Cluster Procurement Manager

This is an exciting opportunity to join one of the top schools for progress in the country.

We are a high performing school and have a relentless focus on high standards in all that we do. We work together to dismantle any barriers to learning and achievement and have a total belief that every student can be successful regardless of their starting point.

We ensure that our classrooms are disruption-free so our teachers can focus on the main thing – teaching and learning. We have a strict discipline policy, and the senior team run daily centralised detentions so that consequences are immediate and teacher time is protected.

Paddington Academy is a mixed Academy for 1,200 students aged 11-18. The Academy was judged to be outstanding by OFSTED in 2011 and was described by the Education Minister as a ‘jewel in the crown of state education’.

Our thriving and oversubscribed academy also has a large Sixth Form with over 300 students, and we have consistently been in the top 10 schools for student progress for the last six years.

Paddington Academy is part of United Learning, a large, and growing, group of schools aiming to offer a life-changing education to children and young people across England. United Learning is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All positions are subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and shortlisted candidates will be subject to an online check.

Job details

Salary - Band 4 (salary £40,000 - £50,000) 

Contractual hours - 37.5

Basis -Full Time

Region - London

Job category/type - Support Staff

Job reference - REQ001697

Job description

Cluster Procurement Manager Job Description  

Job Title: Cluster Procurement Manager

Directly - Reporting to: Senior Executive Business Manager (SEBM) 

Indirectly - Reporting to: United Learning Head of Procurement 

 Responsible for: None 

Overall Job Purpose:  

As the Cluster Procurement Manager for the West London Cluster, the post-holder will be an integral part of the cluster team assisting with the leadership and management of procurement and providing extensive day to day support to Academy-based staff on procurement and resource matters.  

Key responsibilities: 

• Key activities will include leading negotiations with suppliers, supplier management, contract development, competitive tendering, market research, spend analysis benchmarking, and contract management. 
• The identification and prioritisation of opportunities for savings on all spend categories including aggregating demand across the cluster of schools. 
• Ensuring all procurement processes undertaken are compliant with Public Contract Regulations 2015, all relevant legislation, and policies. 
• Maintaining the contracts register and contracts database, ensuring that the contracts data informs the overall annual procurement strategy. 
• Work closely with internal and external stakeholders to build relationships, understand customer needs, maintain a procurement pipeline requirements/tendering exercises and develop sourcing strategies, exploiting opportunities for collaboration within the cluster. 
• Contract manage suppliers within your cluster of schools which includes: 
• Review of delivery against contracts and addressing any underperformance by suppliers. Develop and implementing tools to enable effective monitoring.  
• To manage the suppliers and develop good relations with key suppliers based on mutual trust, confidence and cooperation in order to deliver effective supply chain solutions. 
• Negotiate contracts for goods and services to agree improved terms and conditions with suppliers to enable effective trading, operations and customer/supplier relations. 
• Reporting on contractual and procurement performance to colleagues via KPI’s, including savings, benefits, cost avoidance, risk mitigation. 
• Managing contract documentation (including variations), keeping accurate records of all contractual obligations. 
• Provide professional procurement advice and support schools, ensuring all statutory and regulatory obligations are met and the procurement regulations are strictly applied. 
• Work within United Learning’s Procurement Policy and Strategy 
• Analyse cluster spend data to determine the categories of spend that require market engagement to deliver cost reductions and savings. 
• Identify different procurement options available to the cluster and evaluate the options, including the use of Framework Agreements.  
• Provide procurement advice to the cluster. 
• Manage the e-procurement portal, using it effectively to manage procurements and contracts. 
• Early Market Engagement with suppliers in support of the procurement activity and tender processes. 
• Undertake competitive quotes. 
• Undertake competitive tenders. 
• Undertake PCR 2015 compliant tenders, including keeping up to date with new procurement guidance and regulations.  
• Create lessons learned from Procurements to support the delivery of continuous improvement of the procurement function. 
• Produce contract documents on completion of the competitive procurement process. 
• Attend meetings with suppliers. 

Other 

• To support the cluster academies by training for and carrying out first aid duties as needed 
• To support the school day and students by carrying out lunch duties as required (a lunch break will still be provided) 

The job covers multi sites, it is therefore key that the Cluster Procurement Manager can work in a ‘stand-alone’ capacity, with excellent organisational and time management skills.  Travel between the schools is required to meet the needs of the role. 

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive and the successful candidate is expected to be flexible and proactive in meeting the needs of each Academy and willingly undertake any further duties required that are commensurate with the role. 

This post is subject to an enhanced DBS disclosure and the post holder must be committed to safeguarding the welfare of children.