Senior Contract Manager (Language Services) Commercial Wales, England

JOB TITLE: Senior Contract Manager (Language Services)

REPORTING TO: Commercial Director

HOURS: 37 (flexible)

SALARY: From £66,229 dependent on experience

VETTING: NPVV3 & SC

Overview of my Role

An integral role within the BlueLight Commercial team, developing strategic supplier relationships and leading contract management activities within the Language Services Category. Working closely with the NPCC Language Services and Criminal Justice Portfolio Leads to manage the National Police Language Services Framework and the Police Approved Interpreting and Translation (PAIT) scheme and support policing and other BlueLight Services with Language Services. An agile role where technical expertise and experience will be essential and commercial skills will be developed from leading on a specific category with specialist contract management skills and competence. Leading and supporting cross-functional teams to achieve desired outputs.

Being responsive to stakeholder needs is key, offering pragmatic solutions, whilst developing and nurturing effective networks to exert a positive influence on behalf of BlueLight Commercial. Working closely with the Commercial Director and Head of Category to manage and embed effective Strategic Supplier Relationship Management across a national category portfolio, developing sustainable strategies that deliver value for money and meet the demands of modern 'BlueLight' customers, such as policing. The role will also support national project work, working with key internal and external stakeholders across the portfolio, to support commercial decision making.

This role is as much about personal qualities as it is about technical knowledge. Calling on influencing and collaboration skills to encourage and effect cultural change. A trusted and dedicated 'technical advisor/expert' who can establish positive working relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders; This will include Police Chiefs, Police and Crime Commissioners, Heads of Service, Custody Leads and Commercial Leads.

My Responsibilities and Accountabilities

Delivery of Commercial Work - including commercial vision, commissioning strategies, sourcing, strategic supplier relationship management and contract management

• Working with the Head of Category to develop and set the strategy for commissioning and contract management for a specific portfolio of spend which will deliver the best commercial outcomes for policing and partners, requiring a high level of commercial acumen.
• Responsible for managing supplier interest in the National Framework, working with the Head of Category to manage the process for new applicants to join the National Language Services Framework.
• Working collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to develop and implement contract management and commissioning strategies that include commercial and demand profiles and embrace market trends and innovations.
• Developing strategic relationships with suppliers to ensure effective delivery of goods and services and to support continuous improvement and innovative contract solutions.
• Leading and supporting all commissioning and contract management activity, across complex national contracts and commercial arrangements, ensuring that savings opportunities are identified, tracked and delivered.
• Contributing to the preparation of strategic plans, making recommendations for action to stakeholders, to ensure adherence to procurement legislative and regulatory requirements.
• Working with financial processes and tools to evaluate options and ensure financial information and data are accurately reflected in commercial plans, including the management of the levy income with the Head of Category and Finance.
• Working effectively with suppliers and stakeholders to develop positive contract performance measures to drive value and maintain effective service delivery, ensuring that strategic aims are met.
• Leading supplier audits and management of action plans resulting from the audits of processes, policies and records to ensure compliance with key responsibilities such as vetting, training, recruitment and professional development of linguistics.
• Providing expert advice on contract risk management and deliver plans/strategies to manage identified risks.
• Promoting and implementing common standards and processes. Proactively driving a consistent approach, enabling process standardisation across police forces, promoting a radical cost-effective commercial offering.
• Ensuring adherence to legal, regulatory and security requirements in service delivery and building diversity, equality and social value considerations into plans.
• Management of the largest register of approved interpreters in the UK, acting as the registrar of those interpreters, maintaining the list, working with vetting agencies to remove corrupt or inappropriate interpreters, sharing intel with police and vetting agencies.

Stakeholders & Relationships

• Creating effective relationships with key stakeholders and partners (internally and externally) to ensure that the activities and initiatives of BlueLight Commercial are valued, understood, and embraced.
• Supporting team members and stakeholders to develop capability and capacity across the contract management and commissioning activity, including where necessary developing and delivering training packages.
• Managing relationships with professionalism to influence and facilitate commercial cultural change across a diverse landscape of stakeholders, to deliver value for money and sustainable outcomes.
• Responsible for ensuring regular contract management meetings are held with contractors and Forces to discuss performance, complaints and operational issues. Drive forward recommendations and deliver service improvement.
• Attend National meetings and direct the agenda with regulatory bodies within the Language Services Community, Unions and other academic professionals, being instrumental in delivering coherent and national strategies.
• Mentoring and coaching teams and colleagues, contributing to a high performing culture and an environment of continuous improvement.

Undertaking any other work as directed by your line manager in connection with your job as may be requested.

You are someone who has attained:

• CIPS Level 6 qualified, or working towards it, or an equivalent commercial/technical qualifications or 5 years' experience in a relevant operational/technical setting.
• Successful completion of a recognised leadership programme (e.g. ILM 5, CMI 5-7).

You are someone who has:

• Substantial experience in a senior commercial or relevant technical role in either the public or private sector.
• Experience of successfully managing strategic commercial relationships with key suppliers and major contractors.
• Excellent knowledge of strategic procurement processes and contract management.
• Demonstrable experience of budget and resource management and contributing to financially related decisions on high level spending with excellent end-to-end project management skills.
• Demonstrable commercial awareness and acumen, including an understanding of supply market dynamics and the influence of procurement and service delivery models on those markets relating to their portfolio of spend categories.
• Experience in sourcing, implementing and managing new contracts and ways of working, including change management models.
• Proven success in leading effective contract management processes in an operational setting.
• Successful leadership and team management experience.

You are someone who has:

• Able to identify risks and understand risk management, anticipate issues and create innovative, commercially astute solutions and to resolve problems in relation to project or service delivery.
• Excellent interpersonal & communication skills (including building and managing credible and positive working relationships with colleagues, stakeholders and partners).
• Negotiating and influencing in a positive manner to achieve positive outcomes.
• Leading and promoting innovation, new ways of working and collaboration across a wide range of stakeholders and teams.
• Numerate and analytical, able to assimilate and apply new techniques and knowledge quickly to deliver insights and solve problems.

You are/have:

• Agile and flexible.
• Resilience, viewing challenges as opportunities to learn and being aware of self and others.
• 'Natural' leader - innate capacity to lead and manage people to achieve collective goals.
• Role models a positive, can-do attitude with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Performance orientated.
• Commercially and financially astute in business.
• Committed to professional development and willing to complete supported training.

Our Values

• Be the best.
• Be responsible.
• Be a team.
• Be open.
• Be the difference.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We foster a work environment that is inclusive as well as diverse, where our people can be themselves. We value every idea and perspective towards helping us to evolve and innovate.

What We Offer - Total Rewards Package

• Starting salary £66,229 p.a. (DOE)
• Quality equipment for successful remote working, laptop, mobile phone, monitor, chair & desk and a Welcome 'kit box'.
• 12% employer pension contribution.
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