About the role

The starting salary for this role is £40,227 per annum based on a 36 hour working week.

Although this role is based at Merrow Depot, Guildford, Surrey GU4 7BQ, it is open to remote working meaning you will have the option to spend part of your week working from home, though this may flex depending on business need. We have teams based in offices across the County and business travel to other offices in Surrey may be required. In support of our people and our greener futures strategies, we'd welcome a conversation with the successful candidate on what remote working may look like for you.

An exciting and demanding opportunity has arisen for a Contract Manager with experience of delivering high quality outputs to join Surrey County Council's Highways and Transport Service.

The Highways and Transport Service is part of the Environment Transport and Infrastructure directorate and is responsible for ensuring the effective management, maintenance and improvement of all highway and transport assets, including flood risk management. 

The role of Contract Manager will sit in the Strategic Contract Group, a newly established team responsible for providing support and direction to operational teams commissioning work from our Partner Service providers in a number of areas. The team will ensure corporate standards in procurement and supply chain management are effectively used across the Service through a combination of support, leadership, assurance, and driving improvement and innovation.

The Service operates several high-profile contracts delivering services on its behalf including:

• Term Maintenance Highways Contract (c£80m p.a.) - delivering a range of reactive, routine and planned highway maintenance activities including pothole repairs, cleaning gullies (drains), refreshing road markings, resurfacing of roads and "schemes" ranging from the introduction of signalled crossing points to a new bridge costing several £ million
• Street Lighting Maintenance PFI - (c£12m p.a.) - carrying out periodic checks for structural and electrical safety, carrying out repairs to lights, columns and illuminated signs, converting the 89,000 to LED
• Traffic Signal Replacement and Refurbishment (c£5m p.a.) - carrying out repairs to signals and junctions, replacement or refurbishment of equipment at signalled junctions and crossings
• Professional Services - (c£5m p.a.) - providing consultancy support across the services including design and specialist technical support.

The Strategic Contract Group is structured into two parts:

Contract Improvement - supporting teams through developing, recording and adapting processes and ways of working, seeking opportunities to identify ways of working and supporting their implementation including the adoption of innovations in practices, materials and technology.

Contract Management - ensuring agreed contractual processes are applied and effective; governance tools, mechanisms and structures deliver the expected outcomes; prompt, accurate payments are made to the service providers and their supply chains; supporting colleagues with resolving disputes particularly around contractual or commercial matters.

The Role

Reporting to the Senior Contract Manager you will have responsibility for supporting the effective delivery of these contracts, working directly with both the Service Providers and their supply chains, and indirectly supporting Council Officers responsible for the services being delivered.

This will include monitoring performance information, ensuring payments are made correctly and on time; supporting benchmarking and value for money assessments; providing advice and support on "contractual" or commercial matters; and contributing to achieving the collective outcomes through a collaborative approach to working with all stakeholders.

To be shortlisted to interview for this position your application will clearly evidence:

• Degree level qualification in either a commercial (e.g. CIPS, CIMA, RICS) or a relevant technical discipline such as Civil Engineering, Construction or Environmental Services
• Experience of managing contracts in a commercial or performance role ideally in construction, engineering or environmental services contracts
• Experience of working with construction and civil engineering contract forms such as NEC, TPC, PFI etc.
• Ability to demonstrate a collaborative and partnering approach to ensure effective service delivery and issue/conflict resolution
• Ability to demonstrate a clear understanding of the key principles of effective Project Management.

At Surrey, our values and behaviours are just as important as our skills and abilities. They shape who we are as an organisation. Find out more about the values we follow.

For more information please find the full job description below and refer to this before submitting your application. We also invite you to read our Life at Surrey handbook to see insights of the culture at Surrey and how as a valued employee, you can help shape our Council.

Contact details

For an informal discussion please contact Paul Wheadon by e-mail at paul.wheadon@surreycc.gov.uk. or please click apply below.

Additional information

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 30/01/2022 with interviews to follow. 

Benefits

From flexible working to job sharing (where possible) we are committed to providing a healthy work life balance. A laptop and mobile will be supplied if applicable to your role. You will benefit from 26 days annual leave, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service, a generous local government salary related pension, as well as the option to join our car lease scheme. For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit MyBenefits for Surrey County Council staff.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer of first choice reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all under represented groups.