Assistant Director of Procurement

Job overview

NHS Greater Manchester is looking for an Assistant Director of Finance – Procurement to join our Strategic Finance Portfolio. This is a senior, Band 8C leadership role at the heart of how we secure high-quality, value-for-money services for the people of Greater Manchester.

Reporting to the Associate Director of Contract Management & Procurement and accountable to the Deputy Chief Finance Officer, you will lead our procurement and market management function — shaping strategy, embedding strong governance, and making sure every pound we spend delivers the best possible outcome for patients and communities. It's a role for someone who can think strategically, act commercially, and bring people with them.

If you're a CIPS-qualified procurement professional with senior-level experience in a complex organisation, and you want your work to have a direct and visible impact on population health, we'd love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

You'll take the lead on developing and delivering a rigorous procurement and market management strategy for NHS GM, covering both healthcare and non-healthcare services. Day to day, that means advising colleagues on the best route to market, balancing risk against efficiency, and making sure savings targets and quality improvements are met.

You'll oversee the work of the Head of Procurement and Market Management, manage our service-level agreement with NHS SBS, and run the waivers process in a way that is both robust and pragmatic. You'll be our procurement subject-matter expert on pan-North West ICB procurements, and the lead officer responding to representations from unsuccessful bidders — including at the external independent panel.

Strong communication runs through everything: you'll translate complex procurement and legislative information for finance and non-finance audiences alike, negotiate and influence at a senior level, and sometimes deliver contentious messages, such as challenging a proposed procurement route or a direct award. You'll also lead, develop and support the procurement team, acting as a visible role model for our values.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Procurement and market management Lead the development of a rigorous procurement and market management strategy, working with senior managers and the Head of Procurement to establish long-term sourcing strategies that deliver recurrent savings, advantageous contract terms and quality improvements based on the needs of the ICB. Embed commercial, business-like principles across the organisation, review all procurement requests and advise on the optimum route to market, and lead a programme of post-procurement reviews that capture lessons learned for current and future work.

Governance and assurance Keep good governance central to everything we do, ensuring compliant structures, systems and processes are in place to minimise risk and uphold the highest standards of probity and public accountability. Proactively identify gaps in ICB governance, work with colleagues to surface risks and propose solutions, and oversee the waivers process so it remains robust but pragmatic. Act as lead officer for responding to unsuccessful bidders, including referrals to the external independent panel, and be the lead procurement expert on pan-North West ICB procurements.

Communication and relationships Assimilate, interpret and communicate highly complex procurement and legislative information to a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including the Audit Committee and Procurement Independent Panel. Build strong relationships across place and system to support integrated working and delivery of the NHS GM financial plan, and use persuasive negotiating skills to influence senior managers and partners — including when messages are emotive or contentious.

Information, analysis and decision-making Oversee the Head of Procurement and Market Management to ensure an effective service for both healthcare and non-healthcare procurement. Exercise a high level of autonomy and freedom to act, interpreting national, regional and local policy to determine both day-to-day actions and longer-term strategic priorities, and taking accountability for your own decisions. Produce robust project plans and liaise with those needed to deliver them. Manage numerous concurrent issues, analyse the potential impact of each, identify risk factors and mitigations, and escalate appropriately, ensuring procurement plans reflect the consequences of commissioning decisions.

Policy and service development Develop procurement and market management policies and procedures that impact across the whole system, ensuring all relevant regulations and controls are complied with, and maintaining up-to-date knowledge of developments in procurement and wider NHS policy.

Financial and physical resources Ensure the team complies with financial governance arrangements, including Standing Orders and Standing Financial Instructions, and provide advice to senior officers so procurement implications are accurately reflected in the strategic plan.

People management and leadership Provide overall leadership and strategic and operational management of the procurement team, including recruitment, development, performance and attendance management. Offer visible leadership as a role model for GM's values, support staff to reach their potential, and play your part in advancing equality and inclusion across your area of influence.

Research, development and audit Undertake customer surveys to assess the team's effectiveness and act on the findings, keep abreast of best practice in procurement and general management, and advise colleagues across and beyond the ICB as the recognised expert in your field.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.