Job summary
- Main area
- Medicines Manufacturing Centre
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8a
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 319-7381189JN
- Employer
- Northumbria Healthcare - NHCT Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Northumbria Healthcare Manufacturing and Innovation Hub
- Town
- Seaton Delaval
- Salary
- £55,690 - £62,682 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 03/09/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Procurement Manager
NHS AfC: Band 8a
Do you want to work in one of the best performing NHS organisations in England? Work for an organisation that was voted the best acute and combined acute and community trust in the country, based on the experience of its staff (NHS Staff Survey 2022). Work in an organisation that supports its staff and focuses on staff experience as much as it does the experience of its patients? You can live and breathe in an area that has the cleanest air, cost effective living, great nightlife, some of the best schools with a wealth of history available on your doorstep. Sound too good to be true? Well it isn’t, this is what you get when you work for Northumbria Healthcare and, this is…the Northumbria Way!
What the Northumbria Way means for you:
- Extensive staff health and well-being programme including access to our specialist Wellbeing Hub
- Support and connection through a variety of Staff Network groups
- A range of flexible working opportunities
- Generous annual leave and pension scheme
- Access to lease car and home electronics scheme (qualifying criteria applies)
- Opportunities to improve your professional development through our vast training programmes
- On-site nursery places via salary sacrifice
- Access to savings scheme via salary sacrifice with Northumberland Community Bank
We are proud to be one of the country’s top performing NHS trusts – rated ‘outstanding’ overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). We provide a range of health and care services to support more than 500,000 people living in Northumberland and North Tyneside across the largest geographical area of any NHS Trust in England. Our teams deliver care from hospitals, a range of community venues and people’s homes. Our hospitals include a specialist emergency care hospital (the first of its kind in England), three general hospitals and community hospitals. In the community we deliver a wide range of community and public health services.
We lead in innovation and quality, having opened the Northumbria Healthcare Manufacturing and Innovation Hub during the Covid-19 pandemic and have recently launched our Community Promise – a pledge to make a real impact not just in healthcare but on the wider factors that affect people’s lives, such as education, employment and the economy.
If Northumbria Healthcare sounds like somewhere you could belong we would love to hear from you. Visit our website to catch up on our latest news.
Whilst Northumbria Healthcare are a highly innovative organisation, the use of Third Party Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a risk to the integrity of our Recruitment & Selection processes. If you use AI, and it poses a risk to the integrity your individual recruitment process, we may withdraw your application at any stage of the process.
Job overview
The Procurement Manager will play a key leadership role in the delivery of a GMP-compliant NHS manufacturing facility at the Northumbria Healthcare Medicines Manufacturing Centre (MMC).
This role is responsible for the end-to-end procurement function, including sourcing, supplier qualification, contract management, and customer service activities to ensure the timely, compliant, and cost-effective acquisition of materials and services.
The successful candidate will lead a multidisciplinary team and act as the main point of contact for procurement across the regional Provider Collaborative, supporting the MMC’s manufacturing licence, wholesale authorisation, and regulatory readiness.
The postholder will drive the development of scalable procurement systems that safeguard the NHS supply chain for unlicensed medicines, contributing directly to patient safety and service continuity.
The MMC is in its final design stages, with facility construction planned through to September 2025. Initially, staff will be employed by Northumbria Healthcare Foundation NHS Trust, with employment transferring to the Medicines Manufacturing Centre Legal Liability Partnership (LLP) upon its formation under TUPE regulations.
This is a unique opportunity to be part of a brand-new NHS manufacturing facility, helping to shape its future from day one. If you’re passionate about leadership, operational excellence, and making a real impact on patient care, we’d love to hear from you.
Main duties of the job
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Lead the procurement, administration, and customer service teams to deliver compliant, value-driven supply solutions for the MMC.
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Manage supplier onboarding, Bonafide checks, and contract compliance in accordance with GMP, GDP, and NHS procurement frameworks.
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Oversee procurement of raw materials, packaging, consumables, and contracted services in support of licensed and unlicensed manufacturing.
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Act as the primary supply chain liaison between the MMC and NHS “spoke” hospitals across the North East and North Cumbria.
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Support MHRA inspections and internal audits by ensuring procurement documentation and supplier records meet regulatory expectations.
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Deliver continuous improvement in procurement performance through data analysis, supplier engagement, and team development.
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Manage procurement budgets, authorise spend within agreed thresholds, and identify opportunities for cost improvement or risk mitigation.
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Contribute to the MMC’s strategic goals by developing future-proof procurement systems and participating in collaborative NHS procurement initiatives.
Working for our organisation
We manage three major locality hospitals at North Tyneside, Wansbeck and Hexham, plus a number of smaller community hospitals and clinics from Tynemouth to Berwick on Tweed, covering one of the largest geographical areas of any NHS trust in the country. Leading in innovation and quality – opening a state of the art Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, the first of its kind in England. Do you want to work in one of the best performing NHS organisations in England? Work in an organisation that supports its staff and focuses on staff experience as much as it does the experience of its patients? You can live and breathe in an area that has the cleanest air, cost effective living, great nightlife, some of the best schools with a wealth of history available on your doorstep. Sound too good to be true? Well it isn’t, this is what you get when you work for Northumbria Healthcare, this is the Northumbria Way! Please read ‘applicant guidance notes’ before submitting your application.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Procurement Manager will lead the development and implementation of procurement systems, supplier governance processes, and service infrastructure to support the Medicines Manufacturing Centre (MMC). This includes overseeing supplier qualification activities such as Bonafide checks, compliance documentation, and ongoing performance reviews to ensure alignment with GMP and GDP principles.
The role involves close collaboration with cross-functional departments such as Quality, Production, Finance, R&D, and Warehouse to ensure procurement strategies are fully integrated into operational planning. The postholder will represent the MMC in external forums including NHS procurement networks and the Commercial Medicines Unit, contributing to the implementation of regional frameworks and shared sourcing models.
A key aspect of the role is team development, ensuring all procurement, admin, and customer service staff are trained, competent, and aligned to the MMC’s quality system. The manager will oversee SOP development, contribute to audit readiness, and lead on supply chain risk management, including contingency planning and deviation handling.
The Procurement Manager is also expected to:
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Lead internal and external procurement audits, inspections, and investigations
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Develop performance dashboards and KPIs for procurement, stockholding, and supplier delivery metrics
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Manage digital procurement systems (e.g., PowerGate, Unit 4), ensuring data accuracy and staff proficiency
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Collaborate with IT and Finance to automate workflows, improve reporting, and enhance traceability
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Contribute to long-term commercial planning, stock forecasting, and infrastructure scaling for the MMC’s Manufacturer’s Specials Licence and Wholesale Dealer’s Authorisation
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Promote a culture of learning, improvement, and collaboration both within the MMC and across the wider Provider Collaborative
This post requires a high level of autonomy, decision-making, and leadership capability to maintain a compliant and resilient procurement function that underpins the safe manufacture and delivery of patient-critical medicines.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Degree in relevant discipline or equivalent experience in procurement or supply chain management within the NHS, pharmaceutical manufacturing, or another regulated industry
- Evidence of continuing professional development (CPD)
- Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) Level 5 or higher (or working towards)
Desirable criteria
- Postgraduate qualification in supply chain, healthcare management, or public procurement
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience managing or supervising teams, including recruitment, appraisals, and performance development.
- Significant experience managing procurement or supply chain functions within the NHS, pharmaceutical, or other regulated sectors.
- Experience conducting supplier onboarding, Bonafide checks, contract negotiation, and ongoing supplier performance management.
Desirable criteria
- Experience implementing procurement systems or digital platforms (e.g., PowerGate, Unit 4, EPIC).
- Experience working in or alongside a GMP/GDP-compliant environment.
- Involvement in inspections or audits (e.g., MHRA, NHS internal audit) relating to supply chain or materials traceability.
- Experience in procurement related to aseptic or high-cost medicines (e.g., oncology)
- Experience working within a pharmaceutical or aseptic production facility.
- Experience of setting up new procurement or customer service functions from scratch.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Julie Warner
- Job title
- Finance & Business Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07734 956279
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