Senior Procurement & Contracts Manager

Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) is a team of people who love and look after six of the most wonderful palaces in the world. We create space for spirits to stir and be stirred. The Zoological Society London (ZSL) is the international conservation charity with a vision of a world where wildlife thrives and engages millions of people through ZSL London and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo.

HRP and ZSL have entered into an exciting arrangement which has seen the HRP Procurement and Contracts team support the delivery of procurement services to ZSL since February 2021, aiming for best procurement practice to be shared, and for joint procurement initiatives and opportunities for other efficiencies to be realised.

This role is therefore a unique opportunity to work within two important teams and contribute to the success of two of the UK’s most prominent conservation-led visitor attraction charities as they bounce back from the effects of the global pandemic.

Your key responsibility (circa 3 days per week) will be developing and shaping the ZSL procurement function in order to provide a professional, flexible and efficient service, ranging from the provision of advice and guidance for small contracts to leading the management of procurement processes for complex and higher value contracts from end to end.

Similar will be required for the HRP element of the role (circa 2 days per week) so you can expect a steady stream of diverse goods and services to procure and contracts to negotiate.

At ZSL, you will be supported by a full time Procurement Officer (whom you will line manage) and, for half a day each week, the HRP Head of Procurement and Contracts. During your HRP hours, you will be part of a team comprising two Procurement Managers and one Property Contracts Advisor who (along with you) all report to the Head of Procurement and Contracts.

Strong planning skills, stakeholder management, commercial awareness, and a flexible approach are needed to ensure success in this role.

You will have the opportunity to work flexibly across different sites (including a measure of home / hybrid working) with a choice of London Zoo, Hampton Court Palace or HM Tower of London as an office base.

Ideally, you will be MCIPS qualified, although this is not essential if deep practical experience can be demonstrated.