Procurement Support Officer

Do you want a role where your work helps people find the care services they need? Then look no further.

Essex County Council Adult Social Care uses a tool called Essex Care Search and we need your expertise to keep it running smoothly.

About Essex Care Search?

It is our online care platform that connects citizens, health partners, and council staff with residential care vacancies. It also supports the council to manage contracts held with providers, keeping everything running smoothly behind the scenes.

This is a varied role that includes:

• Working closely with care providers, and system users to ensure seamless service delivery
• Monitoring and updating of records
• Maintain data accuracy and resolve support requests promptly
• Training users.

Your work will contribute to helping connect people with the residential care they need. You will be part of a supportive public sector team committed to making a difference.

The Opportunity

The Procurement Support Officer will support the Procurement function in various aspects, including managing and fielding supplier queries, supporting market engagement events and providing contract administration. The Procurement Support Officer will also support the delivery of research and analysis which informs category plans and potential improvements to the management of suppliers and markets. The individual will seek opportunities to remove waste, implement technologies and automate processes within existing contractual restrictions. 

The role requires good analytical skills to explore alternative solutions which meet customer requirements. 

Accountabilities

• Support the Procurement function in various aspects, including managing and fielding supplier queries, supporting market engagement events and providing contract administration. 
• Lead on the delivery and development of contract and supplier amendment and update processes including, price uplifts and on boarding new suppliers to ECC, liaising with internal and external stakeholders as appropriate. 
• Deliver robust research and analysis to support the team to ensure category plans are up to date and the management of suppliers and markets meet client needs. 
• Deal effectively with supplier correspondence, ensuring that messaging is conducted in a fair, transparent and auditable manner. 
• Support the delivery of low risk sourcing processes, ensuring compliance with the
• Authority’s Procurement Policy and Procedures. 
• Support the development, planning and delivery of improvement projects, ensuring effective stakeholder management and compliance with existing contractual requirements. 
• Adopt a continuous improvement approach to systems and processes to support the development of best practice for wider department benefit. 
• Support on reporting requirements with particular focus on performance management, risk management and corporate measures. 
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework. 

The Experience You Will Bring

• Educated to ‘A’ Level standard and/or qualification by experience of working in a commercial environment. 
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Excel to enable analysis of datasets. Solid working knowledge of PowerPoint and MS Word. 
• Strong communication; verbal, written and presentation skills. 
• Strong customer focus with a drive to provide a valued service. 
• A positive attitude: a ‘can do’ approach, good work ethic and willingness to learn 
• Appreciation of working in a political environment and an ability to understand and respond to different perspectives. 
• Confident IT user
• An understanding of information governance