Job Title: Senior Procurement Manager
Hiring Organization: British Council
Location – Locality: Nairobi
Location – Region: Kenya
Industry: Non Profit
Job Type: Full Time
Salary: KES
Date Posted: 05/28/2024
We
support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust
between people in the UK and countries worldwide.
We work directly with individuals to help them gain the skills, confidence and
connections to transform their lives and shape a better world in partnership
with the UK. We support them to build networks and explore creative ideas, to
learn English, to get a high-quality education and to gain internationally
recognised qualifications.
Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground
in more than 100 countries. In 2021–22 we reached 650 million people.
British Council supports working in new ways such as hybrid working, subject to
full approval by line management and conditional upon our ability to provide
the appropriate level of service. This may not be appropriate for all roles but
can be explored at interview.
About the role:
The
Senior Procurement Manager is part of the Global Procurement team, The Global
Procurement function is split into clusters and this role will report to a
Procurement Director delivering procurement requirements within that cluster.
The Senior Procurement Manager will support the Global Procurement strategy and
is responsible for supporting cluster initiatives.
This role will lead and promote cross-country procurement activities and ensure
larger scale collaboration opportunities are considered or undertaken where
appropriate. Working with the Global Category Managers, they will deliver the
global and cluster approach at country/ cluster level.
Main
Responsibilities
Strategy
and Planning
Supports
the Cluster Head of procurement in developing the Strategic Sourcing plan for
the cluster.
Plans
procurement activity according to spend profile and benefit realisation with
the involvement of the Category management team.
Leads on
the delivery of projects contributing to the Strategic Sourcing plan for the
cluster.
Plans the
annual benefit target according to project with an updated benefit pipeline.
Ensures
the cluster pipeline activity is kept up-to-date and update team and
Procurement Director regularly on pipeline activity progression.
Supports
the roll-out of the departmental learning and development strategy, to ensure
on-going improvement in procurement capability.
Thinks
and acts strategically – balancing the strategic with the operational and
helping to shape the long term commercial agenda
Consultancy,
analysis & problem-solving
Consults
closely with internal customers and other stakeholder to understand current and
future business needs (likely to be on a quarterly time horizon), and plans
work activities accordingly to ensure the services and advice they provide
meets those demands
Builds an
in-depth understanding of the procurement opportunities and challenges facing
internal customer(s), and of how those relate to wider issues across the
broader organisation, to ensure the development of procurement governance and
practices based on informed business insight and joined-up thinking
Supports
Procurement Director and other stakeholders in finding solutions to procurement
matters raised applying advanced procurement sourcing knowledge to solve a
range of complex business issues.
Devises
non-standard or bespoke analytical approaches to understand complex problems
and enable informed business-planning, decision-making and/or the development
of new or improved policies and practice
Deploys a
range of specialist or bespoke approaches for procurement initiatives to
support the provision of high-quality services and advice.
Distils
complex concepts and analysis into cogent and persuasive business case
presentations, which convincingly influence decision-makers about the need for
significant changes to policy or practice
Service
improvement
Identifies
and makes recommendations to Deputy CPO for improvements to ways of working
that enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the corporate procurement, as
well as the operational effectiveness of their internal customers.
Makes
technical/professional recommendations which have a measurable impact on local
business performance (e.g., in terms of efficiency, quality, reliability,
mitigation of risk, productivity, profitability or customer satisfaction)
Actively
champions and monitors staff compliance with the agreed corporate policies and
practices relevant to their area of functional expertise; investigating reasons
for non-compliance.
Seeks to
improve business process for the customers benefit, contributing ideas to
support the development of discipline-wide and customer-specific business plans
and priorities.
Functional
expertise
Provides
expert professional advice, support and challenge to internal customers and
other stakeholders to support the development of high quality, effective and
continuously improving business practices within procurement.
Provides
specialist, functional expertise advice or ideas into the development and
implementation of corporate or regional change projects.
Pro-actively
pursues an annual cycle of formally recognised Continuing Professional
Development to maintain and deepen their professional expertise.
Contributes
to the development and delivery of training and guidance of other professionals
in the field.
Commercial
& Financial management
Using
agreed corporate systems and processes, plans and manages the core budget for
their area of activity, and for any special initiatives or change projects for
which they are responsible.
Develops
sourcing plans short term and long-term plans for each area of significant
value aligned to procurement objectives.
Works
closely with Category management team to ensure key benefits are being
delivered aligning to the Category strategy and procurement best practices.
Applies
judgement as a commercial manager. Relationship & stakeholder management
Develops
peer/personal networks within and outside the British Council to enhance own
knowledge and expertise.
Develops
close relationships with designated SBUs to understand the complex nature of
SBU’s needs.
Inspires
knowledge sharing – recognising and championing the recognition of the work of
others
Protects
own reputation by building trust amongst business colleagues.
Leadership
& management
Provides
formal line management to a small team, consisting of staff both within and
beyond the local office base.
Drives
change by engaging teams in change, communicating context clearly and modelling
change for others, articulating a compelling picture of the future.
Develops
talent and team culture to get the best from the team, encouraging high
performers, and managing low performers effectively.
Plans and
prioritises own work activities to ensure effective delivery of diverse
responsibilities and deliverables over a quarterly to annual time horizon.
Determines
work plans and co-ordinates input from others (who may be outside the direct
management line) to meet specific objectives.
Encourages
social and ethical action, inspires enthusiasm and success.
Seen as a
role model of British Council behaviours and values.
Role
Specific Skill
Strong
capability in Strategic sourcing
Strong
capability in use and improvement of Procurement systems
Strong
capability in application of Procurement Best practice
Strong
capability in design, operation and improvement of Procurement controls
Capability
to structure pricing models to support complex initiatives, establishing the
best pricing tools to obtain optimal results
Capability
to lead teams in complex negotiations
Minimum/essential
requirements
Extensive
experience of working in a similar role at a similar level managing procurement
projects and managing a team of procurement professionals.
Experience
of managing bundling of existing outsourced initiatives, throughout a complex
project for a single stakeholder.
In-depth
understanding of procurement processes and complex competitive bidding
Significant
understanding of legal and operational risks.
Good
understanding of complex contractual provisions and Supplier Relationship
management
Good
business understanding
Desirable
Extensive
experience with Strategic Sourcing and managing stakeholders
Experience
in managing procurement teams or Categories
Language
Requirements
The
British Council systems and global processes operate in English. Written and
verbal proficiency in English is required
Education
and Qualifications
Undergraduate
degree holder or has relevant experience in category Management / procurement
Qualified
member of a professions body, e.g. CIPS or other relevant body or equivalent
experience