Senior Buyer

Employer heading

Senior Buyer

Band 4

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest and largest NHS foundation trusts in the country, with around 15,000 staff and an annual budget of £1.6 billion.

We have a long history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, and innovation in medical research regionally, nationally and internationally.

We’re in the top five providers of specialised health services in the country, supporting people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders.

Our staff oversee around 6,500 patient contacts each day, delivering high standards of healthcare.

We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.

Newcastle Hospitals are proud to be one of the exemplar organisations across the NHS on sustainability, with a long history of delivering Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle (Shine) and the first healthcare organisation in the world to declare a climate emergency. Our strategy includes commitments to being Net Zero by 2030, for our direct carbon footprint, and Net Zero by 2040 for our footprint plus. Delivering these ambitions will not be possible without the help, support and action of every single member of our team.

Job Overview

Are you an experienced buyer looking for a rewarding role that makes a difference?

We are seeking a Senior Buyer to join our dynamic NHS procurement team. This is an exciting opportunity to support the delivery of cost-effective and high-quality healthcare services.

• Interview Date: 10 April 2025
• 37 hours 30 minutes/week
• You will be redirected to Trac to apply for the vacancy. Please expand the job details section and read all of the information before applying for the vacancy.
  
  

NO AGENCIES PLEASE

Main duties of the job

We Are Looking For Someone With

• Experience in procurement, ideally within the NHS or public sector.
• Good knowledge of public procurement regulations.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills.
• The right qualities and experience to lead a team of buyers
• The ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• A CIPS qualification (or working towards one) is desirable.
  
  

In return we can offer

• A flexible and hybrid working model to support work-life balance.
• Career development opportunities within the NHS.
• A supportive and inclusive team environment.
• NHS pension and generous annual leave entitlement.
  
  

If you’re passionate about procurement and want to contribute to the NHS’s vital work, we’d love to hear from you

Working for our organisation

Our staff oversee around 6,500 patient contacts every day, delivering high standards of healthcare from the following sites:

• Freeman Hospital
• Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)
• Health Innovation Neighbourhood (on the former Newcastle General Hospital and Centre for Ageing and Vitality site)
• Newcastle Dental Hospital
• Newcastle Fertility Centre
• Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria
• Northern Genetics Service
• Cramlington Manor Walks
  
  

These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS.

We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.

Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under ‘Documents to download’ or ‘Supporting documents’.

For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

• To manage a small team of buyers, responsible for order processing and customer service activity relating to a group of requisitioning departments.
• Ensure that targets are met by the buying team in respect of ‘requisition to order’ lead time.
• Ensure that goods/services ordered are progressed and delivered to the requisitioning department in a timely manner.
• Ensure that invoice queries relating to orders placed by the team are resolved satisfactorily within set target times.
• Ensure effective communication between requisitioning departments and the buying team.
  
  

Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first month’s pay.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

Person specification

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• A detailed understanding of a computerised ordering system, preferably Oracle
• An understanding of the workings of Accounts Payable and General Ledger systems in relation to accruals and the payment of invoices
• An Ability to provide professional advice and guidance to customers
• An excellent knowledge of products and suppliers used within the NHS
  
  

Skills

Essential criteria

• Good interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work with colleagues at all levels in the organisation
• Good planning and organisational skills
• Good numeric and literacy skills
• Experience of working in a team
  
  

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience in the Supplies Department of a large complex organisation, preferably within the NHS.
  
  

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• An appropriate Professional Purchasing qualification, NVQ 3 (Purchasing), CIPS, or equivalent experience.
  
  

Desirable criteria

• European Computer Driving Licence qualification or equivalent e.g. Microsoft Office Skills Training
  
  

Important note on completion of reference section of Application Form

All references from current and previous employers will be sought and must cover a minimum of 3 years employment. Therefore, when completing the reference section of your application form, please give the address, telephone number and work email address of each of your current/previous line managers that cover 3 years employment. Failure to complete this section may result in your application not being processed.

Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first month’s pay.

Candidates who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e-mail. You should check your SPAM folders as well as your inbox. If you have not been contacted within 4 weeks of the closing date you should assume your application has been unsuccessful.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Documents to download

• Job Description (PDF, 264.4KB)
• Person Specification (PDF, 32.7KB)
• Newcastle Staff Benefits (PDF, 274.4KB)
• Behaviour and Civility Charter (PDF, 93.8KB)
  
  

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name Lorraine Lowrie Job title Purchasing Manager Email address lorraine.lowrie@nhs.net