Purchasing Specialist

Purchasing Specialist
12 months fixed term
20k - 22k dep on exp

Mon to Fri 37.5hrs pw

Centre for Health and Disability Assessments (CHDA) conducts health and disability assessments on behalf of the Department of Work and Pensions through a network of 11 BSC’s and 150 Assessment Centres (AC’s).

The Purchasing Specialist forms part of a centralised Supply Chain support function that provides a procurement, purchasing and contract management service to CHDA and it’s employees. The role plays a vital part in the day-to-day operation of the centralised procurement support team, offering purchasing and procurement administration support for operational and head office spends.
Employment is subject to successful BPSS vetting.

Responsibilities:

• Acts as the primary purchasing support resource for internal and external customers in relation to CHDA transactional purchasing requirements
• Maintain relationships with indirect category suppliers, where appropriate, to manage relationship, arrange contract reviews, negotiate commercial structures etc.
• Provide administration support for Category Managers in relation to procurement activity such as tendering, contract management and supplier governance (e.g. financial checks, security questionnaires etc.
• Support and manage the regular Supplier Assurance Audits and Self Assessment Questionnaire against defined process.
• Ensure supplier information database (SID) is maintained and contracts are managed in line with terms and conditions (expiry and renewals).
• Provide support to Category Management and the business to validate invoice reconciliation in relation to Service Level Credit frameworks.
• Provide Supply Chain analysis data, as required, to support commercial enquiries as well as regular reporting for the Client (SME, Merlin etc.).
• Ensure that all enquiries and queries from internal and external customers in relation to purchasing and procurement procedures are dealt with appropriately in a timely manner and referred on when necessary
• Complete accurate data entry to ensure the creation of accurate Orders and Requisitions for operational and head office teams.
• Follows up on orders to ensure they are received and receipted accurately in the purchasing system.
• Select, where appropriate, the most commercially or operationally advantageous goods or services from agreed and contracted catalogues.
• Review documents and data (e.g. incoming requisitions, past purchases, reconciliations, inventories, etc.) for the purpose of ensuring completeness and accuracy of purchasing process.
• Maintain accurate records and follow up files of purchases, shipments, and related matters.
• Maintain files of descriptions of available supplies where appropriate.
• Works within established processes and key performance indicators as agreed by the Supply Chain Manager.
• Liaison with other teams and colleagues.
• Data collation and report creation using Oracle Reporting tools or central support functions.
• General office administration duties; including documenting invoices, updating spreadsheets and filing.
• Other ad hoc duties as required.

Qualifications:

• Experience with Purchasing "Procure to Pay" systems such as Oracle Fusion of SAP by Design.
• Proven ability to manage supplier relationships against contractual obligations.
• Ability to demonstrate negotiation skills and meeting savings targets.
• Experience with collecting, validating and managing data to provide written reports.
• Strong communication skills: both spoken and written.
• Attention to detail in relation to purchasing and procurement policy, process and office administration duties.
• Keen organisation skills in regards to logical filing and record keeping - both paper and electronic.
• IT literate - able to use Purchase to Pay systems and MS-Office packages confidently
• Ability to deliver work to set targets.
• Self-motivated - able to work unsupervised; uses own initiatives to ensure effective outcome.
• Willingness to travel as required by the business.