Materials Management Assistant | Wessex NHS Procurement Limited

University Hospital Southampton NHS FT; Winchester; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare procurement organization is looking for a Materials Management Operative to handle stock management tasks for designated wards. You will be essential in coordinating inventory replenishment, liaising with suppliers, and ensuring efficient stock control. The ideal candidate will have experience with inventory systems and possess strong organizational skills. This role is based at The Winchester RHCH, and applications close on October 2, 2025.

Qualifications

• Experience in managing inventory and supplies.
• Ability to analyze stock data and optimize processes.
• Strong communication skills for liaising with suppliers.

Responsibilities

• Replenish, receipt, issue and stow stock using IMS.
• Perform cycle counts as per standard procedure.
• Advise customers and liaise with suppliers to improve service.

Skills

Inventory Management

Persuasive communication

Attention to detail

Tools

IMS systems

Job description

Wessex NHS Procurement Limited is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Please see below for a detailed job description of the role. This role will be based at The Winchester RHCH.

Please note WPL does not hold a Home Office Workers Licence and therefore unable to offer sponsorship.

Working under own initiative, the post is responsible for all aspects of the day-to-day Materials Management operation for specifically allocated wards/departments. Coordinate own workload to undertake counts to replenish stock to previously agreed levels using bar code data capture technology.

Attached you will find the person specification document which provides more detail about the essential and desirable skills and experience needed for this role. We highly recommend you review this document and use it when completing your application as these criteria are used by hiring managers as guidance during shortlisting.

For an overview of the main duties of the role please see the “Job Description and Main Responsibilities” section below. To understand the day-to-day responsibilities in more detail please read the full job description document attached.

Responsibilities

• To replenish, receipt, issue and stow stock using Inventory Management System (IMS), ensuring capture of lot number and expiry of products as required. Use IMS systems and devices to record transactional data.
• To perform cycle counts in Inventory Management System as per standard operating procedure.
• Provide advice to customers and liaise with suppliers using persuasive skills to improve performance and delivery within the supply chain service.
• To play an active role in setting up stock profiles to suit clinical requirements. Physically setting out storerooms and reflecting requirements into the computerised materials management system. Actively develops, implements and maintains managed inventory solutions into specialist areas with Stores Lead.
• Liaise with procurement to facilitate \'best value\' purchase of items required, guiding customers regarding value for money opportunities and responsible for spotting potential savings and recommending courses of action to manager, ensuring savings are recorded using appropriate methods and reported as required to the Stores Lead and relevant clinical lead.
• Raising requisitions for contracted or non-contracted items using appropriate system.
• Deliver, unpack and replenish stock to wards/departments storerooms and/or IMS systems, checking accuracy and ensuring that stock is rotated appropriately.
• To carry out “good housekeeping” duties to ensure tidiness and cleanliness of storerooms and encourage user departments to maintain the standard.
• To provide a liaison service between user departments and suppliers pursuant to providing a quality service by providing specialist supply chain knowledge to maximise clinical outputs, specialist supplier and product knowledge to staff and units as necessary.
• Effectively monitor and replenish consignment, specialised services devices (SSDP) and sale or return stocks held within departments, using applicable reports and tools in line with standard operating procedure.
• Lead and prioritise information for customers of any potential problems within the supply chain to ensure adequate stock, sourcing cost effective alternatives making available for use by the end user. Requests and acts upon data from suppliers, account managers representatives and Procurement Leads.
• Monitor stock availability, delivery times and back-orders. Identify outstanding orders using pre-defined reports and/or the online ordering system or electronic purchasing systems. Expedite orders with Procurement/supplier to minimise delays, escalating to supplies and clinical leads as appropriate.
• To ensure the receipt of credit notes or replacements for items which have been returned. Analyse departmental invoice discrepancies and implements resolution with suppliers, Procurement team and financial services.
• To maintain and update the computerised stock system and to produce and analyse reports from Inventory Management Systems. Providing advice to budget holders with recommendations for cost effective initiatives and user performance issues, e.g. make proposals to reduce stock levels or introduce more cost effective alternatives.
• To be the first point of contact for clinical staff regarding any queries/problems relating to process or procedure for the procurement of goods and services including new products and obsolete items.
• To run reports and analyse the data in order to undertake official reviews of products and stock levels, to review progress and to recommend, using persuasive influence, changes which will bring about further potential areas for development or savings and maximise cost effectiveness.
• To interrogate transactional data and analyse Materials Management statistical information to enable benchmarking, progress measurement and trends to be identified. To make suggestions regarding possible changes to the Materials Management Supervisor.
• To organize and maintain, with the user department, a plan for undertaking annual stock reviews.

This advert closes on Thursday 2 Oct 2025