Purchasing Officer - Procurement

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) is one of the largest healthcare systems in the United Kingdom, employing approximately 40,000 staff across a wide range of clinical and non-clinical professions and roles. We deliver acute hospital, primary, community and mental health services to a population of over 1.15 million people, and to a wider population of 2.2 million when regional and national services are included.

The role:

NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde is the largest Health Board in Scotland and has a trade spend with third party suppliers of approximately £900m with the Procurement Department providing a comprehensive procurement and logistics service for all Health Board functions.

We are pleased to offer a Purchasing Officer post within the Procurement Team offering an exciting opportunity to join our organisation.

The purpose of the Purchasing Officer role is to ensure the effective and timely processing and procurement of all requests for relevant suppliers and services within NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde (GG&C). They will provide tactical and transactional support within the Procurement department including purchasing activity within non-medical and medical categories, governance and assurance and purchase to pay compliance.

The Procurement Department provides a professional service across all NHS GG&C Divisions and Departments and delivers best value procurement practices and efficient processes to ensure the delivery of optimal value for money. The service is managed in compliance with NHS GGC Standing Financial Instructions, public sector procurement regulations and plays a key part in delivery of the Board’s challenging financial improvement plan.

Duration, Location, and Working Pattern:

This is a permanent post, full-time post of 36 hours per week.

The role is based at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

The shift pattern is 09:00 - 16:30

Key responsibilities:

• Efficient processing of requisitions for goods and services, assisting end users to source goods and services and advising them of the correct route to market, negotiating with suppliers, efficient processing and buying activity relating to Board-wide travel requests (air, rail, hotels), management of the Warp-it recycling programme, working between the National Distribution Centre and end users to source short/medium term product alternatives when there are shortages in order to maintain continuity of supply.
• Providing procurement support to end-users for products, works and services up to values of £50,000. This may include assessment of requirements, generation of options for end users, product/supplier identification and research, obtaining competitive quotes and/or negotiating with suppliers, or undertaking a more formal competitive quotations exercise on their behalf which requires knowledge of professional purchasing principles and procurement regulations.
• Placement of specialist purchase orders e.g. capital equipment/multi-function devices requiring financial responsibility, and also occasional placement of purchase orders via the eFinancials system and corporate purchasing cards (and associated administrative tasks). Accuracy of these orders is critical to avoid any errors appearing within various department budgets.
• Review and signing off, of electronic purchase requisitions within the Pecos purchasing system – up to a value of £5,000 – to ensure correct supplier selection and compliance with SFIs and other Procurement policies prior to budget holder approval in order to ensure that budget holders and NHS GGC more generally is obtaining best value. These goods/services will tend to non-routine therefore theoretical knowledge of how to apply procurement regulations, SFIs and Health Board policies is key.
• Working across the Finance discipline with Accounts Payable department to ensure that the purchase to pay (P2P) process operates efficiently and effectively. The Purchasing Officer will be responsible for investigating and resolving invoicing discrepancies and disputes which can require complex data analysis.

Knowledge, training, qualifications and/or experience required to do the job:

• A relevant qualification or qualifications equivalent to Level 6 or higher, on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) - https://scqf.org.uk/interactive-framework/ such as Highers, National Certificate, HNC, SVQ Level 3 and a CIPS Diploma in Procurement & Supply (CIPS Level 4 – equivalent to NVQ4 / SVQ4) or equivalent or significant relevant experience in Procurement and supply chain environment.
• Strong evidence of IT literacy, analytical and data management skills, in particular how to manage data using Microsoft Excel
• Good organisational skills and good communication skills in oral, written and presentation format.
• Good understanding of Public Procurement legislation; Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 and Health Board Standing Financial Instructions and Scheme of Delegation.
• Experience and knowledge in the field of Procurement and/or Supply Chain within a complex, multi-disciplinary environment.

What we offer:

We offer a wide range of supportive policies designed to enhance your employee journey, including a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme, Cycle to Work Scheme, bursary scheme and extensive learning and development opportunities.

As an NHS Scotland employee, you will be entitled to:

• A minimum of 27 days annual leave, increasing with length of service, plus public holidays
• Membership of the NHS Pension Scheme, including life insurance benefits
• Salary Sacrifice Car Benefit Scheme
• Development opportunities including study bursaries, e-learning and classroom-based courses
• Enhanced pay for working public holidays
• NHS discounts on a wide range of goods and services
• Confidential employee support and assistance, including counselling and psychological therapies

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, we would love to hear from you.

For an informal discussion, please contact:

Elaine Gray, Deputy Purchasing & Systems Manager, 07812 770052, Elaine.gray6@nhs.scot

Details on how to contact the Recruitment Service and the Recruitment Process: Information for candidates

This post may close early due to the volume of response. Please submit your application form as soon as possible.

AI tools like ChatGPT or Copilot can be great for planning and preparing your application, but your answers must be your own.

• Show us the real you: Your application should reflect your skills, experience, and motivations authentically.
• Use AI wisely: It’s fine to use AI for ideas or to check spelling and grammar, but don’t let it write your answers.
• Why this matters: Applications that rely on AI-generated content may be withdrawn. By applying, you confirm your responses are based on your own knowledge and achievements.

Tip: Think of AI as a helper, not a substitute. We want to understand you, not an AI tool.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) recognises the importance of work-life balance and is committed to offering a range of flexible working options where service needs allow. For roles where less than full-time hours can be accommodated, and where the tenure is listed as “various”, we encourage applications from individuals seeking flexible working arrangements. Flexible working will be included as a topic for discussion during the recruitment process.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde encourages applications from all sections of the community. We are committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion and are proud of the diverse workforce we employ.

By signing the Armed Forces Covenant, NHSGGC has pledged its commitment to being a Forces Friendly Employer. We welcome applications from across the Armed Forces Community and recognise military skills, experience and qualifications throughout the recruitment and selection process.

For application portal or log-in issues, please contact the Jobtrain Support Hub in the first instance.