About the job

Job summary

Ofgem is a non-ministerial government department and an independent National Regulatory Authority. Our principal objective is to protect the interests of existing and future electricity and gas consumers. We do this by promoting value for money, promoting security of supply and sustainability, for present and future generations of consumers, domestic and industrial users, the supervision and development of markets and competition, regulation and the delivery of government schemes. We work effectively with, but are independent of, government, the energy industry and other stakeholders within a legal framework determined by the UK government and the European Union.

The Procurement Officer will support and deliver robust, efficient procurement across Ofgem. The post holder will ensure the central Ofgem contracts database is accurate, assist with processing purchase orders, support the procurement managers with Directorate responsibilities as well as run lower value / risk procurement projects. The post holder will work with Ofgem to ensure procurement processes are clear and adhered to. 

Job description

Key Responsibilities

• Provide advice and support to Ofgem’s Directorates and staff on procurement regulations, processes and practices.
• Support the planning of procurement activity and development of processes, including compliance to relevant regulations and controls.
• Assist procurement managers and procurement business partners with specific activities to support efficient procurement such as reviewing and drafting of business cases, contract specifications, and other documentation.
• Lead on lower value / risk procurement requests from initial request through to contract award.
• Manage key documentation ensuring contracts are correctly authorised and retained in accordance with organisational requirements.
• Manage the travel management system including adding new users and supporting others in the organisation to navigate the system.
• Undertake analysis and reporting to provide insightful MI to inform decision making.
• Track activities against contracts escalating any anomalies and take corrective action as needed.
• Provide management information on the database status as required.
• Update and maintain procurement pages on the internal website in order to update and provide information to Ofgem users.
• Support the development of training material on procurement and contract management and support the delivery of this across Ofgem.
• Assist with the processing and reviewing of purchase orders across Ofgem.

Key Outputs and Deliverables

• Accurate and compliant documentation.
• Compliant contract execution in line with Public Contracts Regulation 2015 and Cabinet Office best practice.
• Effective advice and guidance.
• Efficient contract and procurement data management.
• Informative and insightful reporting and analysis.

Key Stakeholder Relationships

Internal

• Procurement Managers
• Procurement Business Partners
• Head of Procurement
• Head of Strategic Finance
• Directorate contract owners

External

• Suppliers

Person specification

In the event of receiving a large number of applications an initial sift may take place on just the identified lead criteria indicated below. 

Essential

• Experience of working in a procurement or contract management environment which has encompassed managing a broad range of activities [Lead].
• Knowledge of best practice procurement and contract management requirements.
• Experience of drafting technical/contractual documents.
• Analytical skills and ability to create informative MI and reports.
• Good MS Office ability, especially Excel and Powerpoint.
• Good soft skills – communication and using own initiative.

Desirable

• Experience of running tenders independently or as part of team.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £24,623, OFGEM contributes £6,648 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

When you press the ‘Apply now’ button, you will be asked to complete personal details (not seen by the sift panel), your career history and qualifications.

You will then be asked to provide a 1250 word ‘personal statement’ evidencing how you meet the essential and desirable skills and capabilities listed in the role profile. Please ensure you demonstrate clearly, within your supporting statement, how you meet each of the essential and desirable skills and capabilities.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.