Procurement Specialist

_**Do you have strong negotiation and influencing skills?**_
- **Are you able to deliver fully auditable savings as per targets within your area of responsibility?**_

If you answered yes to both of these questions, this role could be perfect for you

Our Procurement department are looking for someone to join their team as a Procurement Specialist.

Salary £29,330, full time/part time welcome, working in a hybrid capacity at one of our three sites in Swindon, Newport & Billingham.

Purpose: Provide specialist advice to customers and colleagues at a professional level with support and guidance from SME’s.

**Key responsibilities will include**:

- Ensuring that the defined best practice procurement processes and policies are followed to deliver maximum use of UK SBS systems and processes and optimise savings opportunities.
- Communicate with operational organisation to keep them appraised of relevant information and progress with projects.
- Monitor supplier performance and help in the design, implement, and manage necessary supplier continuous improvement programmes.
- Analyse expenditure and market data to identify opportunities for improvements in dealings with suppliers, quality improvements and/or cost savings.
- Support the Category Manager with cross-functional project teams in the planning and implementation of procurement initiatives through partner and supplier forums, ensuring involvement of all interested parties in key decisions concerning procurement.
- Delivery of procurement initiatives sourcing a range of products/services.
- Maintain accurate and up to date records of documentation concerning contractual agreements and supplier communications within area of responsibility and in accordance with Government guidelines and legislation.
- Operate within a category management structure.
- Deliver fully auditable savings as per targets within your area of responsibility.
- Develop close co-operative relationships with internal partners to: leverage their expertise, understand local market conditions, support their specific aims and objectives, and deliver value adding services and agreements.
- Complete e-sourcing activities.
- Support the Category Manager with any ad-hoc and strategic activities.
- Gather and analyse internal and external data relating to procurement activity across the supplier base to gain an understanding of purchasing trends and spend profiles to inform category strategy.
- Identify opportunities for improvement in procurement processes and supplier dealings to deliver cost savings and service enhancements. Assist the Category Manager with Category leadership activities.
- Independently prepare pre-tender and tender documents, following this through the full procurement sourcing life cycle.

**Skills/Experience**:

- **Essential**:_
- Strong negotiation and influencing skills.
- Experience of building and maintaining good stakeholder relationships with a wide range of internal and external clients.
- Ability to manipulate and analyse data using appropriate tools.
- Substantial experience of Outlook and Microsoft Office suite (e.g., Excel, Word) and can demonstrate using Excel for analytical purposes.
- Experience of managing and running medium value procurement projects from initial customer engagement through to selection and award of contract.
- Demonstrable experience in the preparation and management of tenders and contracts.
- Experience in the use of e-Procurement Tools, purchasing platforms, market Intelligence, supplier performance and spend data to inform and drive Category strategies.
- Previous experience of supporting a Category Manager (or similar role) in the delivery of best practice procurement, ensuring processes and policies are followed, the use of eProcurement systems and processes to optimise savings opportunities.
- Ability to interpret information to place short
- and medium-term procurement strategies with support from the Category Manager.
- Adopts and displays UK SBS core Values.
- **Desirable**:_
- Member of or working towards Membership of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS).
- Previous procurement experience with a good understanding of EU Directives or similar.
- Knowledge and experience of procurement processes in the Public Sector.
- Managing continuous supplier management and improvement programme.
- Experience in or supporting contract management within area of spend.
- Experience of providing support in supplier management and development.

**General Role expectations**:

- Act as a point of contact for your specialism to provide complex advice and guidance through to resolution, with support from the Senior Specialist.
- Prioritise and manage own workload effectively, with support from Senior Specialist and SME.
- Develop professional relationships with stakeholders and colleagues to share and utilise information, advise and influence Senior Management Team.
- Work collaboratively on cross-team/pillar tasks and pro