Procurement Assistant Manager (Highways)

About the role

Procurement Assistant Manager (Highways)

Fixed Term, 2 year contract

Full Time, 37 hours per week

£35,295 to £41,523 per annum plus Flexible Working & Local Gov Pension

Location: Chelmsford / Hybrid

Working Style: Anywhere worker - expectation to attend the office (County Hall, Chelmsford) is typically once to twice a week based around business needs

Closing Date: 13th July 2025

Do you want to make a difference to real people and real lives? Do you want to be a part of helping to shape the future of our Procurement service at Essex County Council (ECC)?

Did you know that ECC spends c£1.2Billion per annum on 3rd party commissioned services, making it the 2nd largest spending Authority in the UK? The Procurement Team at ECC are award winning and support the organisation to deliver services to 1.4million residents. We aim to lead the profession on exciting initiatives such as social value, climate action through procurement and how we use our size and scale to support our Levelling up Agenda .

This is an exciting role with Procurement professionals that role entails a breadth of sourcing, category and contract management, up to a value of c.£50mil per annum. The successful candidate will take responsibility for managing end to end procurement activity, including sourcing for planned tender rounds and ad hoc requirements, contract change control, and management of tier 1 suppliers.

Excellent stakeholder skills at all levels both internal and external are key as well as a positive ‘can do’ attitude with the ability to work under your own initiative and complete work to a high standard. Whilst being able to adapt to conflicting timeframes and challenging deadlines ensuring these with a positive and pro-active approach. A good understanding of procurement legislation and how it can be applied to achieve ECC's outcomes is essential.

The role available will take responsibility for procurement in the Highways category, including sourcing activity.

You will be joining an established team of professionals and this role would be ideal for an ambitious, hard-working individual with leadership skills who is also able to develop others as well as themselves. This role would also line manage once established.

This is a great role in a vibrant and growing team. You’ll find an inclusive culture and a place where your opinion is valued and you have the opportunity to progress your career.

To learn more about the Procurement Service and careers in Procurement please visit https://www.workingforessex.com/careers-in-procurement

What’s in it for you?

· Flexible working – 37 hour working week with the option to make your work arrangement work around the other elements of your life offering a fantastic work / life balance.

· 27 days annual leave (rising with service) plus bank holidays.

· Excellent benefits package - more information can be found via https://www.workingforessex.com/working-here/pay-reward , including a Local Authority Pension Scheme. For more details please visit: https://www.essexpensionfund.co.uk/

· As a large and friendly procurement team with circa 120 staff we can offer great training pathways and encouragement to all staff for their continual professional development with full support and guidance towards CIPS / MCIPS.

· The roles call for extensive experience in the procurement lifecycle but if you are currently focussed on complex sourcing, category strategy or strategic contract management we can cross train the other parts of the role where you may have less experience

· We are the largest Local Authority Procurement Team in the UK and have a national reputation for excellence. We are also the only CIPS accredited County Council in the UK.

· Continuous Service – Joining us from another local authority? Then you could benefit from bringing your time served and benefits with you.

Come and make a difference to the local community, be that infrastructure, climate change or adult social care and help us transform Essex to a circular economy as we redefine growth and focus on positive society-wide benefits.

Accountabilities

Lead the development, maintenance and implementation of category strategies, ensuring alignment to Commissioning objectives.
Lead project workstreams and tender activity, ensuring all sourcing activity fully complies with appropriate legislation and regulation whilst also complying with ECC policies.
Develop and implement innovative approaches and solutions in the delivery of complex sourcing activity to enhance levels of service and minimise costs within the timeframes required
Provide support and advice to a range of stakeholders regarding any contractual or procurement matters.
Collaborate with a range of stakeholders as to the commercial and financial viability of differing commercial options for specific sourcing options within complex and at times, contentious environments.
Work collaboratively with incumbent suppliers potential new entrants to identify gaps in market provision and explore opportunities to close those gaps through market engagement activity
Take a proactive approach to identifying and investigating contractual, commercial and market risks to ensure continuity of supply and protect the Authority’s interests.
Working collaboratively with colleagues across the organisation and externally, to ensure best practice can be achieved when implementing new ways of working.
Operate a continuous improvement approach to identify and deliver on-going changes whilst also supporting the negotiation of commercial and contractual changes to ensure they consistently meet business requirements.
Support the adoption of best practice approaches with the aim of ensuring that the Procurement function is seen as ‘best in class’. Ensure policies, procedures, documents and workflows are kept up-to-date and remain best in class.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

· Educated to A level with a relevant professional qualification such as MCIPS or working towards such a qualification or equivalent demonstrable work experience with evidence of continuing professional development.

· Knowledge of category management and experience of using this methodology in complex commercial environments to deliver significant cost or service improvements.

· A demonstrable track record of managing strategic contracts in business critical environments. This should include evidence of defining, measuring and improving key elements of supplier performance.

· Evidence of some experience of delivering continuous improvements in strategic arrangements with evidence of generating significant cost and service benefits.

· Evidence of some knowledge of contract law and legislation relevant to the specific category / categories within their control and its impact on market management, finance and contractual arrangements.

· Extensive knowledge of public sector procurement law with an ability to explain the law to non-procurement staff and find pragmatic solutions to potential legal difficulties.

· Comprehensive negotiating skills appropriate to multi million pound contracts and experience of planning and delivering successful negotiations.

· An awareness of working in a political environment.

To read more about the procurement service and the wider Corporate Services function of Essex County Council please follow this link: https://www.workingforessex.com/role/corporate-services

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex . With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In February 2025 , Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government’s devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR ) on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles , including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Apply and next steps

Please apply via the Working for Essex website, ensuring you provide an up-to-date CV and supporting statement when prompted.

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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