Strategic Procurement and Commercial Lead

Role Responsibility

Right now, big changes are happening at Kent County Council. New teams are assembling, and after six years, we are forming a new Commercial and Procurement Team. We are therefore looking for an ambitious commercial professional to join and lead our People team. This is your chance to step in, shape a new role and contribute to the services of one of the largest local authorities in the UK.

As the Strategic Procurement and Commercial Lead for People Services, you will work closely with our Head of Commercial and Procurement to deliver the best outcomes and best value for the Council and the 1.6 million residents we represent. Day to day, this means working with directorates to make sure third-party spending delivers value for money on all our contracts.  You will work with a team of procurement professionals, building relationships across organisational boundaries and leading on commercial activity across Adults Social Care, Children’s Services, Education, and Health.

You will have a well-proven history of establishing effective strategic relationships and partnerships and leading on high value and complex procurements and contracts. Your familiarity with local government, and the public procurement landscape, including a sound understanding of present and future issues and opportunities, means you will have a strong understanding of how things work and will be able to hit the ground running. This combined experience means you will understand the governance but will also be able to think innovatively within the legal parameters to reach creative solutions that benefit everyone. 

To join us, alongside an established track record of success and delivery at a senior level, you will be fully MCIPS qualified or actively working towards it.   You will be an excellent communicator and have strong leadership skills to drive this new team forward.   In this role, each day offers a chance to build on your skills and experience as you put your expertise into action and help shape the future of Kent.  

KCC takes our values and behaviours very seriously and we are looking for someone who is equally passionate about the right values and behaviours.

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/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

As part of the interview process for this role you may be required to complete additional testing.

Interviews will be held week commencing 25th September.

Contact Details

For more information about the role, please contact Clare Maynard: clare.maynard@kent.gov.uk or tel 03000 416449

About the Company

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 and faiths, 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.