Education Authority Northern Ireland
Senior Category Manager - Construction Procurement
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Job Description
Strategic Unit
Operations and Estates Directorate
Responsible To
Head of Supplies and Services Procurement
Background and Context
The Education Authority (‘EA’) was established under the Education Act (Northern Ireland) 2014 and became operational on 1 April 2015. It is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department of Education and the Department for the Economy.
EA is responsible for ensuring that high quality nursery, primary and secondary education services are available to meet the needs of children and young people as well as the provision of efficient and effective youth services. These services were previously delivered by five Education and Library Boards (ELBs). The organisation employs over 39,000 people across Northern Ireland in a wide variety of roles including teachers in controlled schools, school-based support staff and staff in administrative headquarters. The organisation is responsible for a budget of approximately £1.5 billion recurrent, £300 million capital, £100 million annually managed expenditure and for services to over 1000 schools.
EA also has responsibility for the funding of the Voluntary Grammar School / Grant- Maintained Integrated sector.
The work we do impacts the lives of tens of thousands of children, young people and their families every day. The services we provide are essential in supporting, encouraging and facilitating learning within our communities to develop generations of young people who are equipped to succeed in life and work in the modern world. As a public sector organisation, we must continue to deliver these vital services in a challenging environment of increasing financial pressure and under intense public scrutiny.
Education Authority Commercial Procurement Services
EA Commercial Procurement Service (EA Procurement) as a recognised as a Centre of Procurement Expertise (CoPE) provides a procurement service to not only the Education Authority (EA) but a number of other public bodies in Northern Ireland (e.g. CCEA, NILGOSC, Armagh Planetarium, Libraries NI and Southern Regional College).
The EA’s Commercial Procurement Services is an industry award winning procurement service, they are GO awards Team of the Year and in the National Go awards, highly commended for both Service Delivery and Social Value delivery.
Commercial Procurement Services provides high quality and efficient procurement services to enable the Education Authority and other clients to; operate effectively, contributing to the NI Programme for Government, delivery of NI Public Procurement Policy, delivering value for money and quality for the benefit of our children and young people.
EA like other Public Authorities is subject to the requirements of the Public Contract Regulations in 2015 (as amended) by the Public Procurement (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020. The procurement arrangements for all contracts regardless of size are governed not only by legislation but also by Northern Ireland Public Procurement policy and Public procurement policy notes that are endorsed by the Northern Ireland Executive. In addition, the EA’s own governance arrangements apply with particular regard to Standing Orders.
The Service is located within the Operations and Estates Directorate and in the Pupil Services and Procurement Division.
The unit was established in 2019, it currently has a complement of 9 Senior Category Managers, 18 Category Managers, 18 Category Officers, Category Assistants, an Operations Team that manage the requisition process and a Procurement Compliance Team.
Annually, EA Procurement supports and facilitates a large number of procurement exercises for supplies, service, minor and major building works (731 in 20/21 and 1145 home to schools transport contracts) (many of high value and significance) covering a range of goods, services and works. The EA has an annual procurement spend of more than £600m. In addition, the EA has a significant contract portfolio, currently the live portfolio value is circa £2.5bn and is an important customer for many NI suppliers.
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An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Category Manager post within the EA’s Strategic Commercial Procurement Services. This role is a member of the Procurement Leadership Team and contributes to driving strategic Commercial Procurement throughout EA and ensuring it delivers benefits for our children and young people.
Job Purpose
The Senior Category Manager will assist the Head of Construction Procurement to ensure the successful implementation of a compliant, consistent and professional Procurement Service within EA. The Senior Category Manager will be responsible for providing specialist informed, professional, expert procurement advice and guidance; developing and leading a procurement category to ensure VFM and best practice procurement and contribute to the enhancement of procurement standards across the Category Management structure to ensure continuing CoPE accreditation and maintain full compliance with Northern Ireland Public Procurement Policy (NIPPP) and Procurement Guidance Notes (PGNs). They will be responsible for managing and leading staff.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Setting Vision and Strategy
- Working with the Head of Construction Procurement to establish, maintain and communicate a clear and compelling strategic direction for the service and category responsibility.
- Contribute to the development of a strategic plan for the Service and the development of the service-specific business plan.
- Translate the Corporate vision into service-specific direction and category strategy.
- Contribute to the development and implementation of new policies in line with strategic direction.
- Challenge conventional approaches, harness new approaches and technology and maximise efficiencies.
Managing the Organisation to Deliver
- Manage specialist areas delivery effectively to ensure that the service achieves the highest possible standards of performance and focuses on the needs of internal and external customers.
- Agree service performance targets with the Head of Construction Procurement and provide regular progress reports.
- Assist in the development, agree and implement a robust annual operational plan for the service.
- Delegate responsibilities and deploy staff according to their skills and abilities to meet the needs of the service.
- Regularly monitor and review plans and make adjustments as required.
- Manage and continuously improve the service and specialist category to ensure delivery against performance targets, and to ensure that best value for money is achieved.
- Ensure that the service and specialist category contributes to overall Service, Directorate and Corporate performance as appropriate, and provide update reports as required.
- Ensure that the Head of Construction Procurement and customers receives high quality service-specific advice.
- Apply resources effectively across specialist categories to maximise the delivery of front-line services.
- Consider the financial implications relating to effective models of service delivery, and contribute to the successful achievement of the Savings Delivery Plan.
- Ensure compliance with relevant legal, regulatory and statutory performance requirements.
- Manage the service and category procurement expenditure budget in accordance with all relevant financial policy and procedures.
- Follow agreed measures to deliver the service within budget, and take immediate corrective action as required.
- Contribute effectively to quality and performance management systems and ensure that the service is being managed as per the requirements of these systems.
- Ensure that employees within the service/specialist category team are provided with clear structure, roles and responsibilities and are supported to work in an integrated way.
- Focus on addressing key workforce issues including recruitment, employee engagement, retention and training and development.
- Investigate all complaints and adverse incidents where outcomes are below expected standards.
- Establish effective and rigorous quality assurance systems to maintain high standards.
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Leadership
- Work closely with the Head of Construction Procurement to provide the service with leadership and direction ensuring that corporate, directorate and service performance standards are achieved.
- Promote the ethos and values of the authority and ensure that the service is focused on customer needs.
- Foster a culture that supports achievement of the authority’s Strategic Plan by role modelling core values and leadership behaviours to staff in the service.
- Lead/manage and communicate change and improvement initiatives within the service/specialist area.
- Lead, manage and develop staff within the service/specialist area.
- Encourage staff involvement and engagement in the strategic development and operational delivery of the service/specialist area.
- Actively encourage teamwork and self-development, and create opportunities to maximise individuals’ potential, stimulate innovation and connection at all levels with front line services.
- Promote a positive culture of performance management within the service through individual and team accountability. Foster a culture of constructive feedback and learning, and a genuine commitment to regular and effective appraisals.
- Prepare and deliver reports on behalf of the Authority as required.
Building Relationships and Working with Others
- Build and maintain effective, professional and respectful stakeholder relationships.
- Ensure efficient and effective internal communication with staff in the service/specialist area.
- Work closely with partner organisations, Head of Construction Procurement/Head of Commercial Procurement Services and colleagues to benchmark services and lead/manage and monitor change.
- Build and maintain effective working relationships and clear lines of communication with other Heads of Service/Assistant Directors within the Directorate and in other Directorates.
- Develop and maintain clear lines of communication and effective working partnerships with relevant external stakeholders and service user groups.
- Lead on/manage engagement with staff, schools and the public on major changes in the service/specialist category that may affect them.
- Work with external agencies; for example, education sector partner organisations, to identify opportunities for joint working that might bring greater consistency across the sector, and/or improve efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery.
Job Specific Duties
- Contributing to and supporting the delivery of EA Corporate objectives in relation to procurement; playing a major role in developing and implementing the EA’s Corporate Procurement Strategy, Procedures and Procurement Plan;
- Lead, develop, implement and monitoring category plans and category strategies and associated procedure and documentation in line with best practice and gain stakeholder engagement to plans.
- Developing Procurement Strategies and Policies within an EA Procurement Category and leading in the implementation of same;
- Managing an EA Procurement category function(s); to include planning and allocation of work to staff, providing leadership in the development of policies and plans, in line with the EA’s strategic and corporate planning objectives;
- Managing and supporting the implementation of Procurement Strategies by the production and delivery of comprehensive Action Plans, translating corporate and strategic objectives into realistic, achievable and time-bounded goals;
- Ensuring implementation of
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