a range of great benefits such as an Employee Assistance Programme, an Employee Benefits Scheme, wellbeing support, travel rates at HMRC rates, as well as supporting a range of active Employee Network Groups.

Our values define who we are and how we operate, by forming the foundation for how we interact with our customers, colleagues and provide our services. They are also at the forefront of our decision making and delivery and are :

Customer‑focused

Respectful

Efficient

Supportive

Trustworthy

Our key commitments help ensure that the priorities we make, now and in the future, maintain the necessary breadth of focus in those areas that we believe matter most.

We are proud to be a recognised Disability Confident Employer and is committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role.

Our Employment and Disability Service provides bespoke support to individuals facing barriers to employment, helping them work towards their goals to start, stay and succeed in employment.

The council obtained the Gold status award for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS).