The public sector client is looking to recruit a Senior Contracts Manager for a 6 month temporary contract, which is home-based. The successful candidate will have the relevant skills and experience specified below. The successful candidate will have a valid DBS clearance. Please Note: This assignment sits inside of IR35.

• You are a highly organised self-starter, able to motivate yourself with the ability to work independently, taking ownership to achieve specified outcomes.
• You are driven, embrace change and are comfortable working within a fast-paced environment where no day is the same. You are not fazed by uncertainty and continue to deliver core objectives showing resilience and the ability to maintain composure when faced with challenges.
• You can analyse information to inform your decisions to identify and prioritise key tasks.
• You will enjoy working with a range of key stakeholders and build effective working relationships both inside and outside of the organisation. You can influence others and flex your style accordingly whilst maintaining integrity.
• You are confident when delivering difficult messages and able to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
• You have experience and knowledge of contract management requirements, and a highly developed understanding of the challenges involved in managing and assuring delivery of large complicated commercial contracts.
• You have the ability to make decisions about issues of risk arising from audit and assurance activity and managing these effectively and sensitively across organisational boundaries and in line with political and economic considerations.
• You demonstrate sound judgement, and have the ability to build effective working relationships, and to influence and negotiate with internal and external stakeholders in a complex delivery landscape.

• Managing designated contracts with Service Management Providers in line with the terms of their contract to deliver service outcomes and value for money
• Ensuring appropriate levels of assurance in relation to designated contracts, including as required, service provider visits in order to observe and monitor operations, processes and practice.
• Day to day management of the contract from an operational perspective
• Ensuring that contract outputs are delivered to quality, time and budget within agreed tolerances (SLAs), or reported/escalated where this is cannot be achieved
• Ensuring required operational contract documentation is available to stakeholders and up to date
• Regular liaison with Commercial Contract Managers to monitor and manage contract performance
• Ensuring with the commercial lead that risk management is in place, including mechanisms to identify, manage, measure and report risks and mitigation
• Ensuring that operational performance is appropriately reported. Act as a central point of contact and source of information for operational stakeholders
• Liaising with the Commercial Contract Manager to provide co-ordinated reports to the Senior Business Owner
• Identifying opportunities for continuous improvement in terms of the operational aspects of the contract
• Drafting proposals for operational changes for impact assessment and approval to be incorporated into the contract via the change control process, led by the commercial contract manager
• Resolution of service delivery issues with the client, managing expectations and meeting customer demands
• Performance management of the achievement of qualitative and quantitative standards against mutual key performance indicators
• Reviewing delivery of services against contracted processes
• Monitoring contractor compliance with local and national regulatory and legislative requirements e.g. HSE, HR and Security
• Escalate unresolved service issues to the Commercial Contract Manager
• Identifying and resolving service quality, contract compliance and supplier performance issues.
• Drive, monitor, support, train and advise providers on their performance and delivery to ensure the effective delivery of services and to drive efficiency and quality and value for money
• Determine activity based on MI and knowledge and determine the most appropriate intervention according to the needs of the provider and the client programme.
• Maximise or contain media coverage by updating the Communications team and Senior Manager on local issues as they arise and taking appropriate action as directed.
• Ensure that contractors are held to account for the actions of their staff both when on site and in the field.
• Identify risk to the disruption of service delivery by providers considering contingency arrangements and escalating where necessary
• Work within and contribute to development of the national strategy for Contract Management.

• Relevant professional qualification eg IACCM or CIPS
• Experience of managing Gold and/or Silver category service delivery contracts