Procurement Manager Recruitment Opportunity

Candidate Information Booklet

Assembly Grade: 5

Salary: £48,734 – £50,204

Deadline for applications: Completed Application Forms must be submitted no later than 12 noon (UK time) on Monday 12 December 2022.

Please retain a copy of this booklet for your reference throughout the selection process (you can download a PDF version of this booklet using the link above).

Foreword

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission as a Procurement Manager. This is a challenging and rewarding position and you will make a significant contribution to the life and work of the Assembly.

Working at the Assembly offers a rewarding career. You will be joining an exceptional, high-profile organisation with a dedicated and inclusive team.

We are seeking a talented and motivated procurement professional, who is focused on delivering high quality services. You should be able to bring innovation and fresh thinking to our procurement services and how we deliver them.

You will be working in the iconic Parliament Buildings, in a politically complex and sensitive environment and you should actively demonstrate our values of professionalism, respect, impartiality and integrity in everything you do.

We offer a competitive salary, excellent pension provision and a range of other employee benefits listed on the Recruitment website.

Please read the information provided in the candidate information booklet carefully and if you feel you are the person we are looking for, we would be delighted to hear from you. Applications are very welcome from the public, private and voluntary sectors.

If you would like to find out more about the post before making an application please contact Julie-Ann.Ferguson@niassembly.gov.uk or telephone 028 90521217.

Tara Caul, Director of Legal. Governance and Research Services

About Us

The Assembly is at the heart of political and public life as the democratically elected legislature that represents the interests of Northern Ireland and its people.

Established as a key element of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, the Assembly comprises 90 Members and has three main functions – making legislation, scrutinising the Executive and representing constituents.

In accordance with the Northern Ireland Act 1998, the staff, services and facilities which are needed to support the work of the Assembly are provided by the Assembly Commission, a corporate body comprising the Speaker and five Members of the Assembly. The day-to-day running of the Assembly is delegated to the Clerk/Chief Executive and the Senior Management Team.

The Assembly Commission therefore provides the infrastructure (including Parliament Buildings), facilities and staff to allow the Assembly and its Committees to meet and to encourage public awareness of, and engagement with, the parliamentary process. It also pays the salaries of Members and reimburses the expenses which enable them to undertake their duties both at the Assembly and in their constituency offices.

The Assembly Commission is a high-achieving and professional organisation providing impartial support to the Assembly and its Members. The Assembly Commission is independent of the Executive and the Northern Ireland Civil Service.

The Assembly Commission has approximately 370 staff and an annual revenue budget of £51m.

View our organisational structure.

About the Role
Core Responsibilities
Essential Criteria
Skills & Behaviours
Equal Opportunities Statement
Location
Completing the form
Recruitment and Selection Framework
Stages of the Selection Process
Guaranteed Interview Scheme
Key Employee Benefits
Terms and Conditions of Appointment
Equality Monitoring
Merit List
Communication during the recruitment process
Further Information

About the Role

The Procurement Office is part of the Legal, Governance and Research Directorate. It forms an integral part of the Assembly Commission by providing professional purchasing expertise. The range of expertise and services provided by the Procurement Office includes:

Leading procurements with a value of over £30,000;
Developing and monitoring procurement policies and procedures to be applied across the Assembly Commission;
Interpreting, negotiating and finalising purchasing contracts with a value of more than £30,000; and
Supporting business areas to manage, monitor, evaluate and review supply and service contracts to ensure quality, value for money and compliance with contract terms and conditions.

Core Responsibilities

To provide a high quality, effective and professional procurement service which delivers value for money solutions for the Assembly Commission;
To deliver procurement services to a range of stakeholders;
To advise and assist the various business areas to prepare tender documents which define their operational needs as they relate to third party support (suppliers);
To develop procurement and contract strategies in accordance with statutory and policy requirements (including the incorporation of sustainability aspects);
To maintain awareness of procurement industry best practices, regulations, case law and public sector guidance to ensure that all practices, policies and procedures in the Procurement Office are compliant with the Public Contracts Regulations and to keep these under review;
To lead staff to successfully deliver agreed objectives;
To manage staff who report to this post-holder;
To promote and deliver an emphasis on continuous learning and development in the Procurement Office for self and team members;
To effectively manage resources to meet business objectives;
To provide advice on public procurement policy and legislation;
To be fully conversant with and lead the utilisation of e-procurement technologies, in particular those systems deployed by the Assembly Commission i.e. e-sourcing and e-evaluation and interface with the purchase to pay systems;
To contribute to the development, management and monitoring of the Assembly Commission’s procurement policies and procedures;
To engage with relevant industry groups and representatives to improve market knowledge;
To undertake the procurement advisor role in complex and strategic procurement projects working in conjunction with client teams and external advisors;
To effectively manage corporate and project specific risks in accordance with best practice techniques;
To provide support to business areas to manage, monitor, evaluate and review contracts to ensure quality, value for money and compliance with contract terms and conditions;
To support and assist the Head of Procurement in the provision of a contract management service, ensuring compliance across the organisation. This includes involvement in contract reviews where the contracts are managed by lead buying areas;
To support and assist the Head of Procurement in the engagement of external interests and potential contract / supplier organisations in procurement information seminars to alert them about forthcoming procurement exercises and the service requirements of the business areas;
To develop and maintain regular and effective communication with clients, particularly via the procurement liaison officer role;
To support and assist the Head of Procurement and the Director of Legal Governance and Research Services (‘the Director’) in ensuring the provision of Procurement Office assistance to internal stakeholders;
To support the identification of the best method to meet procurement needs and advise and support business areas on all aspects of procurement including business case development, specification writing, sourcing issues, regulatory requirements, risks and contract management;
To support and assist the Head of Procurement in relation to the provision of procurement related information and assurance to the Director and to the Senior Management Team (SMT);
To support and provide assistance in overseeing the management of financial, staffing and IT requirements of the Procurement Office to maintain continuous improvement of service levels and standards including determining, bidding, controlling and evaluating effective use of Assembly Commission resources;
To develop process mapping to provide key process guidance;
To provide support to the Head of Procurement in managing the interface between the Assembly Commission and external customers through provision of information including responses to Assembly Questions and Freedom of Information requests in relation to procurement services;
To represent the Procurement Office as Information Asset Owner including attendance at Information Asset Owners Forum meetings and to ensure compliance with GDPR UK, Data Protection legislation and information management requirements;
To encourage and maintain professional membership of The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply and attend as required by the Head of Procurement, the NI Public Procurement Practitioners Group, and Parliamentary Procurement Forum;
To manage information and records in accordance with established policies and statutory requirements;
To comply with all of the Assembly Commission’s staff policies and procedures including Equal Opportunities and Dignity at Work policies and procedures and all mandatory training requirements; and
To carry out such other duties as the Assembly Commission reasonably requires of you.

Essential Criteria

At the closing date of applications, applicants must have:

1. Membership of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (MCIPS) and at least 2 years’ experience in each of the areas detailed at (a) – (d). Applications will also be considered from applicants who have membership of accredited procurement organisations considered to be equivalent to MCIPS.

2. At least 4 years’ experience in each of the areas detailed at (a) – (d).

The experience specified above at 1 and 2 must be in the following areas:

(a) Successfully leading and managing procurement exercises with individual values greater than £100,000 which were conducted under Public Procurement Regulations.

(b) Advising clients, at a senior level* within an organisation, on business cases, specifications, procurement strategies and risk management.

(d) Managing, developing and motivating staff to ensure effective service delivery and specific outcomes.

AND

3. A thorough knowledge and understanding of the relevant law, regulations and guidance relating to procurement e.g. Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and evidence of providing advice on these at a senior level* within an organisation.

*Senior level is defined as a Project Board, Director, Head of Business, NICS Grade 7 or company board member or equivalent.

Please note the successful applicant will be required to achieve Membership of CIPS within 18 months of appointment.

Skills & Behaviours

The following Assembly Skills and Behaviours will be assessed during the selection process:

Delivering a quality service

…is about providing a high-quality and efficient service to our customers. It is thinking ahead, managing resources effectively and delivering work on time and to a high standard. It is also using professional or technical expertise to enhance service delivery.

Building relationships and effective communication

…is creating and maintaining positive, professional and respectful internal and external working relationships through effective and appropriate communications.

Initiating improvement and delivering change

…is looking for and being open to new and innovative ideas and improvements to the service provided. It is being flexible and adapting positively and professionally to sustain performance when the situation changes, workloads increase or priorities change. It is about forming sound, evidence-based decisions and being accountable for results.

Managing and leading self and others

… is setting high standards for ourselves. It is about guiding, motivating and developing others to achieve high performance. It is about engaging others in delivering a corporate vision of excellence, expertise and innovation in support of the Assembly as a legislature.

Equal Opportunities Statement

The Assembly Commission is committed to equality of opportunity in employment and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified applicants irrespective of religious belief, political opinion, race, age, gender, disability, marital status, sexual orientation or people with dependents or without. All applications for employment will be considered on the basis of merit.

Location

The successful applicant will be based in Parliament Buildings, Belfast. Some opportunity for hybrid working is available based on business needs.

Completing the form

Only the information presented in the application form will be considered by the selection panel. CVs or other supplementary material will not be accepted in place of, or in addition to, completed application forms. Completed online forms must be submitted by 12 noon (UK time) on 12 December 2022.

Launch the application portal and complete the application form.

Application forms submitted after the closing time and date will not be accepted.

Recruitment and Selection Framework

There are five elements within the Recruitment and Selection Framework:

Experience – the knowledge or mastery of an activity or subject gained through involvement in or exposure to it.

Ability – the aptitude or potential to perform to the required standard.

Technical – the demonstration of specific professional skills, knowledge or qualifications.

Assembly Skills and Behaviours – the actions and activities that people do which result in effective performance in a job.

Strengths – the things we do regularly, do well and that motivate us.

The elements that will be assessed for this role are Experience, Technical, Assembly Skills and Behaviours and Strengths and the selection method(s) that will be used are detailed below. Further information on the Recruitment and Selection Framework are included in the Guidance on Recruitment and Selection for Applicants.

Stages of the Selection Process

Eligibility Sift

The essential criteria reflect the experience and knowledge that an applicant must possess in order to be able to undertake the role. An eligibility sift will be carried out on the basis of the information contained in the essential criteria section of the application form. You must therefore demonstrate clearly in your form how, and to what extent, you meet with the essential criteria for the post.

Interview Stage

Applicants who pass the eligibility sift will be required to attend an interview which will assess the information contained in this booklet and will also include the delivery of a presentation. The subject of the presentation will be advised to the applicant on the day of the interview and the applicant will be expected to present information to the selection panel.

Interviews are planned for week commencing: 09 January 2023

Further Interview Stage

The selection panel reserves the right to hold a further interview stage if deemed necessary.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

The Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS) supports applicants with disabilities or those with a long-term impairment or health condition, that is expected to last for at least 12 months and which means that they cannot meet all of the shortlisting criteria. In these instances, provided that they have demonstrated in their application form that they meet the essential criteria for the role, the applicant will be invited to interview.

In instances where an assessment or test forms part of the selection process and is not a shortlisting tool, then all applicants must meet the minimum standard required including those applying under GIS.

When considering applications made under GIS, the Human Resources Office reserves the right to request medical information from the applicant’s general practitioner (through the applicant and with their consent).

If you are disabled and consider that you require reasonable adjustments to enable you to participate in any part of the selection process, please indicate this on the application or contact us at recruitment@niassembly.gov.uk.

Key Employee Benefits

We offer an annual leave allowance of 25 days, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30 days. In addition, we offer 12 days of public and privilege holidays.

The Assembly Commission will enrol you into the Civil Service Pension Scheme from the first day of employment. Staff contribute between 4 and 9% of salary and the Assembly Commission contributes a further 28 to 35% of salary, depending on your rate of pay.

We also offer a range of non-salary benefits which include hybrid working; supportive family friendly policies; flexi-time; health and wellbeing initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme; supported learning and development; Cycle to Work Scheme; Payroll Giving; and volunteering opportunities.

The successful applicant will be given suitable training, including formal specialised courses as necessary.

View further details of our employee benefits.

Terms and Conditions of Appointment

This is a permanent appointment. The successful candidate will be an employee of the Assembly Commission. All appointments are subject to the satisfactory completion of a six-month probationary period.

The standard working week is 37 hours, excluding meal breaks (42 hours gross). Working hours will be dictated by the mode of operation of the Assembly and may involve work into late evenings and on occasions, at weekends and on public holidays.

Equality Monitoring

Under Fair Employment legislation, we are required to monitor the community background and gender of those applying for jobs. You must therefore complete the equal opportunities monitoring section of the application form when applying for the post.

Merit List

The merit list of applicants deemed to be appointable will remain “live” for 18 months from the date it is signed and may be used to fill any further permanent or fixed term opportunities for the same post.

Communication during the recruitment process

The Assembly Recruitment Team will issue most communication electronically. You should therefore regularly check your email account to make sure you do not miss any important communication. Please note, sometimes the Recruitment Team emails are automatically filtered as spam by email providers.

Further Information

If you require more information on the recruitment process, please contact the Assembly Recruitment Team on 02890 521741.

Further information about the Assembly can be obtained on the Northern Ireland Assembly website.

The Candidate Information Booklet does not constitute any term or condition of employment.