Procurement Officer (Graduate) - 2 posts available

The main day-to-day focus of the role shall be to develop and/or manage a diverse range of Goods, Services and Works contracts in line with the Scottish Model of Procurement. The role will require active contribution towards the effective and efficient operation of the Procurement team through a range of direct and indirect procurement activities. You will be given your own work portfolio to manage in addition to providing support to other members of the team.

During the Programme, you shall provide a procurement service to a range of internal stakeholder groups, including; Estates & Technical Services; Operations Directorate; Digital Services; Human Resources; and Legal Services.

Tasks will include, for example:

• preparing tendering paperwork;
• utilising the electronic tendering system and associated electronic contract management module (PCS-T and eCM) and the Scottish Government portal for advertising contract opportunities (PCS);
• developing tender evaluation matrices and associated recommendation reports;
• undertaking contract reviews and making recommendations on whether to extend an existing contract or not;
• monitoring and measuring supplier performance; and
• exploring and obtaining added value.

The Programme shall involve a large element of ‘on the job’ training and reflective learning, with a mix of formal and informal training and development.

This will be a hybrid working role with a mix of remote and on-site working and it will, at times, require attendance at SPS headquarters or other sites as required.

Please note that SPS will be hosting a virtual drop-in session on Tuesday 8th October at 2pm. The session will last for circa 2 hours during which time interested candidates can drop in and have a chat with some of our previous Graduate Procurement Officers and member of our Management Team. If you are interested in attending please contact Chris Johnston via email: Chris.Johnston@prisons.gov.scot 

Provide support and assistance to all areas of Procurement Policy and Services Department (PPSD), primarily Contract Development (purchasing Goods, Services and Works) and/or Contract Management (pro-active management of Goods, and Services contracts).  You will be expected to deliver and/or manage your own projects or contract portfolios; always with the full support of your line manager and PPSD colleagues.

Arrange, co-ordinate and support a wide range of procurement activities including, for example: working groups/ meetings / bidders forums/debriefs / review meetings / negotiations, and draft well-constructed professional project and supporting documentation including, for example: project timetables, meeting minutes, maintain action/issues log(s), templates, tender documentation, recommendations, extension reviews, pricing reviews.

Research, analyse, present and provide information to support procurement activities in terms of contract award and/or contract management (e.g. data and sensitivity analysis, evaluation matrices, market and benchmarking information, demand management, spend information).

Support and undertake the publication, updates and communication of procurement documentation on the PCS, PCS-T and eCM websites and ensure kept up to date where contract extensions are taken.

Undertake to meet the required milestones and complete the requisite learning and development (including maintenance of a reflective learning log) as set out in the Graduate Procurement Programme.

Filing, record keeping and any other general administrative duties appropriate to this post, or required by activities undertaken.

Experience of undertaking administration tasks and producing work in an office environment or a remote, virtual setting and the ability to manage time effectively. Competent in the use of Microsoft Office packages including Word, Excel and Outlook. Essential

Experience of producing work under strict timescales and deadlines. Essential

Experience of producing documentation to a high standard which accurately reflects the process undertaken (including key issues, showing initiative creativity, resilience and commercial awareness) in order to successfully achieve positive outcomes. Essential

Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with a range of parties (internal and external) and within a team to provide advice and guidance and the ability to positively influence others to achieve desired results. Essential