Buyer/ apprentice buyer

Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust

This job is now closed

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic, motivated and professional member of staff to join our busy Procurement Team. You will be working in an experienced operational procurement team supporting our 1000+ users of the Oracle SBS system and helping the day-to-day purchase to pay process to run smoothly enabling divisional staff to focus on service users' care.

We have a vacancy for a buyer but can accommodate someone with experience and transferrable skills or an apprentice.

We are looking for a team player with a strong customer focussed approach. You will need good communication skills, be well organised and proficient in the use of Microsoft packages, Excel and Word.

For the band 3 buyer role you will have experience of using financial or purchase to pay systems. You need to be able to demonstrate commercial awareness. Previous experience of working within either procurement, finance or the NHS is desirable. Either order processing, catalogue management or system administration would be good starting points to be able to apply for this role.

The apprentice will be supported to study for the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) Level 4 Diploma as part of this role. CIPS Level 4 is a vocationally related qualification recognised generally as the standard for the procurement profession. This may also be available for the buyer role.

Main duties of the job

The postholder will provide an effective and efficient purchasing service to end users within the Trust. This will entail processing orders correctly and promptly using the P2P system and catalogue system.

The role includes the influencing of individual purchases to achieve cost savings and identifying usage trends to set up new contracts.

To act as an ambassador for the department, influence end user's choice of products and make sure all queries and complaints are dealt with in a professional and positive way.

For medium value contracts for goods, service, equipment/plant maintenance the postholder will organise the purchasing activity. The postholder will encourage and facilitate the use of electronic procurement and users' compliance with the Trust Standing Financial Instructions.

The operational buyer role is an essential role in the in the purchase to pay process

They will also be responsible for

*Act as a backup for the routing of non-PO invoices.

*Setting up small to medium contracts.

*Will act as the Trust travel booking specialist

*Use the Trust credit card when appropriate

About us

Are you committed to providing remarkable care and service?

Are you passionate about helping people and want to make a difference every day?

We want to meet you!

Southern Health is one of the largest Foundation Trusts in the UK, specialising in mental health, adult and child community health and learning disabilities. We are committed to promoting the welfare and safeguarding of children, young people and adults at risk of abuse and neglect through our 6,500 strong workforce.

Southern Health has over 300 sites across the county and we serve 1.5 million people throughout all stages of their lives. Our aim is to work alongside the people we support (and our health and care partners) to deliver the best possible care and constantly improve.

Here at SHFT we have so much to be proud of:

Working as a team and supporting each other, we put patients and our staff at the heart of everything we do.
We have a skilled and diverse workforce and are committed to our staff development, offering bespoke training packages, leadership pathways and career opportunities.
We offer a variety of benefits such as an amazing pension scheme, generous annual leave, Childcare Choices scheme, many discounts (Blue Light card, The Company Shop, NHS Staff Discounts, cycle to work scheme) and much more.

Come to work with us, together we will provide outstanding treatment and care to improve lives.

Date posted

31 October 2022

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£21,730 to £23,177 a year based on full time hours

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

345-CORP-N-852B

Job locations

Tatchbury Mount

Calmore

Southampton

Hampshire

SO40 2RZ

Job description

Job responsibilities

Requisition Processing

*Enable timely and accurate processing of requisitions to orders with line with KPIs and to meet users' deadlines

*Provide verbal guidance to requisitioners and bring to their attention the written guidance / procedures available to enable them to raise requisitions and pay invoices. Refer users to the Helpdesk for further support and training where required.

*Complete quotation exercises as required.

*Set up new suppliers as required/requested

*Negotiate with suppliers and user departments to ensure optimum value for money. Ensure a full audit trail is available.

*Research alternative products to meet user needs and deliver best value and persuade users to trial more affordable consumables

*Action urgent requests to ensure product availability to facilitate delivery of front-line services, and adjusting priorities to meet users' needs

*Where users have selected a supplier, but better value can be achieved from a different supplier ensure the user is informed of the proposed switch

*Ensure all orders are checked for accuracy prior to dispatch to suppliers

*Identify where the use of catalogues would be beneficial.

*Liaise with suppliers over details of orders to meet users' needs

*Respond to enquiries and ensure user requests for update of progress on orders are actioned promptly in line with KPIs.

*Seek to develop productive ongoing relationships with end users and suppliers to deliver best quality and good value.

Enable and Support E-Procurement

*Identify frequently ordered items via the non-catalogue route which should instead be added to catalogues.

*Work closely with user departments to ensure they fully utilise services available building relationships with users in order to increase purchase order activity.

*Ensure maximum use of available catalogues.

*Maintain the NHS Supply Chain catalogue, ensuring products are available for replenishment, liaising with Category Managers and Procurement Negotiators as appropriate