South Lanarkshire Council

Manage procurement projects for local government services, including purchasing goods, negotiating contracts, evaluating suppliers and ensuring compliance with public sector procurement regulations.An exciting opportunity has arisen for a number of self-motivated individuals to join the Procurement Service at South Lanarkshire Council as a Trainee Procurement Officer(s) (Graduate). This "hands-on" role requires the development of a broad knowledge of purchasing and negotiation to assist in delivering our daily procurement activities.Working within a dedicated, fast-paced team, you will manage your own procurement projects from day one with the full support of a mentor and line manager. The Service aims to develop highly trained professionals capable of working proactively within a challenging and evolving public sector environment. As part of your professional development, you will be expected to undertake a course of study leading to the Level 4 Diploma from the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS).The Procurement Service is led by 2 Procurement Advisors, whose areas of responsibility consist of:Social Work, Education, Finance & Corporate and IT, andHousing & Technical, and Community & Enterprise. The Procurement team manage the contract requirements of all Council goods, works and services, including construction, social care commissioning and IT contracts. The successful candidates could be placed in either team. You will be interacting with colleagues from across the Council, to understand their requirements, and guide them through an appropriate and compliant procurement process, with the appropriate support in place.Successful candidates will commence work as Trainee Procurement Officers Grade 2 Level 2.  They will be allocated a range of projects which will allow them to build their skills and competences, in line with the Procurement Skills Matrix and Scottish Government’s National Procurement Competency Framework, to progress from Grade 2 Level 2 to Grade 2 Level 4.Once you have achieved CIPS Level 4 and Grade 2 Level 4, Trainee Procurement Officers will be allocated more complex projects, which will allow them to demonstrate that they have achieved the skillset required of Procurement Officers.RequirementsThe Successful candidates will have an honours degree, and will be able to demonstrate a genuine enthusiasm for developing a career in procurement. We would be particularly interested to receive applications from candidates with a minimum 2:1 degree in supply chain, business, procurement or law, or those with procurement or purchasing experience.Highly developed communication and analytical skills are required for this role, and some previous work experience in a commercial environment and / or administrative role is desirable, along with the ability to plan and organise a challenging workload.

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