Network Procurement Officer | East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust; Colchester; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in Colchester is seeking a Procurement Officer to support procurement activities across diagnostic networks. You will manage operational tasks, ensure effective service delivery, and lead on strategic procurement initiatives. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in procurement or relevant qualifications. This role offers opportunities for career development, flexible working, and a generous benefits package.

Benefits

Generous pension scheme

27 days annual leave

NHS discounts

Qualifications

• Background in procurement or contracting with relevant qualifications or experience.
• Consideration for a band 5 development role for those with some procurement experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide a range of operational procurement activities.
• Lead on procurement processes ensuring best interests of the Network.
• Identify areas to improve quality and reduce costs.

Skills

Procurement experience

Contracting knowledge

Customer service

Analytical skills

Education

Relevant qualifications or substantial experience in procurement

Job description

Overview

We are looking for a Procurement Officer to join us within the East of England Diagnostic Network Team. The network team has expanded to include four diagnostic networks: Pathology, Imaging, Endoscopy and Physiological Sciences. Our collaborative approach is central to our operations, and we are committed to supporting our trusts within the procurement domain. Diagnostic networks advocate creating an environment to support all staff to develop and grow, share skills and knowledge, embrace innovation, and deliver excellence and value within our procurement activities. The ambition is to become a world class procurement function of the future.

You will provide support to the Procurement Domain lead to help deliver the array of projects within the networks and support the identification of new opportunities to deliver cost and value benefits across the network’s portfolio. You will attend, participate and present at various events, representing the procurement domain and the relevant network; therefore travel around the East of England is required.

You will have a background in procurement or contracting with relevant qualifications or substantial experience. If you have some experience in procurement, we would consider a band 5 development role. This post is until 31st March 2026. Internal applicants currently employed by ESNEFT will be offered on a secondment basis only.

Responsibilities

• Be responsible for providing a range of operational procurement activities.
• Work alongside the team and assist in the provision of a cost effective, efficient and responsive service, ensuring customer service levels are established and maintained to a high standard on a client/service provider basis.
• As instructed by the Procurement Manager, lead on procurement processes ensuring that arrangements are commercially sound and represent the best interests of the Network.
• Help to deliver agreed savings identified on the Procurement Work plan.
• Apply considerable professional judgment when leading on specific procurement activity and when advising senior managers, colleagues, staff and customers on the resolution of complex and strategic procurement issues.
• Lead in identifying areas to improve quality and reduce costs on network wide non pay spend.
• Understand the wider procurement landscape and category areas to deliver innovative opportunities to the member trusts.
• Lead multi-disciplinary network wide procurement project teams at all levels.
• Responsibility to ensure customer service levels are established and maintained to a high standard on a client/service provider basis.
• Provide supplies and procurement support, assistance and advice to the network trusts across a range of purchasing and administrative duties, with responsibility for providing procurement project support to the network across a range of service areas.

We are ESNEFT and we provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients’ own homes.

We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff. We pride ourselves on supporting our staff. We offer a wide range of training and development opportunities, as well as flexible working options. Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offers a variety of services.

Our philosophy is that Time Matters to everyone. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause time delays for our staff and patients. We are investing in our commitment to Time Matters with a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic. This digital transformation will bring what’s widely regarded as the world’s best EPR system to ESNEFT, transforming life in hospital for staff and patients.

If you are passionate about patient care and want to develop your skills and knowledge, then we want to hear from you.

Find out about living and working here - www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkPu7HphU8A

For full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description.

Closing date: 30 Sep 2025