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Transform Education as Teach First's Head of Contracts and Procurement and Shape the Future for Countless Children
Overview
Salary £53354.7
Location East Midlands (Nottingham); East of England (Norwich); London; North East (Newcastle Upon Tyne); North West (Manchester); South Coast (Bournemouth); South East (Kent); South West (Bristol); West Midlands (Birmingham); Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds
Expires Expires at anytime
Join Teach First, a dedicated charity striving to establish a fair education system for all children. As a leader in the fight for equality in education, Teach First is on a mission to create impactful change and is seeking a dynamic Head of Contracts and Procurement to champion this cause.
Role Summary:
- Leverage your relationship-building skills to manage significant commercial contracts, including those with the Department for Education.
- Use your deep understanding of contract law and strong commercial acumen to negotiate and interpret contractual terms effectively.
- Apply your financial literacy to control costs and add value to the charity's initiatives.
- Navigate and manage risks to make transparent and proportionate decisions.
- Bring your experience in project management to design and oversee contracted projects and tender processes.
- Provide senior counsel and collaborate with a network of peers to achieve organizational goals.
- Direct procurement exercises and apply your knowledge of public sector procurement regulations.
Role Requirements:
- Proven experience in managing key commercial contracts and procurement.
- Strong negotiation skills and commercial awareness.
- Excellent financial management and cost-control capabilities.
- Competency in understanding and managing risks.
- Background in project management, particularly in tendering and program design.
- Experience in leading and influencing senior stakeholders.
- Familiarity with public sector procurement rules.
Teach First offers a competitive benefits package that includes 27 days of annual leave, pension contributions, life assurance, income protection, private healthcare, and a host of flexible benefits.
Applicants will be promptly updated within 10 working days post-application deadline. Please note that all successful candidates will undergo DBS checks appropriate to the role. Teach First considers all applicants fairly and does not automatically exclude those with a criminal conviction.
Teach First is a charity organization committed to building a fair education for all children. We are making progress every day towards a better future, but we need more help to take on this big challenge. We are looking for a Head of Contracts and Procurement to lead our Contracts and Procurement team, managing key commercial contracts on behalf of the charity, including those with the Department for Education (DfE).
The role entails building excellent relationships and influencing capabilities, with a track record of working effectively with senior internal and external stakeholders, including civil servants. The successful candidate will have a sound understanding of contract law and the ability to interpret contractual terms and conditions. Strong commercial acumen, with the ability to negotiate favourable outcomes and support others in doing so. High levels of financial literacy, with the ability to control costs and drive value for the charity. Understanding of risk to drive effective decision-making transparently and proportionately. Experience in the design, completion, and participation of contracted projects, programs, and tender exercises. Significant expertise in providing senior counsel and securing support from a network of senior colleagues to achieve business goals. The ability to embrace unpredictability and can steer the organisation toward its goals through change. Experience in budget setting and resource allocation, including a project management approach to tender exercises and program design challenges. Experience running effective procurement exercises along with knowledge of public sector procurement rules.
Teach First’s core benefits include 27 days holiday per annum (3 of which must be taken during the holiday shutdown period between Christmas Day and New Year's Day), participation in the pension scheme via Salary Exchange (with an employer contribution of up to 6%), life assurance, income protection and private healthcare. Through our flexible benefits platform access to subsidised dental membership, health screening, discounted gym membership, travel insurance, Give As You Earn and the option to buy annual leave.
We aim to update candidates if we’ll take their application forward within 10 working days of the closing date. We will not review any applications received after the closing date. All roles require that the successful applicant and Teach First make a joint application to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for a background check. Whilst the majority of roles require a Basic DBS check, we conduct a greater level of checks on employees who work directly with schools and young people. Candidates will be able to see the level of check required for each role on the job advert. Having a criminal conviction will not necessarily exclude you from appointment. There are many offences which may not disqualify an applicant, for example, those which are less serious, were committed some time ago, were committed as a juvenile under extenuating circumstances and where there have been no further offences.
