Senior Procurement and Contracts Officer x 1- CMB1834i

*Internal Applicants Only*

Salary: £37,035 - £37,938 per annum

Hours: 37 per week

Location: Carlisle

Contract: Permanent

About this opportunity:

Cumberland Council is seeking to appoint a Senior Procurement and Contracts Officer to join a busy, thriving Procurement Department. The New Procurement Act 2023 commenced on 24th February 2025 and this is an exciting opportunity to join us in our new journey through the changes and improvements to legislation that will enable the Council to deliver excellent public services that include our local supply chain.

The Senior Procurement & Contract Officer will support on various procurement projects by ensuring compliance polices, organisational polices and best practices are followed. This post plays a key role in engaging with supplier management, contract negotiations and liaising with various internal and external stakeholders.

This is a varied role where you will collaborate with commissioners and technical leads across the council, working with them to determine how best value can be achieved and social value generated, in a legally compliant way.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide advice and support across Cumberland Council regarding procurement and contract management.
• Develop relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Monitor KPI success factors and compliance required checks.
• To develop, assess and maintain the multiple supplier chains; to work closely with contract providers to develop productive working relationships; to inform, advise and support commissioning teams to develop the local provider market.
• Ensure E-Procurement prices are up to date and renewed as required.

This role is available on a permanent basis.

Who we’re looking for

We’re looking for individuals who embody our organisation's core values: ambitious, collaborative, compassionate, empowering, and innovative. We believe in the power of these values to drive positive change, deliver excellent public services and shape a better future for our communities.

We are seeking an ambitious and hard-working individual to appoint as a Senior Procurement & Contracts Officer who may work across multiple Category areas, although the preference is to appoint the successful candidates into the enabling area of Procurement eg IT, HR, Finance, Waste etc.

The postholder will have a proactive approach and be skilled in developing and maintaining effective business relationships.

You will have:

• Excellent verbal, written and presentation communication skills
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills including influencing and negotiation
• Positive can-do attitude
• Strong team player who is proactive and can take ownership
• Excellent computer competency skills
• The ability to apply effective time management and organisational skills to manage workload
• Relevant experience in a comparable organisation (we are open to considering relevant experience in a procurement remit and/or technical in relation to our wide-ranging category activity).
• A formal procurement qualification (i.e. CIPS) or be willing to work towards this.

You will work with like-minded colleagues who get real satisfaction from supporting the delivery of essential public services and bringing social, economic and environmental benefits to Cumberland Council.

You will be required to use digital platforms in all aspects of the job with working from home as well as in the office on a hybrid model basis.

We’re also about potential over perfection and we can help you grow in the role and thrive in your career.

Be sure to take a look at the post specification (below) for the essential criteria for this role.

Contact

For more information about the role or to arrange an informal chat prior to your application, please contact Nicola Bell by email at [email protected]

Guaranteed Interviews

We offer a guaranteed interview to the following applicants as long as your application can demonstrate you meet the essential criteria for the role.

• Those who consider themselves disabled as defined by the Equality Act 2010
• Those in care or who have left care and are aged 24 and under
• Armed forces veterans whose last long term substantive employer was the armed forces

If you meet one or more of the criteria above, and wish to be considered for this scheme, select 'yes' to the appropriate question during your application. Find out more.

Diversity, Inclusion & Adjustments
We’re dedicated to enhancing the diversity of our workforce and we encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds. That’s why we’re a proud Disability Confident Employer and also an Age Friendly Employer – to provide opportunities for everyone to thrive.

If you need any reasonable adjustments to participate in the recruitment process, please let either the hiring manager or our Resourcing Team know by emailing [email protected]. While adjustments aren’t always guaranteed, we’ll always listen and we’ll try our best to accommodate your needs.

Application and Interview information

• Closing date: 1st July 2025
• Interview date: Week commencing 14th July 2025

Please note this role may close early subject to demand. If you’re interested in applying, you should apply well before the advised closing date. We cannot accept applications once the role has closed.