Commercial and Contracts Manager

Job Title: Commercial and Contracts Manager

Salary: £50,253

Working Pattern: Hybrid Working (2-3 days per week in the office)

Office Location: Headingley Campus: Church Wood Ave, Leeds LS6 3QS, UK

Castlefield Recruitment are delighted to be partnering with Rob Moore at Leeds Beckett University to recruit a Commercial and Contract Manager. Leeds Beckett University is a not-for-profit university with the charitable purpose of advancing education for the public benefit.

Our vision is to be acknowledged for our commitment to student success, our innovation and enterprise, our global reach and our strong local impact. Our university has a strong tradition of, and continuing commitment to, providing socially inclusive and life enhancing higher education opportunities for all our students, regardless of background. We invest in annual bursary schemes and progression activities to encourage students into higher education who traditionally would not have considered this as an option.

The role falls within the Digital Services team who are a trusted partner within the University, with responsibility for the delivery of a wide range of services across a robust and reliable digital delivery infrastructure.

This role would suit someone passionate for delivering an excellent service as well as the drive to make a difference within the Universities’ Procurement Division.

The role:

• Overseeing all commercial and contractual activities for the Digital Delivery function, ensuring alignment with university regulations and legal compliance for technology procurement
• Managing new technology procurement processes across all academic schools and services, including vendor selection, negotiation, and contract finalisation, to secure the best value and terms for the university
• Negotiating renewals and managing ongoing relationships with third-party vendors, ensuring the university’s interests are protected and its requirements are met
• Leading discussions with stakeholders to ensure the university receives expected outcomes from its technology investments, identifying and addressing any issues or discrepancies through the use of structured Management Information, Service Level Agreements and Key Performance Indicators
• Driving customer success by monitoring and optimising the use of existing products and services, ensuring the university maximises the value of its technology investments
• Leading and mentoring a Contract Manager and IT Procurement Assistant, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture within the team

The benefits:

• 38 days annual leave, bank holidays and 3 closure days over the festive period, for a total of 49 days a year.
• Membership of a Local Government Pension scheme, Teachers Pension Scheme or USS scheme, dependent on your role and circumstances.
• Occupational Maternity/Adoption and Shared Parental Leave is available to our colleagues (subject to meeting the conditions)
• Onsite Gym Facilities – with memberships for our colleagues, that let you take part in activities at the Carnegie Sports Centre, Headingley Campus and City Campus Gym.

The person:

• Previous management experience
• Evidence of success in the provision of excellent commercial and contract management preferably within an IT or technology environment
• Good knowledge of UK procurement legislation and any other legislation related to the Higher Education sector
• Excellent collaboration skills and stakeholder management

For more information, please contact Louisa Holstead at Castlefield Recruitment for an informal discussion.

Please note that direct approaches and speculative CV’s will be directed to Castlefield Recruitment to be included in the recruitment process.