NEPO is seeking an experienced procurement leader to join its Leadership Team as Procurement & Contracting Manager.

This senior role is pivotal to the strategic delivery of collaborative procurement across the North East and Tees Valley. You will combine strong leadership with exceptional people skills, because procurement is about more than compliance and cost savings - it's about collaboration, influence, and building relationships that deliver real impact.

We need someone who can drive innovation and best practice, represent NEPO and the region on the national stage, and shape policy through insight and expertise. With you in post, we will strengthen our offer to the UK public sector, delivering solutions that meet complex requirements and create lasting value.

What you will be doing

Working on a hybrid basis from NEPO's HQ at the Northern Design Centre in Gateshead, you will undertake the following:

• Provide senior leadership in the development and delivery of collaborative procurement for NEPO Member Authorities and Associate Members.
• Lead the delivery of the Collaborative Procurement Work Programme, ensuring activity is innovative, compliant, and delivers value for money, improved service outcomes, and wider public value.
• Ensure programme outcomes align with Members' strategic requirements, including identifying and recommending optimal and compliant routes to market.
• Manage a portfolio of complex, high-value, and high-risk procurements across multiple stakeholders and supplier relationships.
• Implement comprehensive risk management and establish contract management and performance reporting frameworks, ensuring consistency, review, and continuous improvement.
• Provide visible leadership to a team of Procurement Leads, optimising resources, developing capability, and maintaining high performance standards.
• Represent NEPO with senior stakeholders across the public sector and supply chain, supporting regional economic development, ESG objectives, and NEPO's reputation for procurement excellence.
• Deputise for the Procurement & Commercial Director on procurement-related matters.

Please refer to the Job Profile for a comprehensive description of the role.

Key Skills/Qualifications

We are looking for someone with the following qualifications, knowledge and experience:

Qualifications:

• Qualified to degree level, or equivalent experience in a relevant discipline in the public sector.
• Professionally qualified in procurement or CIPS qualified (or equivalent) or relevant technical qualification. (Applicants without this will be capped at SM3 and must be currently studying towards this.)

Knowledge:

• Procurement techniques and processes.
• Public Contract Regulations 2015 and Procurement Act 2023.
• Engaging and influencing senior stakeholders across the supply chain, including Managing Directors and business owners, to drive strong commercial outcomes.
• Managing complex contract management arrangements.
• Current challenges facing the public sector to reduce costs while minimising the impact on the front line.
• Introducing new initiatives successfully.

Experience:

Category Management and Programme Delivery

• Directly leading category management activity, developing and implementing category strategies using category management tools (or equivalent) and techniques that deliver benefits that include financial savings or increased value.
• Working in a category management environment or relevant technical environment.
• Managing a range of complex procurement, category management programmes and/or technical programmes.
• Generating commitment to a collaborative programme which reaps benefits for all partners.

Leadership & Team Management

• Managing a team of procurement or technical specialists.
• Motivating and inspiring others within and outside the organisation to deliver better outcomes.
• Leading and facilitating collaborative effort.

Communication & Stakeholder Engagement

• Communicating effectively to a variety of audiences of different backgrounds, knowledge, experience and expectations.
• Gaining confidence and support of public and private sector organisations by understanding their needs and resolving differences between organisations through the use of excellent negotiation and influencing skills.

Strategic & Analytical Skills

• Using a flexible approach to managing complex and changing priorities.
• Applying strong analytical skills.
• Working with a complex political environment with competing demands and expectations.
• Consistently and demonstrably addressing competing demands between organisations.

Please refer to the Job Profile for more information.

About NEPO

NEPO undertakes high-value procurement in major strategic areas of spend in partnership with North East local authorities and a range of nationwide Associate Members.

We are focused on delivering positive outcomes for our Member Authorities, regional supply base and over 1,000 Associate Members from the wider public sector. In addition to delivering a collaborative procurement work programme of £850M, NEPO is responsible for the Open e-procurement platform, and the NEPO Supplier Partnership Programme of support for suppliers.

We are a forward-thinking organisation that supports personal and professional development and provides a unique opportunity to work collaboratively across the North East public sector. We have produced a guide to the employee benefits on offer at NEPO to give you a flavour of the welcoming and supportive culture we champion.

NEPO supports professional development, including funding CIPS qualifications. Check out our Professional Development at NEPO guide which sets out our Procurement Team's development journey at NEPO.

NEPO employees benefit from:

• Flexible working
• Access to technology that enables agile working
• Continuing professional development, including training opportunities
• Annual leave ranging from 28 to 32 days (depending on length of service), plus public holidays
• Eligibility to join the Local Government Pension Scheme
• Hybrid working model with an HQ in Gateshead's Baltic Quarter
• Salary sacrifice schemes including car leasing and home electronics

Important dates

• The deadline for applications is Tuesday 27 January at 12 pm (noon).
• Shortlisted candidates will be invited to take an online psychometric assessment in advance of interview (the test can be completed at home and in your own time).
• Interviews will be held on Monday 16 February or Wednesday 18 February 2026.

How to apply

Applications will only be accepted via North East Jobs where you will be asked to upload a CV and complete a brief application form.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Steven Sinclair, Procurement & Commercial Director via steven.sinclair@nepo.org to arrange a phone call.

For further information about NEPO, please visit our website at www.nepo.org or check out our LinkedIn page. No recruitment agencies please.