Royal Parks
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Andrew Scattergood, CEO, The Royal Parks
As the CEO of The Royal Parks, I take pride in leading an organisation in which procurement excellence plays a crucial role in achieving our ambitious goals. Working for a charity that cares for the most famous collection of urban parks in the world presents incredible procurement career opportunities like no other.
The eight royal parks we look after - Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, St James’s Park, The Green Park, The Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill, Greenwich Park, Richmond Park and Bushy Park - and other exceptional public spaces in the city, including Grade 1 listed Brompton Cemetery in West London and Victoria Tower Gardens in the heart of Westminster - each have their own distinct character.
Our role is to conserve and enhance these historic and exceptional landscapes for future generations to enjoy, while also welcoming millions of visitors every year.
Bringing our vision to life
Working for The Royal Parks provides many outstanding opportunities for qualified procurement professionals who have a genuine passion for delivering excellence. I truly believe we’re contributing to something significant here, with a massive opportunity to shape London’s green legacy.
Our aim in procurement is to go far beyond simply acquiring goods and services. We are currently building a new contract management and procurement team that will play a significant strategic role in supporting our dedication to excellence. Our diligent procurement business partners will work with and across many departments, including commercial; communications, marketing and engagement; corporate services; estates and projects; finance; legal and, of course, park operations. Their unwavering efforts will ensure that every procurement process demonstrates excellence, upholds our standards and provides value for money.
While each department contributes to protecting and enhancing the Royal Parks, procurement plays a crucial role in bringing our vision to life through key projects, iconic events and innovative partnerships.
Be at the forefront of driving initiatives
From detailed landscaping projects such as Greenwich Park Revealed to the maintenance of our historical monuments such as the Albert Memorial, and the setting up of our retail operation, we strive to implement cutting edge technology. And our procurement professionals will be at the forefront of driving these initiatives to success. They will collaborate closely with contractors, suppliers and stakeholders to maintain The Royal Parks’ reputation for excellence, sustainability and active community involvement.
At The Royal Parks, we embrace a range of procurement methods tailored to each project’s requirements. Whether it’s a three-quote process or a more intricate above-threshold procurement, our team of procurement business partners will need to use their extensive knowledge to deliver exceptional outcomes. We also plan to create customised frameworks and contracts that are specifically designed to meet the requirements of The Royal Parks, ensuring that all our dealings are transparent, fair and compliant.
Our work goes beyond the boundaries of our parks; it touches the lives of the many millions of visitors to our parks each year, many of whom cherish these green spaces. By selecting the highest quality partners, suppliers and service providers, we will continue to guarantee the preservation of our natural heritage and historic buildings to improve visitor experiences and promote sustainable management of our facilities. Our enhanced procurement function will act as a guardian for our organisation’s values by upholding standards and fostering collaborations that benefit both our parks and the communities we serve.
Unleash your skills in a collaborative atmosphere
We understand that excellence is not achieved alone. We are building a team of professionals who not only have exceptional procurement skills, but also possess excellent interpersonal abilities. Collaboration, business partnership and a commitment to high ethical standards are deeply ingrained in our organisation’s values. As a member of our team, you will have an opportunity to interact with diverse stakeholders, build meaningful partnerships and influence decision making processes that directly impact the preservation and development of our parks.
To achieve our goals we need passionate, driven and talented individuals, who are ready to take on new challenges. As a fully qualified member of CIPS, with considerable post qualification experience, your valuable knowledge and insights will contribute to our success. From implementing robust compliance and effective procurement practices, to managing strategic supplier relationships, your role at The Royal Parks will enable you to make a significant difference within a dynamic and ever evolving environment.
Join our vibrant, diverse and distinctive work culture
Working at The Royal Parks is an experience. Our organisation is known for a positive work culture that promotes excellence, creativity, innovation, and personal growth. You will be part of a team collaborating with experts from various fields such as horticulture, heritage conservation, events management and many more.
Experience a journey of learning with passionate professionals and gain meaningful job satisfaction in contributing to the iconic landscapes of London. Joining The Royal Parks means becoming part of a story centred around resilience, conservation, sustainability and community engagement.
Our teams work tirelessly to showcase this proud history, one that is waiting to be explored and safeguarded for generations to come. Working in procurement at The Royal Parks will mean becoming a thread in this tapestry by combining modern procurement practices with a deep sense of responsibility towards our nation’s treasures.
- Andrew Scattergood, CEO, The Royal Parks -
Where every decision contributes to our nation’s heritage legacy
The Royal Parks not only provides a unique working environment but also offers procurement professionals the chance to work with a level of gravitas and heritage that is unparalleled. As the custodians of a significant part of the Crown Estate, The Royal Parks is entrusted with managing Grade I listed parks, which include green spaces, sites of special scientific interest and magnificent Grade I listed buildings and landscapes. These historical landmarks have stood the test of time, with some dating back to the seventeenth century. Hyde Park, for example, has been open to the public since 1637.
Just imagine being part of a team dedicated to preserving and enhancing these sites, where every decision made contributes to our nation’s heritage legacy.
Our teams work tirelessly to showcase this proud history, one that is waiting to be explored and safeguarded for generations to come. Working in procurement at The Royal Parks means becoming a thread in this tapestry by combining modern procurement practices with a deep sense of responsibility towards our nation’s treasures.
From collaborating in our major event planning and commercial enterprises, to shaping sustainable landscapes and cultivating positive partnerships, your expertise will leave a lasting impact on the future of our parks.
Procurement at Royal Parks
Working within The Royal Parks central procurement team provides you with a unique and prestigious procurement career opportunity, in addition to being a key player in the delivery of the charitable objectives, vision and values, through the procurements we undertake and contracts we award.
Whether you have visited the Royal Parks in London or interested in the work The Royal Parks Charity do, the Procurement Category Manager role(s) are very rewarding offering positive benefits to employees of The Royal Parks, and to the end users of the Parks.
With an office base within one of the vibrant Parks, and meeting stakeholders at other locations that are under the portfolio of The Royal Parks, you will have the opportunity to visibly see the end results of your work come to fruition within the beautiful, picturesque surroundings.
The procurement work undertaken offers an interesting variety of works, services, and supplies, of which are key to providing positive health and wellbeing outcomes, for the Parks’ visitors each year.
As a Category Manager you will help embed a proactive approach across the organisation for your responsible category, driving a collaborative way of working with key stakeholders, through best practices in procurement, forward planning addressing the needs of the procurement pipeline and any additional ad-hoc procurements that may arise from time to time.
The Category Manager post(s) will be responsible for delivering a range of contracts above and below threshold, managing their category working closely with stakeholders, to ensure procurements are planned for in good time, in a fair transparent and compliant manner, achieving the best value for money outcome for The Royal Parks charity and the end users of the Parks.
The two Category Manager posts will be responsible for Concessions, and Major Projects respectively. These posts will complete a relatively newly formed procurement team.
The Concessions category delivers a range of exciting contracts that operate within the Parks and are including but are not limited to, café concessions, winter events concessions, summer events concessions, music events concessions, sports facility concessions. The work undertaken in this category will support future financial optimisation for The Royal Parks charity. As some of these may be above threshold the Category manager will be required to be experienced in the application of the Concessions Contracts Regulations in addition to the UK Public Procurement Law.
The Major Projects category delivers a range of interesting new contracts above and below threshold that will include but are not limited to, works procurements such as design and build and newly constructed builds or any other contracts that are deemed to meet the Major Projects criteria.
Both Category Managers will aim to contribute to the overall positive experience, encouraging visitors to return year after year. In addition, you will play a key part in enhancing the procurement team achievements, best practices, and outcomes during a significant time of UK Public Procurement Law Regulation changes.
Both Category Managers will be required to develop procurement strategies and lead end-to-end procurement processes which align with The Royal Parks objectives.
This is an exciting opportunity to join a flagship charity and apply your in-depth technical and commercial knowledge and skills when showcasing your forward-thinking proactive approach to Category Management
Benefits of working at The Royal Parks
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Ticket for events: opportunity to enter a ballot for free tickets to several premier events including British Summer Time concerts, Winter Wonderland, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Frieze Art Fair and Taste of London.
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Volunteering days: up to 5 days’ leave with pay over a 12 month rolling period
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Staff summer party
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Membership to either CSSC or Boundless: CSSC £4.25 per month and Boundless is £27 per year
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2 for 1 show tickets
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Staff get paid on the last day of every month
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Payslips are distributed electronically and you can view your payslip via our iPayview system. You’ll be sent log on details after your first pay.
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Pension: Aviva pension, minimum contribution 3% and we’ll double this up to a maximum of 10%
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You’ll be auto-enrolled at 3% with organisation contributing 6%
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Pension/benefits portal: lots of information about financial wellbeing/planning as well as different fund options e.g. ethical, fossil fuel free, Sharia etc
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Life assurance: 5 x salary
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Season ticket loan: interest free season ticket loan
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Discounts at food outlets in the parks: 40% off food and non-alcoholic drinks, 10% off at Brompton Cemetery
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Rush Hair and Beauty: 25% off when you take in your ID card
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Annual pay award negotiations
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Occupational health
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Cycle to work scheme: save 32% to 42% on the cost of new bike/equipment
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Eye test: free voucher for an eye test at Specsavers worth £25
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Flu jabs: free voucher for a flu jab at Boots worth £12.99
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Discounted gym membership: Central YMCA gym for £30 per month plus other offers if you sign up to CSSC membership at £4.25 a month
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Discounted access to sports facilities: 25% off sports drop in session and court fees at venues at Regent’s. Hyde and Greenwich Park
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Annual leave: 26 days annual leave, rising to 29 days plus bank holidays after 3 years’ service. Can carry over 5 days and bring forward days plus request unpaid leave if you have run out of annual leave.
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EAP: 24hr/365 days per year free confidential access to professional consultants, counsellors and online resources plus 6 free counselling sessions following referral (i.e. if the EAP feel they are the people best placed to provide support)
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Mental health first aiders
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Special leave with pay: 5 x bereavement leave, 5 x family/home and/or emergency leave in a rolling 12 month period
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Career breaks: after 12 months’ service
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New in-year bonus scheme just announced where you can be nominated for a bonus of £500, £750, or £1000.
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Training opportunities including sponsorship for professional qualifications with an 100% contribution from TRP
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Professional subscriptions
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