Procurement Specialist/Senior Procurement Specialist

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest and largest NHS hospital trusts in the country, with around 16,000 staff and an annual budget of £1.7 billion. We deliver high-quality care, clinical excellence, research, and innovation regionally, nationally, and internationally. We support people with rare and complex medical, surgical, and neurological conditions, cancers, and genetic disorders. We are committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion, and value a workforce that reflects the communities we serve.

We are a leader in sustainability, with a long history of delivering Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle (Shine) and the first healthcare organisation in the world to declare a climate emergency. Our strategy includes commitments to being Net Zero by 2030 for our direct carbon footprint and Net Zero by 2040 for our broader footprint.

About the role

The Trust is seeking a Procurement Specialist or Senior Procurement Specialist to join our Procurement & Supply Chain function. This role supports Clinical Boards and Corporate Departments across the Trust, ensuring compliant, timely, and effective procurement activities valued at £12,500 and above. The Trust spends over £750 million annually on goods, works, and services with third-party suppliers.

This is a progression or career-grade role, enabling the Trust to develop in-house talent through professional development and Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) qualifications. Candidates may join as a Band 5 (actively studying towards CIPS Level 5) or Band 6 (qualified at CIPS Level 5 and studying towards CIPS Level 6). The timeframe for achieving CIPS qualifications is up to 2 years, depending on the candidate's progress.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.

Responsibilities

Band 5 - Procurement Specialist

• Support the Procurement Team in upholding the Trust’s values and strategic goals, ensuring an effective and efficient service for end users.
• Monitor and develop KPI performance, implementing measures for planned performance improvement.
• Represent the Trust in meetings, communicating effectively with staff at varying levels of seniority to ensure conformity to best practices.
• Work cross-functionally with other departments within the Procurement Function.
• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of Electronic Procurement and Financial systems.
• Proactively identify and address performance problems using system information and implement procedures to align with best practices.
• Report directly to a Procurement Manager and support the Procurement lifecycle, including tendering bespoke contracts for goods and services.
• Engage with Clinical and Non-Clinical stakeholders to provide data supporting Procurement decisions.
• Establish good working relationships with the Procurement team, Purchasing team, Systems Support team, Inventory Management team, and Finance Department.

Band 6 - Senior Procurement Specialist

• Lead the successful delivery of projects within the aligned category/business area, providing expert advice on public procurement regulations and Trust policies.
• Manage the tendering process for bespoke contracts, including research, preparation, issue, evaluation, reporting, and award.
• Establish and enhance robust relationships within the aligned business area and wider Trust to drive collaboration between stakeholders and the Procurement function.
• Support the development and implementation of service policies impacting the Trust.
• Ensure the Trust utilises national contracts from NHS Supply Chain, Crown Commercial Services, or other public sector collaborative Procurement organisations where beneficial.
• Facilitate communication between internal customers and those formulating contracts.

Requirements

Essential criteria

• Degree-level qualification or equivalent experience in an appropriate field, with academic ability for the demands of the post.
• Evidence of continued professional development, including in procurement systems, CIPS, and information management.
• Knowledge and experience of procurement and its application within the public sector, preferably within the NHS.
• Working knowledge of organisational procurement policies, such as Standing Financial Instructions.
• Working knowledge of electronic procurement systems and reporting tools.
• Experience developing and managing relationships within procurement and clinical environments.
• Experience analysing information and spend data to support decision-making.
• Experience participating in group meetings to achieve set outcomes.
• Experience identifying service improvements and supporting change.
• Experience presenting information to stakeholders.
• Experience working to both individual and team targets.
• Ability to create, design, and produce reports.
• Proven ability to communicate at all levels.
• Ability to work on own initiative without supervision.
• IT skills literate in Microsoft packages, with advanced skills in Excel.
• Firm understanding of the organisation’s values and demonstration of positive behaviours in line with those values.
• Seeks and responds to constructive feedback, acknowledges and learns from mistakes, and is open to new ideas.

Desirable criteria

• Experience in the use of Oracle eFinancials and ePro.

Benefits

The Trust offers a range of staff benefits, including flexible working arrangements. Further details are available in the 'Documents to download' or 'Supporting documents' section.

Pay

£32,073 - £48,117 (progression rules apply within a 2-year timeframe).

Schedule

37 hours 30 minutes per week.