Job vacancy: Senior Buyer, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, Blackpool/Lancaster

Job summary

Main area

Corporate

Grade

NHS AfC: Band 6

Contract

Permanent

Hours

Full time
Flexible working
Home or remote working

37.5 hours per week

Job ref

435-1LSC-ELHT-021-25-B

Employer: East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: One for Blackpool Teaching Hospital and One post for Moor Lane Mills, Lancaster but to work across the one LSC footprint
Town: Blackpool/Lancaster
Salary: £37,338 - £44,962 per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 12/06/2025 23:59

Senior Buyer

NHS AfC: Band 6

At East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust our vision is to be widely recognised for providing safe, personal and effective care. We currently provide high quality services and treat over 600,000 people across East Lancashire and the surrounding area. We employ over 9,500 staff, many of whom are internationally renowned and have won awards for their work.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will take direction from the Procurement Manager but also work independently and proactively to:

Work with colleagues in the procurement team to support the delivery of the procurement strategy and balanced scorecard objectives through the work plan.
Provide excellent customer service to clinicians and service users across the One LSC Procurement Trusts and customer trusts.
Lead a range of procurement projects including planning and tender selection strategies. This involves working closely with clinical and non-clinical staff in order to achieve project support and sign off recommendations.
Developing appropriate procurement documents via the tendering system and assisting in setting up the award evaluation system.
Responsible for the procurement of high value, complex contracts, ensuring appropriate project management processes are in place, status reports are compiled and EU procurement requirements are met.
Lead on commercial negotiations with suppliers in accordance with the project timescale.
Support and guide the professional and training developmental needs within the team.
Supervise a dedicated buying team aligned to a selected customer base.
Day to day management of Lead Buyer, Buyer and Assistant Buyer as required and directed by the Procurement Manager.
Support budget holders in managing their budgets for allocated projects (across the whole life cycle) and the provision of regular update reports against agreed timescales.
Contribute as part of the One LSC Procurement team to the strategy and direction needed by trusts.
Support in the delivery of the Procurement and wider One LSC Procurement strategy by ensuring it is communicated, understood and supported by budget Managers and Clinicians, so achieving the One LSC Procurement objectives and ensuring commercial arrangements are optimised throughout the member Trusts.
Lead on the uptake of local benefit from collaborative arrangements with all collaborative partners.
Ensure compliance with statutory and local policies/standards/procedures throughout the procurement process.
Co-ordination of quotations and tenders ensuring that there is compliance with Trust Standing Orders and Standing Financial Instructions
Identify and deliver projects and efficiencies to achieve agreed performance targets.
Working closely with partner Trusts, to analyse spend, control expenditure, understand markets and identify savings opportunities.
Ensure that all contracts data is captured on the One LSC Procurement wide contract register.
Record efficiencies in the form of savings from budget and inflation/cost-avoidance.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

Good general standard of education including Mathematics and English Language – GCSE level or equivalent
Degree or diploma level graduate (CIPS or procurement related) or equivalent relevant experience.
Good knowledge of professional purchasing principles and commercial acumen.

Desirable criteria

Vocational courses appropriate to the post.
Willingness to undertake further appropriate study

Experience

Essential criteria

Experience of working within a procurement or operational purchasing team.
Experience of working with clients/stakeholders to deliver projects or agreed service level.
Experience of working in busy, target driven team.
Buying experience within a large multi-functional organisation.
Experience of managing staff.

Desirable criteria

Experience of working within a, Finance or Accountancy team
Experience of working with suppliers

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria

IT literate with well-developed skills for the use and application of information technology systems (especially MS Office products)
Good communication and skills (written & oral) with the ability to work positively with colleagues.
Evidence of complex analytical and problem solving skills with a focus on delivering results.
Team work and some leading experience
Strong purchasing and supply chain expertise, and ability to demonstrate success in achieving VFM
Tendering and project management experience.
A good 'people person' able to effectively influence and persuade people.

Desirable criteria

Understanding of EU Procurement Law.
Experience of NHS/government.
Sound knowledge of public sector finance procedures/legislati on.
Large ‘blue chip’ private sector experience.
Advanced knowledge of MS Excel.

Personal Attributes

Essential criteria

Commitment to continuous improvement of: Self; Team, and; LPC performance.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
Strong negotiation skills.
Effective presentation skills.
Strong team player/team skills.
Good organisational and administrative skills.
Good motivator and a positive attitude towards change and development
Ability to cope under pressure.

Desirable criteria

Leadership and delegation skills

Other

Essential criteria

Must be a car driver and able to work between sites.
Able to flexibly work across all Trust locations as required by the service.
Flexibility and adaptiveness to the changing needs of the service

Dear Potential Applicant,

It is important you are made aware of the following as regards your application to East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

Please note that the salary advertised is for full time hours. If this post is less than 37.5 hours per week, the salary will be pro-rata. For posts on Agenda for Change pay-scales, new entrants to the NHS will normally commence on the first pay point of the relevant band.
This vacancy may close before the closing date if the recruiting manager deems sufficient applications have been received. Therefore it is advised to complete your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
Please ensure you check the email account from which you apply regularly as we will use this to contact you regarding your application.
Please note that shortlisting is completed anonymously with candidates being assessed against the essential criteria for the post. Therefore only applicants, who can clearly demonstrate how they meet our person specification criteria in their application, will be short-listed.

Disclosure and Barring Scheme (DBS)

If the role you are applying for is identified as either controlled or regulated activity as defined in in the Safeguarding vulnerable Groups Act (2006) any offer of employment is provisional upon a satisfactory DBS check being obtained.

The healthcare sector is exempted from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

In line with other NHS organisations in the North West Region, the Trust is now passing the charge for undertaking a DBS check on to candidates in the event they are successfully appointed into the post for which they have applied. Candidates can choose whether to pay this over 1-3 months as a deduction from the monthly salary. However, if you are applying for a post as a BANK worker, the payment must be made in full at the time of employment checks. By applying for this vacancy you are agreeing to this undertaking in the event you are successfully appointed.

The cost of an Enhanced Disclosure will be £55.38 and for a Standard Disclosure will be £27.38.

This cost is not applicable for a Volunteer post

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The Trust is an equal opportunities employer, committed to improving the working lives of our staff and operates a 'Zero Tolerance' policy to aggression, violence, bullying and harassment. In addition, our aim is to help protect children and vulnerable adults by providing a first-class service to the recruitment of people into positions of trust.

We aim to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve.

We welcome applications from everyone irrespective of ethnic origin, gender, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, disability or social background.

We especially welcome applications from members of our black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, as we have identified that ELHT has an under-representation of BAME employees. Appointments will be made on merit.

Applicants who have a disability and meet the essential criteria for the job will be interviewed if you indicate you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme.

If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process please make the recruitment services team aware as soon as possible. By telephone 01254 732075 or email [email protected] or write to Employment Services, Parkview Offices, Haslingden Road, Blackburn, BB2 3HH