Job overview

The post holder will work as part of a newly formed and dynamic team responsible for effective procurement and contract management, in accordance with national and local strategies, policies and procedures, for the Trust contract portfolio including Mental Health and Community Services.

 The role supports the Trust in driving transformation as well as securing value for money in planning and service delivery and improvement. The role is designed to build a combination of procurement expertise and technical skills.

As the Trust operates from multiple sites, including rural locations where public transport may be limited, the post holder must be able to travel independently between locations in a timely manner to fulfil the requirements of the role.

Main duties of the job

The Procurement Service is responsible for a broad range of activities including:

· Provide practical support and advice to deliver the procurement workplan for relevant procurement categories.

· Liaise directly with relevant stakeholder (internal and external) in delivery of the required workplans, managing and proactively promoting relationships with designated key stakeholders.

· Oversee all relevant allocated tenders, quotation processes and competitions to ensure best value for money is delivered in accordance with the Trust SFI’s.

· Support Contract leads and colleagues in all aspects of the contracting and procurement lifecycle.

· Report activity and delivery of work plan to the Senior Contract and Procurement Manager.

· Supervise and support Contracting and Procurement staff in delivering high-quality commercial activity in a timely manner and in line with the agreed workplan.

· Working flexibly to support the wider contracts and planning team as required.

 · Manage and proactively promote relationships with key clinical and non-clinical stakeholders. 

The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Working for our organisation

We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people’s homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.

Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us.  In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views.  It was great to hear that:

• 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.
• 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
• 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust’s priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.

This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement.  However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.