Contract & Commercial Specialist

The starting salary for this role is £41,127 per annum for working 36 hours per week. This is a 24-month fixed term contract.

In 2020/2021, Surrey County Council spent over £750m through commercial contracts, many of which are managed by personnel who have contract management as an additional responsibility to their primary function. As evidenced by research undertaken by the World Commerce and Contracting Association, it is widely accepted that poorly managed contracts can result in value leakage of up to 9.2% as well as incurring additional avoidable costs and delivering sub-standard outcomes.

To address this, Surrey County Council is embarking on a major new initiative and is assembling an experienced team of contract management professionals to help shape how contract management is delivered across the authority. This will be delivered through a new Contract Management Advisory Service. The new service will be an integral part of enhancing the authority’s contract management capability and will provide value for money assurance and visibility over contract performance.

Do you have experience in supporting contract or commercial management activities? Are you looking for a new and challenging opportunity? 

As a member of the Contract Management Advisory Service (CMAS), you will be aligned to a specific directorate and will work with a lead Strategic Contract Management Advisor, supporting their work with service teams to develop effective contract management strategies that will ensure services to residents are delivered efficiently, effectively and economically.

Required skillset

To be shortlisted for an interview please upload your CV and a personal statement to clearly evidence the following:

• Experience of contract, account or commercial management.
• Knowledge of the principles of change management, risk management and continuous improvement, and their practical application.
• Demonstrable commercial acumen.
• Authoritative knowledge of the work practices, processes and procedures relevant to the role.
• Ability to manage resources to deliver effective support to their area of responsibility.
• Strong written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
• The ability to work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders.
• Good problem solving and analytical skills.

Previous experience in a public sector environment is not essential and we welcome applications from experienced professionals from other sectors. However, the successful candidate should be aware of the implications of working within a public sector environment and how this affects the delivery of strategies and new working practices.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 31/08/2022.

Interviews will take place throughout the advertising period and will finish week commencing 19/09/2022.

Contact Details

For an informal discussion please contact Ian Gaitley by e-mail at ian.gaitley@surreycc.gov.uk.

Remote Working

We are proud of our agile working culture, including providing the technology to support remote working (such as light laptops and phones) where the role allows. Whilst our offices are open for you to use as you need to, outside of any necessary face-to-face meetings we are happy for you to work where you are happiest and most productive. We do anticipate though that whilst this new service is being established you would be required to attend an office location once or twice per week on average.

Benefits

• Annual leave: You will benefit from 26 days of annual leave, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service, plus bank holidays. You will also have the option to buy additional leave.
• A generous local government pension scheme to provide you with a secure and guaranteed future income. Tax relief on your contributions is available whilst we pay significant amounts into the Surrey Pension Fund.
• Access to a range of health and wellbeing tools and information to support your mental and emotional wellbeing including our confidential Employee Assistance Programme.
• Lifestyle benefits: Access to a huge range of discounted vouchers and memberships covering the gym, retail, cinema and holidays.
• Travel and Transport benefits: Cycle and car schemes as well as discounted travel on season tickets.

Encouraging Diversity and Equality

Diversity is about the recognition and valuing of difference in our workforce. This means creating a work culture and workplace practices that recognise, value, respect and harness the contributions and talents of all for the benefit of the individual and the organisation.

We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds and those with neurodivergent thinking styles. If you require adjustments to the interview process, please outline this in your application form under the reasonable adjustments question.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.