Procurement Manager at British Council

About the role:

The Global Procurement function is split into clusters and this role will report to a Senior Procurement Manager. The role will support the implementation of a sourcing plan and delivering procurement projects as required within the cluster.  This role will require effective stakeholder engagement within the cluster or globally whilst supporting the delivery of improvements and efficiency in procurement projects.

Main Responsibilities

Consultancy, analysis & problem-solving

• Builds an in-depth understanding of the specific operational context, opportunities and challenges facing their internal customer(s) to ensure the provision of procedural advice and support based on informed business insight.
• Pro-actively seeks internal customer and other stakeholder feedback to monitor satisfaction with the standard of functional advice and business support provided, enabling improvements to be made where issues are identified.
• Applies core technical/professional knowledge, recognised best practice approaches and insight from previous experience to resolve non-standard issues which arise in the provision of functional support to a specific organisational unit or area of corporate activity.

Service improvement

• Within their area of technical/professional expertise, identifies opportunities for procedural improvements within established policies and determines the most appropriate mechanisms and processes for implementing those changes. 
• Demonstrates awareness of relevant governance arrangements that relate to making system or procedural changes.
• Makes technical/professional recommendations to resolve specific or localised issues but also offers ideas which contribute to the development of wider solutions to broader business challenges and problems.

Functional expertise

• Provides pro-active professional advice and support to internal customers to ensure local or unit-specific business practices within their area of functional expertise are high quality, effective and compliant with relevant corporate policies.
• Completes an annual cycle of formally recognised Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to maintain and deepen their professional expertise.
• Uses a variety of information resources and professional networks to maintain up-to-date knowledge of developments in external policy, practice, and regulation within their professional discipline.

Commercial & Financial management

• Using agreed corporate systems and processes, plans and manages the budget for their area of activity/service provision, and conducts monthly and year-end reporting on income and expenditure, profitability, and risk.
• Shows an understanding of value for money/cost effectiveness in the advice, recommendations or service support provided to internal customers.
• Applies good judgment in a commercial context.

Relationship & stakeholder management

• Develops good working relationships with appropriate colleagues throughout the British Council and in the relevant functional discipline to know who to engage with to enable effective implementation of procedural changes and improvements
• Builds a network of with external suppliers/providers/contacts to support effective service provision and knowledge exchange

Leadership & management

• Plans and prioritises own work activities to ensure effective delivery of diverse responsibilities and internal customer deliverables over a monthly to quarterly time horizon.
• May act as formal line manager to a small team of para-professionals, working within the same (or related) area of functional expertise, responsible for their annual work plans and deliverables

Minimum/essential requirements

• Extensive experience of working in a similar role at a similar level managing procurement projects or procurement teams
• Experience in leading and managing effective negotiations
• In-depth understanding of procurement processes and complex competitive bidding 
• Good understanding of procurement project delivery, including Supplier Relationship Management
• Good business understanding across industry
• Understands and has used a variety of pricing models and tools.
• Understands legal and operational risks.
• Undergraduate degree holder or has relevant experience in procurement
• Qualified member of a professions body, e.g. CIPS or other relevant body or equivalent experience 
• The British Council systems and global processes operate in English. Written and verbal proficiency in English is required

Desirable

• Extensive experience with Strategic Sourcing with managing stakeholders’ team or experience in managing procurement teams or categories.