About this role
Job summary
The Senior Procurement Specialist (Band 6) supports the delivery of procurement for community and mental health services across multiple NHS Trusts, contributing to the implementation of procurement strategies and achievement of organisational objectives. The role involves managing defined categories of expenditure, leading sourcing and tendering activities, and delivering a portfolio of contracts to ensure value for money and compliance with procurement legislation.The post holder works autonomously while supporting the Procurement Business Partner, providing expert advice to stakeholders and acting as a lead specialist for specific procurement categories. Responsibilities include developing procurement strategies, managing supplier relationships, negotiating contracts, and overseeing contract performance to ensure quality, efficiency, and cost savings.A key aspect of the role is stakeholder engagement across clinical and non-clinical teams, using strong communication and influencing skills to drive participation in procurement activities. The role also involves project management of sourcing initiatives, maintaining procurement systems and databases, and ensuring adherence to governance, legal, and sustainability requirements.
Main duties of the job
Additionally, the post holder contributes to service improvement, policy development, and team capability building through training, coaching, and continuous professional development. Overall, the role plays a critical part in delivering efficient, compliant, and strategic procurement services that support high-quality patient care and organisational performance.
Category management & sourcingYou will take ownership of specific spend categories, analysing usage trends and market conditions to develop procurement strategies that deliver value for money. This includes leading end-to-end sourcing activities such as preparing specifications, running tenders and quotations, evaluating bids, and implementing standardisation across products and services to achieve efficiencies and compliance.Contract & supplier managementYou will negotiate contracts with suppliers to secure optimal commercial outcomes and manage contracts throughout their lifecycle. This includes monitoring supplier performance, conducting regular reviews, resolving issues, and maintaining strong supplier relationships to ensure services continue to meet organisational needs.Stakeholder engagementYou will build strong relationships with clinical and non-clinical stakeholders across multiple Trusts, providing specialist procurement advice and guidance. Using influencing and communication skills, you will ensure stakeholders engage with procurement processes and adopt compliant, standardised solutions.
About us
Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain's leading healthcare providers.
The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.
Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.
We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.
Job description Job responsibilities
Project & operational deliveryYou will manage multiple procurement projects simultaneously, from initial scoping through to contract award. This involves coordinating stakeholders, suppliers, and internal teams, maintaining procurement systems and databases, and ensuring accurate reporting and efficient processing of orders.Compliance & governanceYou will ensure all procurement activity complies with public sector legislation, contract law, and internal policies. This includes maintaining accurate records, following tendering regulations, and supporting audits and governance processes to minimise risk.
Strategy & service improvementYou will contribute to the delivery of procurement strategy and continuous improvement initiatives, including supporting key workstreams and implementing new systems or processes. You will also help develop policies and identify opportunities for innovation and efficiency.
Communication & reportingYou will communicate complex procurement information clearly through meetings, presentations, and written reports. This includes leading negotiations, facilitating stakeholder discussions, and reporting on project progress, outcomes, and savings.Team developmentYou will support the development of colleagues through training, mentoring, and sharing best practice, while also maintaining your own professional development to ensure up-to-date procurement knowledge and skills.
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.
We are dedicated to being an outstanding place to work and will work with you to get the best experience. We know flexible working is not a one size fits all and will mean something different to everyone. We are inclusive, so if you are interested in flexible working, please speak to the recruiting manager.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
High standard or general education including English and Mathematics. Relevant first degree, equivalent relevant vocational qualification, training or equivalent demonstrable experience Must have the Diploma in Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS Level 4), or equivalent relevant experience. Must have the Diploma in Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS Level 4), or equivalent relevant experience Excellent verbal, written, presentational and numerical data analysis skills Evidence of Continuous Professional Development; post education learning, or post graduate equivalent accreditation
Desirable
Management qualification Project / Change Management qualification Higher level of competency with Excel and procurement systems
Experience Essential
Experience of a customer service environment Procurement, tendering and contract management experience, competitive tenders/quotations Experience of e- tendering portal administration Negotiating with suppliers and stakeholders across an organisation and a track record of achieving cost reductions and cost avoidance Experience of leading projects within multidisciplinary teams to deliver significant change
Desirable
Experience of Procure to Pay (P2P) systems' functionality, or equivalent Practical programme or project management experience Experience of negotiating contracts in a large organisation and a track record of achieving significant cost reductions Experience of leading projects within multidisciplinary teams to deliver significant change Working knowledge of NHS and the issues facing procurement teams Training and mentoring experience
Knowledge Essential
Demonstrable knowledge of public sector procurement Specialist day to day procurement knowledge relating to a range of categories of non -pay spend Highly competent with Microsoft Applications, and tendering portals
Desirable
Working knowledge of NHS and the issues facing procurement teams Understanding and experience of how business case development and approvals add value to the procurement function and inform investment decisions A working knowledge of contract law
Skills Essential
Strong customer focus and excellent customer service skills Clearly manage priorities for self and others in order to meet specific deadlines Encourage and provide feedback to staff to aid their development Willingness to develop additional technical and specialist knowledge and skills in operational and procurement functions Communicate effectively and confidently across all clinical and non-clinical disciplines Proactively manage stakeholder requests in a timely manner, and manage expectations Learn and develop self and others Good Communication: written & oral at senior manager level Interpersonal, able to work as part of a large team Able to use initiative and work independently Well organised, able to prioritise workload Strong customer service skills Create, develop and maintain working relationships with client managers to achieve corporate and team objectives Perform as a good team player and demonstrate interactive working with financial managers Ability to understand and operate effectively within potential political sensitivities of an organisation Demonstrable skills in managing and optimising procurement systems such as Procure to Pay (P2P) and eSourcing systems
Desirable
Stakeholder analysis, engagement and management Understanding of NHS procurement landscape
Other Essential
To be able to travel effectively throughout the Trust To be aware and demonstrate the Trust Values
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name Barts Health NHS Trust
Address Ilford
London
IG3 8XJ
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.bartshealth.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)