North Northamptonshire Council
Contract Officer - Internal Applicants Only.
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About The Role
We are looking for a motivated and organised Contracts Officer to join our Travel to School (T2S) team.
Working within the Place and Economy Directorate, you will be responsible for awarding, maintaining and managing a large portfolio of travel contracts that provide transport services for children and young people across North Northamptonshire. The Travel to School service supports approximately 1,500 children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and 4,000 mainstream pupils, making this a highly rewarding role with a direct impact on local communities.
As a Contracts Officer, you will work closely with transport operators, colleagues and stakeholders to ensure transport services are delivered safely, effectively and in line with council policies and statutory responsibilities. You will also play a key role in supporting the council's vision of delivering modern public services, connected communities and better futures for local children and families
What will you be doing?
- Reviewing offers received through the ADAM Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) and awarding transport contracts in line with established policies and procedures.
- Managing active transport contracts on a day-to-day basis, ensuring amendments and updates are processed accurately and promptly.
- Building and maintaining positive, professional relationships with transport operators and service providers.
- Working collaboratively with the Compliance Team to address contract performance issues and manage contracts that are in default.
- Analysing data and identifying areas that require further investigation to support informed decision-making.
- Ensuring compliance with GDPR requirements and council policies when handling sensitive information.
- Supporting the delivery of safe, effective and value-for-money transport services for eligible pupils across the area.
- Contributing to service improvements and helping to identify innovative solutions that enhance service delivery.
About You
We are looking for someone who is highly organised, adaptable and committed to delivering excellent services for children and young people.
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You Will Have
- GCSEs in English and Maths or equivalent qualifications.
- Relevant experience gained within a commercial environment, local authority or similar setting.
- Experience of managing relationships with third-party providers within a contract environment.
- Strong IT skills, including experience using Microsoft Office applications such as Excel, Word, Outlook and Teams.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively with service users, transport operators and stakeholders at all levels.
- Strong organisational skills and the ability to prioritise workloads while maintaining high performance under pressure.
- Analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify opportunities for improvement and implement effective solutions.
- An understanding of GDPR principles and experience handling sensitive information appropriately.
- A commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
It would be beneficial if you also have knowledge of Travel to School services, local government processes, transport policies, procurement regulations or experience working within a policy framework.
Join us
Join us and help ensure that children and young people across North Northamptonshire have access to safe, reliable transport that enables them to achieve their full potential.
Our benefits
Here at North Northamptonshire Council, we’re transforming for the better, using all our creativity and imagination to create the best life for our local people.
You’ll find that we have a wide range of careers that may be more surprising than you think!
Why choose us?
We Offer a Vibrant Working Environment With
- a competitive salary
- a pension scheme, where we pay a significant contribution on top of your contribution. It provides life cover and ill-health protection.
- lots of opportunities to develop your skills, knowledge and potential in a large unitary council
- generous leave entitlement (28 days, rising to 33 days) and bank holidays, plus the option to buy up to an extra 10 days
- hybrid and flexible working arrangements, where practicable for service needs to help you with a healthy work-life balance.
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We provide a range of great benefits such as an Employee Assistance Programme, an Employee Benefits Scheme, wellbeing support, travel rates at HMRC rates, as well as supporting a range of active Employee Network Groups.
About Us
Our Values and Behaviours
Our Values Define Who We Are And How We Operate, By Forming The Foundation For How We Interact With Our Customers, Colleagues And Provide Our Services. They Are Also At The Forefront Of Our Decision Making And Delivery And Are
- Customer-focused
- Respectful
- Efficient
- Supportive
- Trustworthy
Our key commitments help ensure that the priorities we make, now and in the future, maintain the necessary breadth of focus in those areas that we believe matter most.
Disability Confident Employer
We are proud to be a recognised Disability Confident Employer and is committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role.
Our Employment and Disability Service provides bespoke support to individuals facing barriers to employment, helping them work towards their goals to start, stay and succeed in employment. For further information please click here The Employment and Disability Service (EADS) | North Northamptonshire Council
Armed Forces Community
The council obtained the Gold status award for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS).
Further information can be found at Jobs and careers | North Northamptonshire Council
Attached documents
Contract Officer JD July 2026.docx
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