View Vacancy - Head of Procurement, Purchasing, Estates and Contract Management / Abteilungsleiter/-in Einkauf, Immobilienverwaltung und Vertragsmanagement (DEU563)

The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer.  We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Operations and Corporate Services)
Procurement

The British Embassy in Germany is part of a world-wide network, representing British political, economic and consular interests overseas and an exciting opportunity has arisen for Head of Procurement, Estates and Contract Management to work in the Corporate Services Team. The successful candidate will be someone who sees the bigger picture but is also very strong on organisation, delivery and stakeholder management in order to support the overall efficient and effective operation of corporate service work in the Germany network. As well as being a team player, the successful candidate will demonstrate high levels of personal autonomy, liaising closely with the Head of Corporate Services (HCS) and all the teams based at the British Embassy Berlin, Consulate-General Dusseldorf and Munich as well as Corporate Services Hubs in Vilnius/ Lisbon and colleagues in the United Kingdom.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

Providing advice and leading on all aspects of Contracts, Procurement and Estates for Berlin and for the whole of Germany Network by following best practice and maintaining auditable guidelines.

Contract Management

  • Daily management and responsibility for all Embassy Contracts: including Estates, Private Finance Initiative (PFI-like a Public Private Partnership), Telecommunication, Insurance, Security, Residential Property Leases, Office Machinery and Vehicle Leases.
  • Check and initiate tenders where necessary, working closely with the Hub, relevant team members and managing the relationship with the stakeholders.
  • To liaise, manage and control the financial aspects of the PFI contract, attending quarterly liaison meetings and working closely with colleagues in Brussels and the UK.

Housing and Estate Management

  • Setting up and preparing housing committee meetings with Estates Manager.
  • Daily oversight of all aspects of the Estate, including maintenance and health and safety issues
  • Finding new accommodation based on the guidelines set out by London and as per the Housing Committee’s decisions.
  • Manage lease contract of some of the properties with the German authorities.
  • Revision of existing leases, contracts, management of rent payments and termination of contracts.

Procurement

  • Management of Prism procurement system at Post and liaison with the Hub in Vilnius and the Global Transaction Processing Centre (GTPC) in the UK, property lawyers and contractual parties to ensure gaining maximum value for money and that the procedures set by Centre/Hub for consolidated posts for procurement are followed and implemented correctly at Post and Germany wide.
  • Manage and approve Government Procurement Card (GPC) transactions.

Budget management

  • Working closely with Budget and Finance Manager and HCS, accurate management of a budget of approx €2 million, following best practice and adhering to audit requirements.
  • Preparing or feeding into various financial and procurement returns and meeting all necessary deadlines.

Facilities Management

  • Liaise with on-site FM providers to make sure high customer service levels are met and contract terms are filled.
  • Ensure full compliance with corporate procedures, including local and UK health and safety regulations and policies.

Line Management

  • Managing the Estates and Procurement team, directly line manage 2 staff members and leading an overall team of 6.This includes performance management, supporting staff members’ L&D and helping the team delivering their business plans.

Deputising role

  • Deputise for and support HCS in all aspects of CS work, including representing the team in relevant meetings when she is absent and making sure all deadlines are kept. Help to implement any change programmes.

Logistics Manager Crisis Committee

Contributing to the wider objectives of the British Government’s Germany network and supporting its positive working environment.

Ad hoc duties

  • Carry out other duties that may reasonably be required and which are in accordance with the grading and core competencies of the job.
  • Fluent English and German (both written and spoken, minimum of C2 level for CEFR framework*) and excellent communication skills;
  • Budget Management Experience;
  • Line Management Experience;
  • Knowledge of German contracts and procurement processes;
  • Excellent time management and prioritisation skills with the ability to work under pressure;
  • Strong interpersonal skills. Proven ability to form professional relationships and build trust with a wide range of contacts;
  • Strong negotiation skills;
  • Excellent IT skills, including MS Outlook, Word and Excel and a good understanding of telecommunications systems.
  • Degree/Masters or equivalent qualification in business or relevant subject;
  • Knowledge of contract law an advantage;
  • Knowledge of the German housing market;
  • Experience of a PFI contract;
  • Experience of using Oracle based systems including PRISM, Pyramid.
14 December 2017
Higher Executive Officer (HEO)
Full-time, Flexible working, Fixed term, with possibility of renewal
37.5
Europe, Eastern Europe & Central Asia
Germany
Berlin
British Embassy
1
EUR
€75,108 gross per annum rising to approx €84,368 gross per annum after a qualifying period in addition to performance related pay. (Salary is not negotiable)
1 March 2018

This is a full-time position of five working days 37.5 hours net (excluding unpaid breaks) per week, for an initial contract period of two years, which may be extended by mutual agreement.

The jobholder will become part of the British Government’s presence in Germany, which aims to support and foster them and their work.

The British Embassy in Berlin has a strong ethos of Learning and Development, including our Learning and Development Week. In addition, there will be many opportunities to attend external seminars and events on relevant issues. This is in addition to the induction programme offered to all Embassy staff.

The successful applicant will be encouraged to be actively involved in the corporate life of the Embassy, contributing to the wider objectives of the British Government’s Germany network and supporting the Embassy’s positive working environment.

 

The successful candidate will be subject to professional background check and security clearance.

All applicants should have the right to live and work in Germany. The successful candidate must have pre-existing work authorization for Germany in order to apply. The British Embassy does not sponsor for work permits.

Staff recruited locally by the British Embassy in Germany are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local German employment law.

For your information, interviews are likely to be held in the latter half of January 2018.

* Please note Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment  indicates Level C2 as Mastery or proficiency Level which comprehends that a person can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read; can summarize information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation; can express themselves spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations. For more information please click on the following link CEFR. Please bear in mind in case you are invited for an interview your languages skills are going to be assessed.

Please note that the deadline for applications is 23:55 on the day mentioned in the above field “Application deadline”. We advise you to allow enough time to complete and submit your full application, since only applications completed and submitted before the deadline will be considered.

Please be aware that the deadline for submitting applications is considered to be the time zone for the country where the vacancy has arisen.

Please be advised that the British Embassy will not be able to meet the travel costs incurred when travelling to the interview, nor the costs connected with relocation if offered a job.

 

Please be aware that you will only be able to apply to vacancies for Country Based Staff roles with the British Government through this official tal.net site (operated by Oleeo). Jobs may be advertised on third party websites, however our adverts will always link back to the official tal.net site. If you complete and send an application through any other site, we will not receive it.

This opportunity is closed to applications.