Procurement Manager

Business Area: Finance

Place of Work: Liverpool

Contract Type: Contractor

When you join USS, the size and scale of our pension scheme means you will have numerous opportunities to learn and develop your career. Given our size you'll have real autonomy and influence as you collaborate closely with a wide-ranging team of experts.

Our office is a vibrant place to work, and we offer flexibility of office/homeworking due to our hybrid model.

About the role

In your role as Procurement Manager, you will make a meaningful and valued contribution from the outset. This role will provide a great opportunity to manage an RFP for a complex IT project to ensure USS runs a fair and open process that leads to a successful contract award. The best outcome for USS will be for the selected provider to be able to demonstrate value for money, service improvements both now and in the future and a strong contractual position to be successfully negotiated with contracted service levels and KPIs.

What you will be doing

As a trusted part of the Finance you will:

• Manage end to end RFP processes from a Procurement perspective
• Ensure that the RFP process is run in an equitable and consistent manner for all participants by advising USS stakeholders on best practice at all stages
• Lead on all communication with prospective suppliers at all stages of the RFP process
• Create RFP documents, templates and schedules
• Work with the SME’s from key business areas to gather specification requirements, documenting them appropriately and creating a template to capture supplier responses
• Work alongside the relevant teams and with suppliers (where necessary) to create the commercial model options for the RFP
• Work with other partners and/or 3rd party consultants on the RFP to ensure a seamless and aligned approach
• Develop, communicate and implement a suitable scoring mechanism by which to evaluate the RFP submissions
• Work with the Finance Business Partner to input into the business case as required
• Provide input for relevant committee papers
• Input into the contract negotiations with the USS Legal team as required

About you

We know that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job if they don't tick every box, if you're excited about working for us and have most of the skills or experience we're looking for, then please apply, regardless of whether you meet all the requirements outlined in this profile.

To be successful in the role you will have:

• Experience as an IT buyer, ideally with experience in running complex IT data and / or data projects
• Demonstrable experience in a senior procurement role
• Experience leading by example and is resilient and able to deal with complex challenges
• Excellent negotiation skills and the ability to constructively challenge stakeholders and who seeks to understand and clarify commercial implications of supplier relationships.
• Strong procurement understanding with the ability to work with a variety of internal and external stakeholders
• Excellent commercial acumen and ability to consistently secure the most advantageous outcomes for USS
• High level of pragmatism and creativity when problem solving
• A strong communicator, both orally and in writing
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to use data to support procurement decisions.
• MCIPS or similar qualification preferred

At USS, every individual contributes to building a secure financial future for our members and their families. We strive to create a work environment where everyone can thrive professionally while making a meaningful impact on the lives of others. We're also committed to helping you build your career by providing opportunities for development. We put a focus on recognising and supporting each individual's unique career path, driving this forward with the support of an engaged and proactive management team. Here at USS, we want you to thrive in and out of work with a friendly team, flexible culture and excellent range of benefits!

Our people are what makes us different. We work together to create a diverse and inclusive culture that embraces individuality, where people are welcomed and feel comfortable in the knowledge that they can be themselves. Our purpose firmly states the importance of members, putting them ‘front and centre’ of what we do. This is embedded through our values:

• Integrity
• Collaboration
• Excellence
  
  

Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) was established in 1974 as the principal pension scheme for universities and other higher education institutions in the UK. We work with around 330 employers to help build a secure financial future for almost 577,000 members and their families. We are one of the largest private defined benefit pension schemes in the UK, with total assets of around £76.8bn (at 31 March 2025). To find out more, please visit https://www.uss.co.uk

USSL is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We strive to ensure our recruitment process is as flexible and inclusive as possible so we can attract diverse candidates and recruit the best talent. We want all candidates to perform at their best during the recruitment process, so if you need any reasonable adjustments or if there is anything we can do to help support you through your recruitment journey please let us know by contacting resourcing@uss.co.uk.