ABOUT PROCUREMENT

The Central Procurement Office (CPO) sits within the Directorate of Finance and is a professional resource tasked with assisting colleagues across the University to follow good practice and deliver value for money. To deliver our teaching, research and operational activities the University spends around £600m annually across a wide range of categories and suppliers.

OUR FACTS AND FIGURES

We’re ranked the 6th best university in the UK and 52nd overall in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (2024).
A truly international university, our community includes more than 44,000 students, 12,000 staff, and 550,000 alumni from 190 countries working together to tackle the world’s biggest challenges.
Our commitment to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals is unmatched. That’s why we’re the only university in the world to rank in the top ten for social and environmental impact in every year of the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.
Our university is a powerhouse of research and discovery; we were ranked fifth for research power the quality and scale of research and impact in the UK government’s Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.
The institution is the most popular in the UK for undergraduate applications (UCAS 2023 cycle), and it is the second most targeted university by the UK’s leading employers (The Graduate Market, 2024).
When completing the additional information section of your application, please ensure you make reference to the job description and person specification above, as this will form an integral part of the shortlisting process.
As an equal opportunities employer we support an inclusive working environment and welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation and transgender status. All appointments are made on merit.
Our University is positive about flexible working you can find out more here
Hybrid working arrangements may be considered.
Please note that we are unable to respond to enquiries, accept CVs or applications from Recruitment Agencies.
Any CV’s submitted by a recruitment agency will be considered a gift.

Following the retirement of a long-standing team-member, we are recruiting for a Procurement Officer to join our team.
Suitable for newly qualified, part qualified procurement professionals (MCIPS) or those with equivalent relevant experience/qualifications and are looking to broaden their skills and experience in a diverse and dynamic environment.
You will be a confident procurement professional capable of managing and prioritising workloads, liaising with a range of colleagues, and providing commercial and professional support to colleagues and users across the University. Experience of working within large, diverse and devolved organisations would be beneficial.
The role requires an understanding of delivering value for money through transparent market appraisal exercises, sound skills of managing tenders and projects, and strong interpersonal abilities.
You will work within the University’s Financial Regulations, Procedures and Purchasing Policy. The University is not a contracting authority or bound by the Procurement Act 2023 but follows the principles of best practice contained therein. Experience of working within the UK public procurement regime, including use of available framework agreements, is advantageous but not essential.
You should understand the role of procurement in delivering value, managing risk and supporting colleagues to do this. You will ideally have experience of driving the delivery of social value outcomes through the tender process and embedding these within contracts.
You will assist in exploring spend to identify opportunities to work smarter and/or save money working with end users to deliver changes through a variety of procurement methods: tendering, contract improvements, supplier rationalisation etc. You will be confident in building relationships and proactive in identifying opportunities across contract and supplier management.
You will be joining a friendly, professional and established team who will offer support and development opportunities to further progress your career.
The University currently supports hybrid working. It is expected that, following an initial period of familiarisation, that this role will be hybrid. For hybrid posts flexibility is required and employees should physically attend the University at least 2 days per week.