Customer Support and Assistant Buyer

Job overview

Responsible for the provision of an efficient, high quality and confidential business and procurement support service to the Hotel Services Category Team, supporting them in their key internal and external relationships and in the achievement of their objectives.  The post holder will maintain a comprehensive overview and understanding of the team’s procurement activity and proactively manage the support for the team, including the development and maintenance of pricing catalogues, category strategy, customer and supplier engagement and contract management on behalf of NHS England. The post holder will work as part of the procurement team to deliver savings to the NHS on a national basis. You will support the procurement team to ensure compliance with operational policy and processes, maintenance of departmental governance and work plan.   Responsible for significant day-to-day business management maintenance of pricing catalogues.

About NOE CPC;

North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative (NOE CPC) is hosted by Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT).   A wholly NHS owned organisation NOE CPC brings together a wealth of experience, understanding and knowledge, providing collaborative procurement and commercial solutions to the wider NHS and is one of the leading players in collaborative procurement within the NHS in England.

Main duties of the job

• Act as the first point of contact for customer, supplier, and stakeholder enquiries, managing calls, emails, and correspondence professionally and efficiently •    Build and maintain effective relationships across teams, stakeholders, and suppliers to support procurement activities and organisational objectives •    Respond promptly to enquiries, delivering a high-quality customer experience in line with agreed KPIs •    Provide guidance on procurement processes, escalating complex issues where appropriate •    Coordinate with internal teams to resolve queries and ensure timely handling of more complex requests •    Manage incoming communications, prioritising and taking appropriate action •    Support day-to-day procurement administration, including raising orders and processing invoices •    Handle and resolve routine queries and issues, referring more complex matters to senior colleagues •    Engage with suppliers and customers to encourage compliance with contractual arrangements •    Maintain confidentiality and professionalism at all times •    Welcome and assist visitors, acting as an ambassador for the organisation

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

We work with our customers both collectively and individually to build an understanding of what they and their patients need. We then use our expertise to deliver procurement, contracts and framework solutions that drive down costs and provide better customer and patient experiences.

We provide compliance through commitment and partnership, doing so by drawing on our rich and varied capabilities as well as strength of relationships with our members and suppliers. The NHS is having to change to meet expectations of better care, improved information sharing and more choice, all delivered on a tighter budget.

NOE CPC is striving to support these changes. We are part of the NHS and we understand the NHS. We recognise the challenges health organisations are facing and are committed to working with them to improve value for money and in turn support front line patient care. Our expertise in public procurement provides the support and tools necessary for making informed purchasing decisions. We aim to improve efficiency in health care organisations, save them time and money, offer flexibility and choice, and ultimately to improve the care offered to patients and service users. Our commitment to the NHS is driven by a wish to improve quality in all we do. NHS Supply Chain – Hotel Services  NOE CPC were successful is securing the opportunity to manage the NHS Supply Chain Hotel Services Tower as part of the recent restructure. This involves managing the national procurement of several categories including Paper Hygiene, Textiles, Janitorial and Pulp.

We recruit people based on their values and qualifications (where required) and believe that their lived experience is an advantage, this means that together we are as diverse as the communities we care for. Simply put, when we employ caring people who act with integrity and have the right skills, we can give those with mental health challenges, learning disabilities and neurodiversity high-quality care and support to live fulfilling lives, and make our staff feel purposeful, happy and valued. All our information is available in accessible formats. Please contact the Recruitment team [email protected]  Attached to this advert is our candidates guide to values-based recruitment and supporting guidance on how to make a successful application.  If you require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Recruitment Team or see the attached candidate guide to reasonable adjustments.  To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience you’ll need, look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the Supporting Documents heading.  So that you’re even more equipped to make an informed decision to apply to us, you’ll need to take time to read the Candidate Guide to Values Based Recruitment. This document provides you with information to help you apply.