Waste Contracts Lead Officer

Overview

We are looking for an experienced Lead Contracts Officer to join the Council’s Strategic Waste Management & Enforcement team. This is an excellent opportunity to undertake a key contractual role at Buckinghamshire Council.  We are a strong team with a ‘Can do’ attitude and an ethos of being ‘better’ - where improving the environment is our key vision. 

You will have a proven track record of performance managing contracting, negotiating undertaking commissioning activities including public procurement. Knowledge of the waste industry is helpful to realise the optimum outcomes and performance of our major waste contracts.  The Communities directorate is at the heart of the organisation and this role, within Neighbourhood Services, provides a fast-paced and extremely rewarding opportunity in a supportive environment.  This is an exciting time to join us, as we develop our services to respond to national legislative changes and the Councils future needs.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.  

About the role

In this role you’ll be within the Waste Contracts team where you will be required to take a lead role in both managing the performance of one or more of the Council’s key waste treatment/ disposal contracts. You could be taking a lead role in the high-profile Energy from Waste contract, the customer-facing Household Recycling Centre contract or the Green, Food, Bulky and Wood waste contract. You will also manage other smaller contracts across waste disposal to maximise the potential value for the service. You’ll provide expert waste management advice to a wide range of stakeholders internally and externally, for example colleagues, customers, councillors and senior officers.

You may also be involved in option appraisals, reviewing contracts & campaigns, developing, and implementing strategies and policies. New requirements coming out of the Government’s circular economy package will lead to changes in future service delivery models over the medium to long-term, which this role will help deliver on the ground and there is already an exciting pipeline of programmes and projects to deliver, including capital projects. For full details of the requirements for this role please see the attached job summary.

The role is fixed term for 18 months to cover maternity leave.

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

About you

The ideal candidate will need to be an enthusiastic, self-motivated and highly organised person.  Educated to degree level or equivalent, the right person will need to have an excellent track record of supplier management, knowledge and understanding of climate change / net zero, waste contract management and or commissioning / procurement environment, together with a proven ability to contribute to service planning, improvements, and development activity.

Naturally, you’ll have excellent interpersonal, persuasion, and negotiation skills with internal and external stakeholders at all levels, communicating changes in policy and strategies, as well as provide expert advice, guidance, and support on complex issues. You’ll come to us with experience of project management, you will demonstrate initiative and the ability to manage complex plans, prioritise and co-ordinate resources to deliver priorities within time constraints.

For further details please see the attached job summary.

Other information

Please also note that access to your own vehicle is an essential requirement for the role as there will be a need to travel across the county to various sites.

The closing date for applications is at midnight on Sunday 1st December 2024. Interviews could occur throughout the advertised period. Interviews will be via be in person at Buckinghamshire Council’s Walton Street Offices, Aylesbury, HP20 1UY.

To apply for this role, please click the apply now button at the top of this page. For an informal discussion about the role please contact Andrew Jenkins, Waste Contracts Team Leader, [email protected]

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent cautions and/or unspent convictions

For further information on how long it takes for cautions and convictions cautions to become spent, please refer to our guide on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (updated 2023) | Nacro

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Our Communities directorate works across the county to deliver a number of the key customer-facing services that our residents, businesses and visitors rely on every day. 

This directorate includes a wide range of services, including:

• collecting and disposing of waste and recycling
• maintaining our roads and Rights of Way network and parking
• ensuring the delivery of school transport, and supporting sustainable travel including public bus services and School Crossing Patrollers
• managing Country Parks
• leisure facilities, museums, theatres and libraries, as well as developing our Cultural Strategy
• licensing, cemeteries and crematoria

The customer is central to how we develop and deliver all of these services, which help promote our rich and vibrant culture and special environment. 

We are looking for enthusiastic, ambitious and committed individuals to join our team and help us to continue to make Buckinghamshire a great place to live, work and visit. This is an exciting time for us as we bring together the services previously run by five separate councils before Buckinghamshire Council was created. Whilst making major changes to contracts affecting residents across Bucks, we continue to focus on delivering great customer service. You will join us on our journey of continuous improvement - whether that’s through developing strategies and ways of working or delivering services on the ground, every person in Communities is a valued member of the team.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/