- Job Title: Operational Controls Contracts Manager
- Location: London, Sheffield, Bristol, or from home, with occasional travel to offices
- Reporting To: Head of Operational Controls
- Salary: £50,309 - £53,809 per annum
- Contract: Permanent
- Date Closes: Fri 10 Mar 2023
Role Purpose
Power to Change is the independent trust that strengthens communities through community business. We use our experience to bring partners together to fund, grow and back community business to make places thrive. We are curious and rigorous; we do, test and learn. And we are here to support community business, whatever the challenge.
We know community business works to create thriving places when local people take ownership of spaces that matter and deliver services that communities need. Our 2021-26 strategy sets out how, using strategic funding, trusted partnerships, rigorous research, policy insight, and a strong network of remarkable community businesses we will back the sector, creating the ideas, evidence, and exemplars that make the case for others to back them too. Ultimately, we will amplify the efforts of community businesses and put them at the heart of a fairer economy.
The Operational Controls Contracts Manager is part of the Operational Controls Team within the Finance & Operations Directorate and supports the Head of Operational Controls in developing adequate procurement practices, maintaining related controls and providing support across the organisation to contract best value services and solutions, in line with our regulatory and legal constraints.
Our vision and mission
Our overall vision is ‘powerful communities, better places’ which we will deliver by pursuing our mission to ‘strengthen the community business sector’.
Our strategic priorities
Community business at the heart of a fairer economy Community businesses are well placed to help tackle inequalities exacerbated by the pandemic, and create a more inclusive economy in which more people can participate and money is reinvested locally.
More resilient community businesses Like all businesses, community businesses have felt the financial impacts of Covid-19. But unlike many businesses, they’ve also been working with some of the most vulnerable in their communities throughout the crisis and the need for their services has increased. Encouragingly, very few expect to close their doors but many will need to continue to adapt to the emerging new normal. We will work with them so they can continue to play a crucial role in their neighbourhoods.
A more diverse and equitable sector By their nature, community businesses have broad community impact and lots of ways for local people to get involved. As customers, volunteers, shareholders, staff or trustees, they can have a say in how the business is run to address local needs. Our ambition is that all communities see the community business model as a tool that they can use to improve their neighbourhoods and the lives of local people. To do that, we will work to dismantle the barriers that minoritised communities of all kinds face in creating local social change and find ways to inspire new people to join the sector.
Our Values
Bold: We experiment, take risks and test new ideas. We move quickly to take advantage of opportunities.
Informed: We learn from research and from our delivery. We are responsive and adapt to what we have learned.
Open: We are transparent about our decision-making. We share knowledge and learning including what has not worked.
Collaborative: We work across sectors and respect others’ knowledge and experience. We encourage others who share our vision to bring about change.
Authentic: We integrate the priorities that we have for the community business sector into our own practice. We embody our values in all facets of our work
Key Responsibilities
Contracting
- Support the Head of Operational Controls in developing procurement practices that adhere to the regulatory environment in which the Trust operates (e.g. English law, charity law, public procurement regulations), and to the Trust’s Deed and Procurement Policy.
- Management of the Procurement Policy and Procurement Manual, suite of template documentation and PTC’s procurement processes for procuring goods and services.
- Lead and/or support the delivery of procurement and contracting award activity (including frameworks).
- Lead on the provision of ad-hoc procurement and contracting advice, support and guidance to colleagues on all matters relating to the full end-to-end procurement and contracting life cycle.
- Ensuring the IT systems and processes used to manage and deliver our procurement practices are in accordance with our Procurement Policy and Procurement Manual, including:
- Analyse and present regular (monthly/quarterly) contracting management information and reports to the Head of Operational Controls, Finance & Operations colleagues, workstreams and project team leads so as to facilitate the accurate tracking of ongoing commitments.
Grants
- Support colleagues on the Operational Controls Team with due diligence checks on applications for grant funding and issuing of grant award letters, ensuring these are in accordance with the Grants Policy Framework.
Compliance
- Ensure accurate recording of contracts data on Salesforce.
- Liaise with lawyers, procurement professionals and other professional bodies to obtain advice where appropriate on procurement related issues.
- Management of the internal audit budget and oversight of the annual internal audit plan and activity, liaising with the Head of Operational Controls and Operational Controls Grants Manager, external stakeholders and colleagues across the organisation, tracking report findings and ensuring recommendations are actioned by appropriate Teams.
Organisation responsibilities
- Continuously review how to embed diversity, equity, and inclusion into our work.
- Support and provide high quality reporting and effective communications on your responsibilities across Power to Change.
- Be an active and engaged colleague, taking part in support and learning activities.
- Manage the budget for internal audit services including planning, monitoring and reporting, and authorising spend within agreed parameters.
Skills and Experience
- Experience and proven track record in procurement and contracting in a third sector or public sector environment.
- CIPS Level 4 – Diploma (or committed to studying to achieve).
- Excellent organisational and project management skills.
- Working knowledge of data ethics and policies (such as GDPR).
- Experience and ability to negotiate and influence and proficient at building and maintaining good working relationships internally and externally.
- Ability to communicate effectively with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders.
- Excellent time management and ability to work on own initiative and on multiple projects effectively.
- Excellent levels of accuracy and high attention to detail.
- Analytical in approach, able to quickly gain an understanding of complex work with confidence to ask for help.
- Budget management experience.
- Confident and competent in using IT systems, particularly CRM (Salesforce), and MS 365
Application Process
Closes to applicants: Fri 10 Mar 2023
Long List to be sent to client: TBC
Short List selected: TBC
Interviews begin: TBC
