Overview
The University of Sheffield is a world‑class university renowned for its research‑led teaching and impact. As a procurement professional you will engage stakeholders and strategically manage the university’s supply base to achieve best value for its non‑payroll expenditure.
Contract Management and Value for Money
- Analyse expenditure profiles to identify opportunities for duplication reduction and process improvement across all commodity areas.
- Prepare annual plans for approval by the Head of Procurement, focusing on commodity influence, sustainability and value for money.
- Manage delegated category plans and support related projects, monitoring KPIs monthly and reporting on exceptions.
- Conduct risk assessments, financial appraisals, life‑cycle costing and social, economic and environmental profiling to develop procurement strategies aligned with university objectives.
- Initiate, negotiate, award and manage contracts and framework agreements, and assist in creating joint university contracts.
- Provide advice on procurement processes to ensure value for money outcomes.
- Advise on contract specifications and award criteria, ensuring social, economic and environmental considerations are included.
- Manage major suppliers’ performance against contracts and maintain key relationships with their customers.
- Collaborate with faculties and departments to identify procurement trends and savings opportunities.
Compliance
- Ensure adherence to the university’s financial regulations and maintain probity in all transactions.
- Ensure legal compliance of tendering and contract award activities, managing risk across procurement operations.
- Ensure call‑offs from framework contracts follow documented procedures.
- Identify, document and manage conflicts or potential conflicts of interest throughout the procurement process.
- Ensure all contracts are monitored and modifications are managed by change control notices.
- Lead compliance with procurement legislation, including the Procurement Act 2023 and Social Value Act 2012.
- Maintain documents in line with the university’s retention requirements.
Communication
- Build collaborative relationships with strategic suppliers and maintain effective relations with other suppliers.
- Establish relationships with customers to provide a responsive procurement service and promote good practice.
- Offer advice on purchasing practice, tendering procedures, grant applications, legal aspects and best practice.
- Contribute to procurement projects within multi‑disciplinary teams and with external partners such as purchasing consortia.
- Adhere to the professional behaviours set out in the Sheffield Professional Framework.
- Make ethical decisions embedding the university sustainability strategy into activities.
- Perform other duties commensurate with the grade of the position.
Person Specification
You should provide evidence that you meet the following criteria:
Essential Criteria
- Experience in a commercial procurement environment with knowledge of the category management commercial life‑cycle.
- Responsive, innovative, and capable of creating effective change while challenging and being challenged.
- Effective communication skills, both written and verbal; experience of report writing and delivering presentations to stakeholders.
- Proven ability to analyse and solve problems with an appreciation of longer‑term implications.
- Ability to plan, resource and progress work activities, and manage deadlines using a range of project management approaches.
- Experience of developing and maintaining a network of contacts within your work area.
- Financial awareness enabling a focus on efficiencies and continuous improvement.
- Working knowledge of sustainable procurement issues and the ability to create added value in tendering and contract management.
- Good knowledge of support software packages such as e‑tendering software, SAP, web‑based procurement portals, Google and Microsoft Office.
- Understanding of public sector procurement, the Procurement Act 2023 and the Social Value Act 2012.
Desirable Criteria
- Aware of issues relating to the higher education sector and experience working to a defined compliance framework.
Further Information
- Grade: 7
- Salary: £38,784 – £47,389 per annum with potential to progress to £51,753 per annum.
- Work arrangement: Full‑time
- Duration: Open ended
- Line manager: Head of Procurement
- Direct reports: None
- Contact for informal enquiries: Mark Hardy, Deputy Head of Procurement – m.hardy@sheffield.ac.uk
Benefits
- Minimum of 41 days annual leave (including bank holidays and closure days) with the option to purchase more.
- Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.
- Generous pension scheme.
- Wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, dining and travel.
- Staff networks providing social interaction and peer support.
- Recognition awards for exceptional performance.
- Access to learning, mentoring and development schemes.
- Family‑friendly policies: paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies, support for menopause, paid time off and support for fertility treatment.
We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.
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