Procurement Officer

Innovate UK; Swindon; Hybrid; GBP 38,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent research & innovation organization is seeking a Procurement Officer to join their team in Swindon. This role involves supporting complex procurement projects, advising on regulations, and ensuring best practices are followed. Suitable candidates will have strong communication skills, a good education background, and a focus on customer satisfaction. Benefits include a defined pension scheme, generous leave allowance, and flexible working options.

Benefits

Outstanding defined benefit pension scheme

30 days' annual leave

Employee discounts on retail and leisure

Employee assistance programme

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Customer focused with the ability to handle stakeholder queries.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Understanding of procurement regulations and best practices.
• Proficient in Word and Excel, experience with e-sourcing desirable.
• Willingness to pursue MCIPS certification.

Responsibilities

• Support research staff on complex procurement projects.
• Provide local expertise for procurement tasks.
• Offer advice on procurement regulations.
• Update end-users on procurement policies.
• Support development of procurement skills.

Skills

Customer focused

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Commercial awareness

Word proficiency

Excel proficiency

e-sourcing applications

Education

Good general education

Job description

UK Research & Innovation

Salary: £37,841 per annum

Band: UKRI Band D

Contract Type: Open ended

Hours: Full-time (flexible working available)

Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire & Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxon (Min 2 days per week in the office, hybrid working available)

Closing Date: 4th January 2026

About The Role

UK Research & Innovation, has a mission to build a thriving, inclusive research and innovation system that connects discovery to prosperity and public good. An important part of this mission is procuring the goods, services, and partners critical to achieving these aims. If you are interested in contributing and helping to shape the UKs world class research and innovation system to benefit lives, then UKRI has an exciting opportunity for a procurement professional to join the team supporting UKRI in all its procurement activities!

As a Procurement Officer, you will be joining an established, supportive team and will be involved in a wide variety of projects ranging from Research & Development, Professional Services, and Data and Technology. You will have the opportunity to shape commercial strategy, develop your own skills & experience, and contribute to projects that may have wide-ranging positive impacts for all.

UKRI buys a wide variety of complex and sometimes unique products and services including equipment, professional services and infrastructure to support a range of end-users. The UKRI Commercial Function provides a range of commercial support to the whole organisation. The majority of its effort is focussed on the management of the whole procurement cycle including planning, sourcing and contract management in a compliant manner while providing value for money.

The Science & Technology Facilities Council has a mission to deliver world-leading national and international research and innovation capabilities. Major research and innovation campuses at Harwell, Daresbury and research facilities across the UK support fundamental research in Particle Physics, Technology, space science and many other areas.

The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), in Harwell Oxfordshire, pioneers work in areas including particle physics, scientific computing, laser development, space research, and technology which addresses some of the important challenges facing society.

Your Responsibilities

Procurement Officers, working with and reporting to Procurement Managers, support research staff on all of their complex procurement projects. Procurement Officers play a key part in ensuring that procurements are run in the correct manner and that our organisation obtains maximum benefit.

This Procurement Officer role will add to the wider, decentralised UKRI team. The role will be responsible to:

• Provide local expertise and support to end-users to undertake a range of procurement tasks (varying in both value and complexity) including sourcing and contracting;
• Provide of advice on all aspects of regulations and controls ;
• To keep local end-users up to date with UKRI procurement policy and best practice in public procurement;
• Act as initial contact and escalation route to the local Procurement Manager or Commercial Business Partner;
• Support the development of local procurement and contract management skill

Personal Specification

The below criteria will be scored during Shortlisting (S), Interview (I) or both (S&I).

Essential

• Have a good general education and qualifications; (S)
• Be customer focused, able to deal with key stakeholder questions and queries; (S&I)
• Have good interpersonal and communication skills; (S&I)
• Have good commercial awareness; (I)
• Have an understanding of the context and meaning of terms and conditions; (I)
• Have a good level of skills with Word & Excel and it is desirable to have used e-sourcing applications. (S&I)
• Some experience in a commercial or procurement environment is desirable along with a willingness to work towards MCIPS (S&I)

Benefits

• An outstanding defined benefit pension scheme.
• 30 days' annual leave in addition to 10.5 public and privilege days (full time equivalent).
• Employee discounts and offers on retail and leisure activities.
• Employee assistance programme, providing confidential help and advice.
• Flexible working options.

Plus, many more benefits and wellbeing initiatives that enable our employees to have a great work life balance!

For Further Information On Our Benefits Please See Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

Please apply online, if you experience any issue applying, please contact .

Please note, if you will require sponsorship to work in the UK, as part of your sponsorship application, you and any dependants travelling with you, will be required to pay costs directly to The Home Office for the application before you start your role with us. UKRI is normally able to reimburse some, or all of these fees after you have become an employee and this can be discussed with the Hiring Manager. For more information, please visithttps://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/how-much-it-costs or contact .