Graduate Procurement Officer

Are you looking to start your Procurement journey? Are you looking for a supportive, Great Place to Work with opportunities to develop and progress?

We’d love you to join our team!

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Graduate Procurement Officer to join our expanding organisation to work alongside experienced procurement professionals within the Contracting team. We are looking for a highly organised professional with a positive attitude, dedicated to achieving excellence in public sector procurement. In return, we will guide you through a comprehensive development plan, give full support towards becoming a Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (MCIPS) and opportunities for growth and career progression.

Who are we?

Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC) is a not-for-profit purchasing consortium and we produce compliant purchasing frameworks and provide specialist advice on spending practices and value for money. Our longstanding history and dedication has earned CPC a reputation for excellence, which has allowed us to support public sector organisations with a combined non-pay spend of £441m throughout the 2023/24 financial year alone.

What’s the role?

Working within the Contracting team and reporting to a Procurement Manager, you will be responsible for supporting the end-to-end procurement cycle for various agreements within either the Product, People or Place categories. You will be responsible for supporting the delivery of the whole procurement cycle from business planning, pre-market engagement, end-to-end tendering, contract management, stakeholder engagement and managing the overall performance of the agreements within the portfolio.

You will also provide a full and professional procurement service to all members, as well as current and future suppliers, covering the acquisition of any goods or services under Framework Agreements and Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPS).

What makes us different?

We're an award-winning organisation recognised and certified as a “Great place to work”. We offer a collaborative, exciting environment where your ideas are heard and valued. We provide competitive salaries, benefits, and opportunities for career development. We're making a real difference, and you can be a part of it!

This is just the beginning, we're constantly growing and evolving and we're always looking for passionate individuals who share our vision!

Job requirements

To be considered for this opportunity, your qualifications, skills & experience will include:

1. A minimum of 3 A Levels or an equivalent level 3 qualification.
2. Recently obtained a bachelor's degree of a 2:1 or above within the past two years (awarded in 2023 or 2024). We will also consider candidates who will be obtaining a bachelor's degree this year and are predicted a 2:1 or above.
3. You can manage your own diary and appreciate the impact that poor time management has on colleagues, members, and clients.
4. Be hands-on, organised, highly motivated and a self-starter with a high level of integrity; comfortable working with limited supervision and able to juggle numerous tasks and projects at one time.
5. A high level of attention to detail and a commitment to continuous improvement.
6. Ability to demonstrate high standards of verbal and written communication.
7. Ability to be flexible and respond to urgent matters with professionalism and a calm demeanour.
8. To be fully conversant with all Microsoft Office software and ability to learn and use internal and external IT systems.

In return for your dedication, we offer a wide range of benefits including:

1. Salary of up to £25,000 per annum depending on experience.
2. Generous yearly discretionary bonuses following successful probation.
3. Hybrid working – 3 days per week based from our Head Office in Salford and 2 days from home.
4. Access to a local government pension scheme, including death-in-service and ill health.
5. Opportunities to develop through our graduate development plan and through external learning with full support given to achieve MCIPS.
6. 38 days holiday, including Christmas closure and bank holidays.
7. Time off for volunteering opportunities.
8. Cycle to work scheme.
9. Enhanced leave packages such as paid sickness, carers leave, bereavement and compassionate leave and maternity pay.
10. Support for wellbeing with access to 8 mental health first aiders and the opportunity to join an Employee Assistance Programme.
11. The chance to get involved in a number of working groups, such as Equality Diversity and Inclusion, Wellbeing and Sustainability.
12. The opportunity to join our Women's, Men's and Carer's employee support networks which provide safe spaces for colleagues to share their experiences.
13. Social and employee events throughout summer and at Christmas.
14. The satisfaction of working for a charitable organisation dedicated to ‘giving back’ to the communities in which it is based and supports.
15. Free parking when onsite at our Head Office in Salford.
16. Being a part of a close-knit team which is open, supportive, and diverse.

Next Steps

To support your application for the Graduate Procurement Officer role at Crescent Purchasing Consortium, we ask that you submit a covering letter alongside your CV. Your covering letter should be no more than one page (approximately 400-500 words) and must clearly demonstrate how your skills, experience, and motivations align with the requirements of the role. You are encouraged to consider the following criteria within your letter:

1. Introduction & motivation
2. Knowledge & understanding of Public Procurement
3. Commitment to professional growth.

If you like what you’ve read, please apply today! The deadline to apply is Friday 25th April 2025. We will be shortlisting and contacting candidates between 28th April and 2nd May and interviews for this role will take place at our Head Office in Salford from 5th May until 23rd May.

Please note that VISA sponsorship is not offered for this role.

If you need any adjustments made to support your application, for example, if you require information in different formats or if you have any accessibility issues, we’re more than happy to review our processes. Please feel free to get in touch with us at peopledevelopment@thecpc.ac.uk.

As an equal opportunities employer, Crescent Purchasing Consortium is committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and does not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership. We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join us.

Please note that if you are NOT a passport holder of the country for the vacancy you might need a work permit. Check our Blog for more information.