Working across the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN), which encompasses Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and Northampton General NHS Trust, you will be an integral part of one of our four specialist category areas, delivering a first class procurement service across UHN.
This is a great opportunity for a developing procurement professional to join the Procurement team at UHN and really make a difference. We currently have vacancies in our clinical, estates & facilities and digital category management teams. Base can be discussed, but noting the requirement will be to travel between sites when required.
You will be joining a large, friendly and supportive team which offers great opportunities for career progression.
We are recruiting to either band 4 Trainee Category Assistants, or band 5 Category Assistants, dependent upon experience. The Trainee Category Assistant roles offer a guaranteed progression to the Category Assistant, once competencies have been achieved.
If you would like to progress your career in procurement, please review the job descriptions and person specifications in the advert, and if you feel you match those requirements we'd love to hear from you.
The post holder will be responsible for undertaking specific sourcing projects for defined categories, across UHN and other NHS organisations as required.
Additionally, the post holder will be expected to take a wider customer service role and champion Procurement throughout UHN, whilst offering expert procurement advise to stakeholders.
You will be responsible for working on a wide range of procurement projects, working closely with trust managers and stakeholders to develop, deliver and manage contracts, ultimately carrying out end to end procurements.
The post holder will work closely on a day to day basis with the Category Specialists and be accountable to a Category Manager.
You will be studying towards, or willing to study towards MCIPS and have the discipline to work from an agreed work plan with deadlines.
This is an excellent opportunity to develop your procurement career in a dynamic, challenging and high profile environment.
Northampton General Hospital is one of the largest employers in the area and we are on an exciting journey. All of our divisions are committed to doing things better, with more efficiency as we update, modernise, and advance. We have also entered into a Group Model with neighbouring Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and become University Hospitals of Northamptonshire.
Our Excellence Values
Compassion
Accountability
Respect
Integrity
Courage
We want to recruit the best people to deliver our services across the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire and help to unleash everyone’s full potential. As an organisation, we value how we communicate and promote our vacancies to all communities.
We are a Defence positive trust, supporting our reservists, veterans, spouses and partners.
The Hospital Group encourages applications from people who identify from all protected groups, especially those from BAME, Disabled and LGBTQ+ backgrounds as these are underrepresented in our hospitals.
We understand that we need to work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and make sure the environment they work in is inclusive and collaborative.
We have active Networks that promote and support colleagues from all backgrounds. This ensures everyone feels supported and has a sense of belonging working for Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals.
To provide a comprehensive, proactive, efficient and responsive procurement advisory and planning service across the designated specialist category area. Emphasis will be on supporting the delivery of compliant and fit for purpose contracts, showing value for money, and generating savings for the Trust in accordance with cost efficiency targets.
Following the category management strategy that provides commercial benefit and reduces risk consistent with alignment to the Group Strategies, abiding by Trust specific SFI’s, SO’s, UK legislation.
The post holder shares responsibility for undertaking complex and high value procurements and associated contract negotiations on behalf of the Group. The post holder will also liaise with other procurement and contracting authorities and other multi trust groups as appropriate.
Assisting in the management of a designated portfolio of procurement projects in line with specified category across the Group, to include goods and services in accordance with the strategic sourcing plan.
Support and assist the Category Specialist in the undertaking of Capital expenditure projects end to end, attending and chairing project related meetings where required.
Analyse customer requirements, assist in development of comprehensive specification, tender and quotation documents.
Investigate and resolve discrepancies with invoices against previously agreed contracts, along with challenging terms and conditions of contract, if not abided by by suppliers.
Issuing waivers at point of need, and ensuring these are authorised by relevant authorised signatories.
Work with the senior procurement team ensuring adoption of appropriate professional, ethical and personal standards of conduct and adherence to the standing orders and Standing Financial Instructions of the Group.
Participate in the collaborative work of the Group, developing relationships and jointly working on projects within the agreed plan.
Shadow senior colleagues in undertaking and completing procurement projects within the agreed timescales set out within the strategic sourcing plan in accordance with UK Regulations, Trust Standing Order and Standing Financial Instructions.
Support senior procurement team when required compliant route for procurements has been identified and assist in carrying these out, learning processes and documentation, in line with all SO’s, SFI’s and UK legislation.
Support in the arrangements for evaluations of new equipment, consumables or services across the Group, analysing quality and financial returns and ensuring goods and services are within set budget.
Utilise IT Technologies to support and conduct financial or usage analysis.
Assist in the setting of evaluation criteria, analyse and evaluate responses, negotiate and award contracts.
Shadow post contract monitoring and supplier debriefs.
Conduct market, supplier and product research to inform strategy and realise tactical objectives.
Undertake value for money analysis for goods and services required by the Trust and review alternative sourcing arrangements.
Actively contribute to the departments savings work plan.
Support the category management team in the development of work plan projects.
Learn to competently use the Trusts Business Intelligence tool (QlikView) to produce reports on contract coverage and savings opportunities as requested by the Senior procurement team.
Develop productive ongoing relationships with end users and develop and enhance supplier relationships.
Seek guidance in relation to requests from the customer base for new products and services across the Group.
This roles requires prolonged sitting at a workstation, with prolonged use of computer/VDU.
We support distributed and flexible working arrangements, however, subject to business needs, there may be a requirement to travel between the Kettering and Northampton Hospital sites and other sites across the Group.
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