Admin Support Officer (Procurement) (on behalf of Crawley Borough Council)

This is an exciting opportunity to join a high performing team which provides specialist procurement advice and support to Crawley Borough Council, Horsham District Council, Mid Sussex District Council and Mole Valley District Council, as a shared service. Our team has a significant track record of implementing successful contracts offering value for money outcomes and transforming the way services are delivered. We are looking for an exceptional individual to join the team in the role of Admin Support Officer, with the opportunity to progress into the role of a Procurement Officer.

This is a fascinating time to be in procurement with the new Procurement Act coming into force next year and there will be opportunities to assist with developing our councils’ approach to social value, sustainability and modern slavery.

This is an interesting and varied role with scope to take on a variety of different tasks and projects across four local authorities along with an opportunity to further your career through training and development. We are looking for an enthusiastic, flexible individual who thrives on challenge, has excellent administrative skills, attention to detail and who can deliver an excellent, efficient customer focused service.

Your primary role will be to provide comprehensive administrative and project support to the team, so you’ll need exceptional organisation and IT skills. You will help the team in the successful delivery of a comprehensive work programme which will include assisting with the effective management of projects, implementing best practice procurement systems and procedures, responsibility for the collation and publication of contract information, and playing a key role in managing the council’s e-procurement system.

You will help the team to build its communication methods through the upkeep of the intranet and internet pages, monitoring of emails and organising training events.

You will undertake a range of research projects such as analysing financial and statistical data to help identify saving opportunities, assisting with gathering market knowledge and intelligence and reporting findings to a variety of audiences. Therefore, you will need to have proven analytical, research and presentation skills.

In order to be successful, it is vital that you are a team player and happy to help and support others. This is a very busy service with often changing priorities, so you will need to be well organised, resilient and adaptable. Working with, and advising, officers will be a key part of the role so you’ll need excellent interpersonal and influencing skills. You will need to build strong and positive relationships and champion a best practice culture with stakeholders.

We recommend that you submit your application as soon as possible, as we may close this advert before the stated closing date if enough applications are received.

You will be employed by Crawley Borough Council; however, Horsham generally acts as the main office base. You may also be required to travel between the shared service locations (which includes Horsham, Crawley, Haywards Heath and Dorking) depending on the projects that you are assigned to, and team needs. We work on a hybrid basis, which means a minimum of two days in one or more of the offices per week.

We will be looking to appoint individuals starting at Crawley Borough Council salary band E which is £29,186 - £30,934 per annum, with the potential to move up to a maximum current salary of £36,968 as you progress through the salary scales.

We offer a generous employee benefits package, with a range of discounts, benefits and wellbeing incentives to suit everyone.

Our shared values and behaviours reflect the special nature of our council. We encourage all colleagues to put them into practice, whatever job they do. Take a look to see if we are the perfect match.

Crawley Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer of first choice reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all under represented groups.

Click the Apply button to complete your application online. Please ensure that the reference details you supply are for your current or most recent employer and that any gaps in employment are covered on your application form. Please note that CVs will not be accepted without a fully completed application form.

For an informal conversation or further information regarding the role, email becca.williams@horsham.gov.uk , Procurement Manager or call on 01403 215299.