Procurement Officer

We are looking to appoint a Procurement Officer to join our Central Team.

About Us

The Harris Federation is a leading education charity with 51 Harris primary and secondary academies across London and Essex. The founder, Chairman and sponsor of the Harris Federation, Lord Harris of Peckham, opened our first school in 1990. We now educate some 38,000 young people and closing the gap between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers has always been a core mission. 

The Harris Federation has a track record of accomplishment in achieving success through rapid school improvement and has built an unrivalled reputation for running outstanding academies in London. 

Our central team comprises a dedicated, driven group of departments working centrally to provide support across the Federation and all of our academies. Across a multitude of key departments, we maintain an outstanding body of staff all integral to supporting central and academy finance, HR, Data, Estates management, Talent and many more.

Main Areas of Responsibility

Procurement processes and files

• To conduct Supply Chain Market Research; researching new suppliers and products, using the internet, phone and other methods where required
• Downloading of supplier bids into the Procurement Team’s eFiling system
• Responsibility for overseeing the registration of new suppliers onto myTenders
• To spot buy goods or services, ensuring delivered and accounted for correctly to relevant Academies/Departments etc.
• To maintain and update the Procurement Pipeline Excel spreadsheet for own entries and for savings achieved.
• To maintain the procurement electronic library and digital file registries available on SharePoint
• To issue, collate and consolidate information requests from stakeholders at various levels
• To liaise with the Finance department in the processing of Purchase Orders
• To maintain online catalogue of prospective suppliers for procurement team to access as and when required
• To complete credit checks for prospective suppliers and undertaking initial analysis of findings, providing feedback to the Category Team and/or Head of Procurement as appropriate.
• To undertake and execute the tendering process through to contract award for minor non-threshold level categories such as franking machines etc where the scope is relatively uncomplicated
• Monitor and manage mobile phone account liaising with academies and Federation to keep it up to date as possible and updating cross charge spreadsheet where appropriate
• Top up Bromcom text messages for academies and when required and enter details onto cross charge spreadsheet
• Keeping track and progress of several registers including contract and risk registers
• If required, manage and oversee site visits required for tender processes e.g. Cleaning site visits

Administration and diary management

• To provide administrative support to the Head of Procurement and the wider team; team calendar management, brought forward system, scanning, shredding, filing and organising documents,
• To arrange and co-ordinating supplier presentations; organising meetings rooms, receiving guests etc.
• To complete any ad hoc duties as directed by the Team or Head of Procurement
• To deal with day to day enquiries from internal and external stakeholders in a professional and timely manner
• Assist academies with their requests relating to the scheme of delegation, approval thresholds, purchase requests, benchmarking and in some instances obtaining quotes via our frameworks or recommended suppliers
• To maintain Procurement’s intranet pages
• Manage and oversee Procurement Dropboxes for academies and grant access to users

Qualifications & Experience

Essential

• A high level of computer literacy with practical knowledge and application of all Microsoft Office applications
• English and Maths GCSEs at Grade C or above
• A-Level / BTEC / HND or equivalent/similar with demonstrable experience of an office environment
• Basic commercial awareness
• Office administration experience
• Contract management experience
• Procurement process knowledge and application 

Desirable

• Previous application of eFiling systems, SharePoint and ePortals
• May be working towards CIPS certification (We can consider supporting study towards a CIPS qualification)
• Experience of working in a procurement environment

Next Steps

If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact careers@harrisfederation.org.uk to arrange a conversation with the Director.

Before applying, please download the Job Pack for full details on the job responsibilities and person specification. You will need this when completing your application.

Please note: we may hold interviews as and when applications are received and we reserve the right to offer to a candidate prior to the closing date. We only accept applications submitted online via our careers website and which are completed before the closing deadline. With this in mind, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible and advise you check the job information as per the listing on our careers site.

Rewards & Benefits

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level to senior leadership.

We look for talented individuals who share our vision for creating exceptional places of learning, and are committed to ensuring that every child in London has access to the best possible education.

In addition to the opportunities for career progression, training and development, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes our Harris Allowance, a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme, a Wellbeing Cash Plan and many other benefits.

Safeguarding Notice

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share in this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed for all applicants. Before applying, please review our Policy Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders.

Equal Opportunities

The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

As a provider of employment and education, we value the diversity of our staff and students, and all our staff are equally valued and respected. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment for our students and staff.