Operational Buyer

The Role

Are you looking for an opportunity to put your organisational skills and eye for detail to good use in a supportive, fast-paced environment? 

We have an exciting fixed-term opportunity (12 months) for an Operational Buyer to join our Procurement Operations Team.   

Under the guidance of the Procurement Operations Team Leaders, you’ll play a crucial role in processing purchase requisitions into purchase orders using the University’s Finance System (SAP). You will also handle queries relating to orders, invoicing, receiving of goods/services, and vendor management — ensuring smooth, efficient, and compliant procurement operations.  

This is a varied and rewarding role, giving you the chance to: 

• Deliver procurement operations to the highest industry standards and meet departmental service levels

• Onboard appropriate, qualified suppliers for use by University stakeholders

• Build strong working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders

We’re looking for a confident communicator who is well-organised, and customer focused. Good levels of numerical and IT skills, along with time management skills, are essential to succeed in this role. 

If you're ready to begin your career in the Purchasing and Procurement team within a respected organisation, we’d love to hear from you. 

Informal enquiries are welcome and should be addressed to Rob Browell, Rob.Browell@newcastle.ac.uk 

Please ensure you upload a covering letter with your CV when applying for this role. 

Key Accountabilities

• To ensure requisitions and orders follow the requirements of the University’s Financial Regulations, Financial Procedures and Purchasing Policy and Guidance
• Contribute to the smooth running of the operational purchasing elements of the University’s SAP Finance System
• Ensure that requisitions are checked and either rejected for amendment or converted to an order in line with the purchasing rules
• Challenge end users with regards to VAT queries/category discrepancies when raising orders
• Preparing and issuing purchase orders, using standard procedures, promptly to suppliers
• Undertake vendor amendments where required, liaising with vendors and end users to ensure amendments/unblock requests are dealt with quickly and efficiently
• Assist in essential system housekeeping routines, in line with the prevailing Service Level Agreement
• Provide support for various users related to system queries and transactional processing
• Facilitate ordering through knowledge of approved contracts/suppliers and other specialist requirements for ordering e.g. specific lab supplies etc
• Liaise with suppliers, where required, to chase late or missing orders to ensure that end users receive goods/services that they request through the SAP system
• Support the work of the Procurement Operations Management team including:
  • Attend and contribute to financial operations meetings to provide advice/training on the e-Marketplace
  • Input on feedback to relevant area of Finance regarding any issues
  • Share experience/knowledge with other Operational Buyers
• Such other duties as the Procurement Hub Management Team may reasonably require

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• IT literacy, in particular Microsoft Office (Excel and Word)
• Able to work both as part of a team and on an individual basis
• Good interpersonal/customer care skills are essential in communicating with internal and external customers both by telephone, Teams and e-mail.  Ability to adapt emails/routes of communication as appropriate
• Good level of literacy and numeracy are essential in order to interpret and communicate effectively
• Ability to manage workload across a variety of tasks
• Ability to prioritise work on a daily, weekly and monthly basis

Desirable

• Knowledge of purchasing procedures
• Knowledge of SAP Systems or equivalent ERP solutions
• Recent relevant experience from a purchasing/finance/customer service environment

Attributes and Behaviour

• Gathers relevant information and facts
• Has an eye for detail, spotting errors and ensuring accurate information
• Enthusiastic and positive outlook
• Shares relevant and useful information with others
• Gets involved with team tasks
• Works in a planned and structured way
• Tailors content of communication to the audience, changing style, tone and format appropriately

Qualifications

• Educated to a minimum of 5 GCSEs grade C or above (including Maths and English) or equivalent

Desirable

• Experience in procurement