Head of Corporate Contracts

The role

Are you an exceptional senior contracts and procurement leader looking for your next challenge? Do you have the vision, energy, and expertise to drive transformative change in a fast-paced Corporate Facilities Management (CFM) department? If so, we want you to join us as Head of Contracts at Southwark Council.

Southwark is a borough that thrives on diversity, confidence, and ambition. With over 120 languages spoken and a young, multi-cultural population, we are committed to delivering a fairer future for all. This is a unique opportunity to be a key player in delivering Southwark’s 2030 vision of a fair, green, and safe borough where everyone thrives!

The Role:

• Lead the strategic direction of procurement and contract management across Southwark Council’s facilities management services.
• Develop and implement innovative contract and procurement strategies to drive efficiency, cost savings, and service excellence.
• Oversee major contract lifecycles, from tendering through to supplier management, ensuring optimal performance and compliance.
• Build strong partnerships with stakeholders, suppliers, and contractors to enhance service delivery and drive continuous improvement.
• Mentor and develop a team of contract managers and officers, fostering a high-performing and collaborative working culture.

How will you make an impact:

We’re looking for someone with a passionate leader to spearhead our contracts team, ensuring that procurement, governance, and contract management across corporate facilities management are best in class.

• Proven experience in senior procurement and contract management, ideally within facilities management.
• A deep understanding of public sector procurement frameworks, including NEC3 or other Government Procurement Solution contracts.
• Strong experience in strategy development, change management, and service redesign.
• Excellent governance knowledge and the ability to navigate complex regulatory environments.
• The ability to manage large-scale, cross-functional work programmes with a focus on value for money and sustainability.
• You have a background in local government or the public sector, with a track record of delivering innovative procurement programmes.
• This role offers flexible home working blended with travel into our London Bridge office 3 days a week.

Additional salary details

About Southwark

There’s much to be proud of at Southwark, and every reason to be ambitious about the future. Our recently agreed 2030 Strategy unites partners around a vision that together, we will build a fair, green, and safe Southwark, where everyone can live a good life as part of a strong community. We believe the key to a good life starts with strong foundations: quality homes, excellent education, safety, rewarding jobs, good health, and a thriving environment.

To achieve this, we focus on six core goals: providing decent homes for all, giving every child a good start in life, creating a safer Southwark, building a strong a fair economy, supporting residents to stay well, and ensuring a healthy environment. These goals are driven by three guiding principles: empowering people, investing in prevention, and tackling inequality at every level.

To deliver our shared vision, we will need to unleash the collective talents of residents, communities, organisations, and businesses for the good of everyone who calls Southwark home. We’re committed to long-term partnerships and innovation, ensuring that the voice of our resident’s shapes everything we do.

Benefits and more information

Working for Southwark Council – Southwark

Salary Range: £57,678 - £71,742

This post attracts an additional JNC benefit to the value of £2724 PA for staff which can be used for benefits or taken as cash.

 

Recruitment timetable

Application Closing Date: 11.59pm on 4th of March 2025

Stakeholder Panel & Interview Date: 17th of March 2025

Application Process

If you are interested in applying for this role, please submit a CV and complete the application forms detailing your suitability for the role. The Job Description and Person Specification can also be found at the bottom of this page under attachments.

We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together initiative.

We particularly welcome applications from members of the black, Asian, and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care.
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role, in which case we will move the key dates for the process. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

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Attachments

• Job Description & Person Specification