Project Support Officer (Contracts, Procurement)

Positive Employment is currently recruiting for a Project Support Officer for our client a local government organisation based in Southampton.

The successful candidate will support the organisation in reducing third party spend and where possible seek to realise cost reductions within 2024/25 and 2025/26.

Cost reduction opportunities have been identified and further work is required to:

• Review previously identified cost reduction opportunities to establish the value of cost reduction opportunities that could be achieved.
• Determine the activity and resources required to deliver/implement cost reduction opportunities.
• Determine the timescale in which the cost reduction opportunities could be realised.
• Identify potential challenges that may prevent cost reduction opportunities being partly or fully realised.

This is a 2 month starting contract with the possibility to extend. Work from home, but need to have the ability to attend the office on occasion.

Duties and Responsibilities but not limited to:

• Identify and propose cost reduction opportunities.
• Review and ‘group’ cost reduction opportunities that have previously been identified.
• Propose the structure and approach to the implementation cost reduction activity.
• Categorise expenditure into proposals to: Stop, consolidate expenditure by utilising existing contracts and undertake new procurement projects to consolidate expenditure, improve commercial terms and ensure that appropriate contracts are in place for expenditure.
• Estimate the amounts of savings that could be achieved.
• Prioritise savings based on maximising savings and achieving cashable savings as quickly as possible.
• Estimate the capacity and resource required to support the implementation phase.
• Propose the level of resource required based on the scale of the savings and opportunities to accelerate the work in order to achieve early savings.

Personal Requirements:

• Diploma level or equivalent experience of working at a similar level in relevant setting.
• Experience in contract management, procurement, finance or a commercial service delivery role.
• Project Management Qualification (desirable).
• Experience of implementing change and delivering projects.
• Experience of working in a constantly changing or politically sensitive environment.
• Experience in partnership working.
• Understanding of decision-making and financial processes in different public bodies (desirable).

Working Hours: 09:00am – 17:00pm, Monday – Friday

Pay: £25.67 p/h

Please note this role is within the scope of IR35.