Procurement Specialist

Job summary

Wessex NHS Procurement Limited is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Please see below for a detailed job description of the role.

Main duties of the job

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Procurement Specialist to join our team at Wessex NHS Procurement Ltd (WPL). This role is full-time Monday to Friday and you will be based in Southampton or Basingstoke with the option of Hybrid working and some travel to other local NHS locations required.

The role will be responsible for procurement of clinical goods and services for University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. You will work closely with others in the non-clinical team and have the opportunity to build collaborative relationships with all stakeholders to deliver new projects. This role is a strategic position where you will develop your stakeholder management skills and contracting knowledge. You will have the opportunity to support the wider clinical team on a variety of projects along with taking ownership of those in your category. You will have lots of room for career development opportunities within this role at WPL.

Please note WPL does not hold a Home Office Workers Licence and therefore unable to offer sponsorship.

About us

At WPL we play a vital role for the NHS in Hampshire providing end-to-end procurement and supply chain services for University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Wholly owned by both Trusts, at WPL you'll be part of the larger NHS family and contributing to improving healthcare across the services include strategic sourcing, value creation, tendering, contract and inventory management, distribution and materials management for hospitals in Southampton, Basingstoke, Winchester and Andover. You'll be part of a dynamic and like-minded team working with stakeholders on challenging targets to drive innovation, value and efficiency from procurement and recognise and reward your contribution, we provide a range of great staff benefits. You'll be eligible for a generous NHS pension scheme as well as all standard NHS terms of service and annual leave. Our employee benefits platform offers you discounts on a range of items, from the weekly grocery shop, high street shopping, days out with the family, and even learn more about us, visit

Job description

Job responsibilities

Currently, we have three vacancies for Procurement Specialists within the team:

Clinical Surgery, Critical Care, Theatres and Anaesthetics, Women and Newborn, Child Health and Cancer Care

This impactful role reports to Chris Buck, WPLs Procurement Manager responsible for the above categories. Chris is an extremely likeable person who has a wealth of procurement and commercial experience. Being relatively new to WPL, Chris will be developing an approach to supporting these categories and you will have the opportunity to help shape this with him. These categories involve wide stakeholder bases so Chris will require someone who enjoys networking, troubleshooting, and influencing. There will be plenty of opportunities in these category areas to deliver cost savings, influence significant improvements and deliver social value and sustainability benefits.

Clinical Cardiovascular and Thoracic, Radiology, Respiratory, Specialist Medicine, Endoscopy and Neurosciences

This stimulating role reports to Bryn Webb, WPLs Procurement Manager responsible for the above categories. The intricate nature of this work means you'll be at the forefront of innovation, shaping the future of these departments. Bryn has worked his way up through the procurement and supply teams and has significant experience working with both hospital trusts in a variety of different roles. You would be joining Bryns team with an immediate opportunity to support significant procurement activity for these vital clinical services. If you're passionate about unravelling complexity and driving meaningful solutions, this role is tailor-made for you.

Clinical Orthopaedics, Ophthalmology, Clinical Support and Medicine

This exciting role reports directly to Simon Wright, the Senior Procurement Manager. There are fascinating opportunities to deliver significant value to the trusts within these category areas. Simon is a very approachable manager who offers a supportive management style with a focus on your development. You will be responsible for providing a procurement service to and developing a strong relationship with orthopaedic stakeholders, particularly in Winchester and Basingstoke. You will work towards becoming entirely responsible for ophthalmology at both hospital trusts and as part of this process will get to work closely with our Chief Procurement Officer. There is a steep and lengthy learning curve in this role so it would best suit someone with a bit of patience and a passion for continuous personal development, but Simon Wright says that the journey will be worth it as he has been on a similar journey himself and has benefited from significant career development and support and appreciation from the wider WPL team and management.

For additional information, please refer to the candidate pack, job description and person specification.

Person Specification

Qualifications / training required

Essential

Postgraduate Diploma in Purchasing & Supply or able to demonstrate an equivalent level of knowledge, skills and experience

Expertise in Contract Management and EU Procurement obtained through further formal training and significant experience

Knowledge of professional purchasing principles

Evidence of continuous professional development

Desirable

Project Management experience or equivalent qualification

Experience of working within the public sector and working knowledge of regulations

Membership of CIPS

Previous or relevant experience necessary

Essential

Significant experience of negotiating with suppliers and customers in a large organisation and a track record of achieving significant cost reductions.

Demonstrable experience of competitive tenders/quotations.

Significant experience of negotiating contracts, with adding value activities

Sound knowledge of procurement law and contract management to be able to provide specialist advice

Experience of complex competitive tenders/quotations

Evidence to demonstrate new and innovative methods of achieving savings

Desirable

Experience and training in contract management

Proactive category management experience

Presentation skills

Able to demonstrate behaviours that meet WPL's Values

Essential

Agile

Supportive

Trusted

Engaged

Responsive