This role supports Superfast Essex, an ECC investment programme tasked with improving internet speeds in rural areas. Superfast Essex currently has eight concurrent subsidised delivery contracts in place with Openreach and Gigaclear plc. The total programme investment exceeds £75m and is enabling more than 150,000 Essex premises to access superfast or ultrafast broadband services. Increasingly full fibre connectivity is provided, bringing speeds of up to 1Gb to homes and businesses. A close and effective working relationship with our suppliers and strong engagement with the industry and market are key to the programme's success. We are looking for an experienced contract manager with telecommunications experience to help us deliver our ambitious programme.

Job Purpose
The post holder will work as part of a multifunctional programme team taking responsibility for the management of the Superfast Essex delivery contracts and all associated activities. They will ensure all parties fulfil their obligations under the contracts, arrange and hold regular meetings with each supplier and ensure that any issues are recognised and managed collaboratively, ensuring delivery milestones are met assurance work is completed and payments made on time. This role will also have responsibility for managing change requests to extend the scope of existing contracts or lead new procurements to utilise any new funding that becomes available. The current investment programme is expected to complete delivery in summer 2021, with subsequent contract management required to complete the ten-year terms of each contract. Further delivery elements may be added to the programme over the next eighteen months.

Key Accountabilities
* Take overall responsibility for the supplier and contract management activities required under the Superfast Essex programme, including the full delivery assurance and milestone payment process, project governance, risk management and contractual change process as required.
* Work closely with ECC finance and delivery partner finance teams to ensure that the financial elements of the delivery contracts are proactively managed, financial risks are identified and mitigated in good time and that delivery savings and subsidy clawbacks due to ECC are recognised and retained/recalled as soon as possible.
* Maintain a longer-term view and work closely with the Programme Manager to ensure that programme delivery remains on track and opportunities to increase the reach or value achieved by the programme are recognised and taken.
* Oversee the programme's engagement with the telecommunications market and major operators in the local area to ensure that the Superfast Essex programme objectives remain aligned with commercial activity.
* Ensure that financial and operational delivery reports from suppliers are checked and validated effectively and in a timely manner and corrections or queries are managed promptly. Work with suppliers and with the Programme Data Manager to continuously improve the broadband coverage data held by the programme and how it is used to support contract management activities, seeking to optimise and streamline manual processes.
* Support the Programme Manager in stakeholder management activities, exerting influence on Directors, Senior Managers and Members as to the commercial and financial viability of differing commercial options for the programme within complex and often, contentious environments.
* Work as part of ECC's wider Commercial function to support the adoption of best practice approaches with the aim of ensuring that the function is seen as 'best in class'. Ensure policies, procedures, documents and workflows are kept up-to-date and remain best in class.
* Lead procurement activity required to meet the needs of the programme of work in conjunction with Procurement and service colleagues.
* The post holder will from time to time be required to take part in stakeholder engagement and community events to support the Superfast Essex programme, some of which will take place in evenings or at weekends.

* Must have previous experience of working in the telecommunications industry or managing telecommunications contracts and an understanding of broadband technologies.
* A demonstrable track record of managing multi-million-pound strategic contracts. This should include evidence of defining, measuring and improving key elements of supplier performance.
* Experience of delivering continuous improvements in large, strategic arrangements with evidence of generating significant cost and service benefits.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

* Educated to degree level with a relevant professional qualification such as MCIPS or equivalent work experience with evidence of continuing professional development.
* Knowledge of contract law and legislation relevant to the specific category / categories within their control and its impact on market management, finance and contractual arrangements.
* Knowledge of public sector procurement law with an ability to explain the law to non-procurement staff and find pragmatic solutions to potential legal difficulties.
* Comprehensive negotiating skills appropriate to multi-million pound contracts and experience of planning and delivering successful negotiations.

A member of the ECC Procurement Team
This role will be supporting the Superfast Essex programme for 90% of the time, but the post holder will be anchored within the wider ECC Procurement Service.