Programme Manager – Procurement Transformation – AR

Programme Manager

Procurement Transformation

Context

The Council faces significant and sustained financial pressure over the Medium-Term Financial Strategy, driven by rising demand, inflationary cost pressures and constrained funding. The scale of the budget gap requires a fundamental shift in how the Council manages its third-party spend, ensuring every pound delivers maximum value for residents. Procurement and contract management represent one of the Council’s largest areas of controllable expenditure, yet the current operating model limits the Council’s ability to leverage its scale, manage demand and consistently secure value for money.

At present, procurement and contract management activity is largely decentralised, with fragmented processes, inconsistent application of governance and limited visibility of spend, contracts and performance. This results in duplication, unclear accountability and a reduced ability to take a coordinated, council-wide approach to commercial decision-making. These challenges are structural in nature and cannot be addressed through incremental improvement alone.

In response, the Council is undertaking a fundamental transformation to ahybrid hub-and-spoke, category-based operating model. This will create a stronger central procurement hub, supported by defined service-facing roles and accountabilities, while recognising the distinct operating requirements of contract management across the Council. The model will be underpinned by strengthened governance, improved data, clearer accountabilities and more consistent end-to-end commercial processes.

Delivery of the transformation is structured through defined work streams, with clear accountability for outcomes and supported by a central programme function. The programme is being delivered alongside approved business cases to reduce third-party spend, requiring rapid mobilisation of capability, strong programme discipline and close alignment between design and delivery. This will require experienced, delivery-focused resource to operate at pace, embed new ways of working and ensure benefits are realised from the outset.

Role Overview

Accountable for the end-to-end delivery of the Procurement and Contract Management Operating Model transformation, ensuring clear ownership of outcomes, benefits, governance, system dependencies and cross-workstream alignment. The role will provide overall programme leadership for the transition from a fragmented and decentralised model to ahybrid hub-and-spoke, category-based operating model, with a stronger central procurement hub, clearer service-facing accountabilities and a distinct approach to contract management across the Council.

The role will ensure that programme design, implementation planning, business case delivery, systems alignment, benefits realisation and stakeholder engagement are fully coordinated. It will provide the programme grip required to mobilise at pace, manage dependencies, support effective decision-making and embed new ways of working that deliver measurable improvements in value for money, governance, visibility of spend, contract performance and commercial outcomes.

The role is expected to be time-limited and focused on the mobilisation, implementation and embedding of the transformation programme, with duration aligned to the approved programme plan, delivery milestones and benefits realisation timetable.

Key Responsibilities

Define, mobilise and maintain a single integrated programme plan, aligning P&CM Op Model implementation with associated business case delivery, including clear phasing, milestones and outcomes.

Establish and lead a robust programme governance framework, including reporting, risk and issue management, escalation routes and decision-making forums, ensuring clear oversight and accountability.

Lead the establishment and mobilisation planning for the new operating model, including implementation phasing, transition arrangements, resource requirements, role dependencies, service engagement and readiness activity.

Lead cross-workstream integration, managing dependencies, sequencing and critical path delivery to ensure coordinated and timely implementation across all elements of the programme.

Drive benefits realisation by establishing clear baselines, benefit profiles, tracking methods and reporting mechanisms for both the transformation programme and the longer-term procurement and contract management operating model, ensuring a direct link between programme activity, savings outcomes, service improvements and Finance validation.

Provide high-quality reporting and assurance to CMT, Programme Board and senior stakeholders, ensuring visibility of progress, risks, delivery confidence and performance against outcomes.

Proactively manage programme risks and issues, ensuring early identification, mitigation and resolution, and acting as the escalation point for cross-council delivery challenges and prioritisation conflicts.

Ensure effective deployment of programme…