About the job

Job summary

An excellent opportunity has arisen to join a friendly and dynamic team of experienced procurement professionals responsible for delivering procurement services to Central Government (CG) public sector organisations in Scotland. 

Applications are invited for three Senior Procurement Specialist posts based in the Central Government Procurement Shared Services (CGPSS) Team. The CGPSS Team sits within the Scottish Procurement and Property Directorate which consists of six Divisions whose role is to lead and deliver public procurement in Scotland at national, central government and Scottish Government levels. 

This is an exciting opportunity to work in a collaborative environment, engaging with a wide range of stakeholders and suppliers.

As a Senior Procurement Specialist you will play a crucial role in ensuring compliance with the public procurement regulations, identifying opportunities for savings and benefits and to contribute to the wider government agenda including improving business for SMEs, Equality awareness and delivering the Sustainable agenda.  

You will report to the CGPSS Portfolio Manager.  The post holders may have line management responsibility of a Procurement Specialist or a Procurement Officer.

The posts attract a procurement pay supplement, currently £3,250, subject to minimum eligibility criteria which includes a minimum of 3 years’ experience in a procurement or commercial role, 1 year at this level and a commitment to continual professional development (CPD). Pay supplements are discretionary payments designed to address recruitment and retention issues caused by market pressures and are subject to regular review and affordability.

Job description

• Lead the development, planning and implementation of procurement strategies for high value, high risk procurements optimising value for money for our CG partner organisations.   

• Lead and manage all stages of the end-to-end public sector procurement process.  This includes from initial conception, strategy development, through the full procurement process, to contract award, ensuring compliance with the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, the Procurement Reform Act 2014 and SG procurement policies.

• Ensure that all stages of the procurement process address the Sustainable Procurement Duty.

• Work effectively with a wide range of key stakeholders within our CG partner organisations, Scottish Government, UK other government departments and external markets to deliver credible procurement strategies and contracts. 

• Actively manage suppliers and engage with customers throughout the contract’s lifecycle, review and revise contracts using product and market knowledge.

• You will be required to manage a number of activities and projects concurrently and therefore, need to have effective time and task management skills. 

• You will be required to work flexibly within the CGPSS Team, the Division and across the Directorate.

Person specification

1. Proven track record in the delivery of the full end-to-end public procurement process, including sourcing strategy development, tendering, and supplier and contract management.

2. Established interpersonal, influencing and stakeholder management skills with experience of building and maintaining relationships at all levels and working in collaboration with internal and external colleagues. 

3. Robust analytical skills with the ability to draw out key messages and findings to make recommendations and/or support decisions.

4. Established communications and engagement skills with proven ability to articulate procurement and commercial issues clearly and succinctly to range of internal and external stakeholders.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £44,557, Scottish Government contributes £12,030 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

Sift and Interview dates TBC. Please apply using the link provided

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.