The Child and Family Agency was established on 1st January 2014 and is responsible for a range of statutory functions including provision of child protection, alternative care, specified regulatory services and a range of family support services.  The Agency has commenced a major improvement programme with significant focus on Practice, Culture and Structure.

The Agency currently has responsibility for a budget of circa €1.2billion and delivers its services through over 5,500 people in 259 locations across the Country.

The Child and Family Agency has responsibility for the following range of services:

• Child Protection and Welfare
• Parenting, Family Support and Early Help Services
• Alternative Care
• Birth Information & Tracing and Adoption
• Tusla Education Support Services (TESS)
• Children’s Service Regulation
• Counselling and Therapeutic Supports

Further information is available on www.tusla.ie.

Purpose of Role

The Agency requires the appointment of a Grade VII Regional Procurement Officer within each of its six Region. 

The postholder will manage and lead complex procurement activities, ensuring strict compliance with national and EU public procurement law, while also achieving value for money, transparency, and supporting wider Agency objectives.

The postholder will work to strengthening governance and compliance, risk monitoring, driving value for money and supporting the Agency’s strategic procurement objectives across all Regions. 

The Regional Procurement Lead will directly report to the Regional Services General Manager with a dotted line to the Head of Financial Excellence and Governance, who, through the National Procurement Unit, will assign procurement tasks based on an agreed framework. This framework and pal as developed and agreed with RCO’s.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Work in collaboration with the National Procurement Unit (NPU) on procurement assignments; strategies; reporting and process standardisation.
• Manage the end-to-end procurement processes across categories of expenditure and assist with national and regional tender processes on behalf of budget holders as required, ensuring that the budget holder arrives at the purchase to pay (P2P) stage.
• Lead procurement planning and analysis of purchasing requirements prior to tendering conducting National and Regional tender processes on behalf of budget holders as required.
• Manage and identify cross function savings.
• Manage all data protection related matters as part of a procurement process.
• Prepare coordinated tender documents such as Request for Tendering (RFT) and Request for Quote (RFQ); advise on tender specifications, award criteria and manage processes through eTenders.
• Build and retain key stakeholder management, both internally and externally championing an inclusive and supportive work environment with the NPU, the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) and the Health Service Executive (HSE) on procurement matters.
• Provide clear and regular communication on procurement updates across the Regions focusing on day-to-day queries.
• Contract management and auditing of contracts including disputes, remedies, contract extensions and contract exit.
• Responsible for governance and compliance procurement reporting.
• Support in the development and implementation of the Agency’s Procurement Strategy, goals and objectives as set out in the three-year Corporate Procurement Plan.
• Ensure Regional/local alignment of legislation, policies and procedures with the NPU. 
• Coordinate FOI and PQs procurement related responses.
• Responsible for Supplier Relationship Management, including resolving issues at a local level.
• Promote continuous Training & Education programmes including IFMS, eTenders, e-Procurement Training and innovation to include Green Public Procurement (GPP) / Environmental and Social Considerations.
• Develop and maintain positive and effective relationships across all sections of the Agency
• Apply a deep understanding of Public Procurement processes and regulations having the ability to apply processes to procurement requirements.
• Support the NPU in standardising the Procurement processes across the Agency.
• Observe strict rules of confidentiality on any information gained as part of any tender process and / or project.

Health & Safety

• Comply with and contribute to the development of policies, procedures, guidelines and safe professional practice and adhere to relevant legislation, regulations and standards.
• Have a working knowledge of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Standards as they apply to the service for example National Standards for Child Protection and Care and comply with associated Tusla – Child and Family Agency protocols for implementing and maintaining these standards as appropriate to the role.
• To support, promote and actively participate in sustainable energy, water and waste initiatives to create a more sustainable, low carbon and efficient health service.

The above Job Description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.   

Applicants must by the closing date of application have the following:

• Have at least three years’ administrative experience as relevant to the role
• Have experience in financial systems such as SAP Finance or similar processing system.
• Strong analytical and organisational skills with project management skills
• Have experience of liaising with internal and external stakeholders.
• Have MS skills to include advanced Excel.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills.
• Have the requisite knowledge and administrative ability (including a high standard of management ability) for the proper discharge of the duties of the office.

Health

A candidate for and any person holding the office must be fully competent and capable of undertaking the duties attached to the office and be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

Character

Each candidate for and any person holding the office must be of good character.