Senior Sourcing and Procurement Officer

Role Responsibility

Senior Sourcing and Procurement Officer Role

Would you enjoy a challenging and varied role, playing the lead role in delivering a range of Procurement projects, whilst supervising and providing leadership and guidance to a team of Buyers and Systems Administrators?

The Sourcing Support Team are looking for an motivated and forward-looking Senior Sourcing and Procurement Officer to join their team on a fixed term basis for one year. There is also a possibility that a permanent Senior Commercial and Procurement Officer post may be available at the end of the term, though this would be in the wider Procurement and Commercial Team and subject to any vacancies.  This role in the Sourcing Support Team would provide good grounding and all-round experience to move into a permanent position should one be available.  You will be responsible for overseeing a team of buyers creating purchase orders and setting up new suppliers, as well as identifying opportunities for improvements in processes and spend control. You will also, crucially, lead on delivering a range of procurement projects and category strategies relating to common goods and services and sourcing/contract management systems.

Working closely with the Senior Buyer and Sourcing Support Team Manager, you will also be confident in providing professional commercial and procurement expertise, advice and guidance using a risk-based approach, to assist stakeholders to plan, develop, source, and manage procurement arrangements, to effectively meet organisational and business objectives. You may also be asked to play a lead role in delivering projects that enhance the offer of the division and configure its IT systems.

To join us, you will have achieved CIPS level 5 or a demonstrable commitment to work towards this required level, and previous commercial or procurement experience either in the private or public sector. You will have an excellent work ethic, be organised and able to manage and lead on multiple projects simultaneously. You will be able to demonstrate strong procurement knowledge to support clients in delivering their commercial pipeline. You will have excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate effectively and build relationships with internal stakeholders and suppliers. You will have the ability to research, analyse and interpret data/information to support development of procurement plans and category strategies. In this role, each day will offer a chance to build on your experience and skills which will help shape the future of Kent. 

The Kent County Council is a fully inclusive Employer, and we take our values and behaviours very seriously and are looking for employees who are equally passionate about the right values and behaviours.

The Person Specification in the Job Description will be used for the purpose of shortlisting applicants. If you intend to apply for any of these positions, please refer to the criteria in the Person Specification and demonstrate how you meet these requirements from your work experience, including any voluntary work or internship, as well as through any formal or informal training undertaken.

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Contact Details

For more information, contact Chris Wimhurst, Sourcing Support Team Manager and Oracle Cloud Lead, Procurement, on 03000 410966, or by email at Christopher.wimhurst@kent.gov.uk

About the Company

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KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county’s working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds, faiths and those with caring responsibilities, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

Please note – if you are interested, please apply as soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.