Procurement & Supplier Relationship Specialist

Lothian Pension Fund; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A public sector pension fund in Edinburgh is seeking a Procurement Officer to provide expert support on procurement activities. The role involves driving compliance with public sector regulations, managing supplier relationships, and contributing to the development of procurement practices. The ideal candidate will have demonstrable experience in procurement processes and an ability to build strong working relationships. This position offers a competitive salary and flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

Generous defined benefit pension scheme

Flexible working options

Employee Assistance Programme

Access to discounts and services through Salary Extras portal

Qualifications

• Demonstrable knowledge and experience of procurement processes and public sector regulations.
• Experience in contract and supplier relationship management.
• Ability to build strong working relationships across all functions.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert guidance on procurement activities and drive efficient processes.
• Support Supplier Relationship Owners in maintaining strong supplier relationships.
• Monitor contract lifecycle activities including performance and compliance checks.

Skills

Knowledge of procurement processes

Experience with Public Contracts Scotland (PCS)

Supplier relationship management skills

Ability to research procurement approaches

Strong relationship-building skills

Job description

About us

At Lothian Pension Fund (LPF), we administer the local government pension scheme (LGPS) in Edinburgh and the Lothians and are one of approximately a hundred LGPS funds in the UK. We're an asset-backed and multi-employer scheme with around £10.3 billion of assets and we were 157% funded at our last valuation in 2023. We're proud to serve over 95,400 members and 58 contributing employers.

LPF is a growing, vibrant, and exciting place to work. We offer flexible working and a blended work model, working both from home and our spacious city centre office. We have many social and wellbeing initiatives to ensure we keep our sense of community alive even during challenging times.

The continued professional development of our colleagues is important to us, so we provide access to a wide range of resources to build their expertise, skills and confidence.

The Role

To provide expert internal support and guidance on procurement activities for Lothian Pension Fund and its wholly owned subsidiaries, ensuring compliance with public sector procurement regulations, internal policies and best practice. The role will drive timely and efficient procurement processes, support Supplier Relationship Owners (SROs), and strengthen supplier relationship management and contract management. It will also contribute to the development of systems, tools, and procedures that enable consistent, commercial, and risk-aware procurement practices.

The key responsibilities will be :

• Provide expert guidance on non-regulated procurement activities and actively contribute to regulated procurement exercises working with the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) Procurement, with a focus on reducing completion times.
• Provide hands‑on support to Supplier Relationship Owners (SROs) throughout procurement exercises, ensuring compliance with regulations, internal policies and best practice.
• Support SROs in fostering and maintaining strong, long‑term relationships with key suppliers to encourage collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement in service delivery, in‑line with LPF's Supplier Management Framework.
• Monitor and champion contract lifecycle activities including performance reviews, compliance checks, and timely renewals, helping to ensure contractual obligations are met and risks are proactively managed.

Collaborate with CEC Procurement and with internal teams to strengthen procurement and supplier governance practices.

• Develop and maintain procurement guides, templates and tools to promote consistent and compliant practices across LPF.
• Maintain accurate supplier records in line with regulatory and operational requirements and support the analysis and reporting of management information to inform decision‑making.
• Design, develop and deliver procurement training and awareness‑raising to build internal capability and awareness of best practice.
• Undertake any other such duties within the scope of the role as reasonably required.

What experience are we looking for?

The following requirements are essential for this role :

• Demonstrable knowledge and experience of procurement processes and public sector procurement regulations, processes, and requirements.
• Experience of using public procurement tools including Public Contracts Scotland (PCS) and frameworks such as G‑Cloud and those managed by Scotland Excel.
• Experience in contract and supplier relationship management, with an understanding of the key principles.
• Ability to research and benchmark procurement approaches used by other public sector organisations to inform internal practices.
• Ability to build strong working relationships across all functions
• Clean basic vetting checks.

How to apply and the assessment process

Please upload your CV and a covering letter, which includes a supporting statement explaining why you'd be a great fit for the role. CVs on their own won't be accepted as an application for the role.

Our core and flexible benefits

You’ll benefit from a highly competitive salary, a discretionary variable pay award and a wide range of colleague benefits, including :

• A generous defined benefit pension scheme
• A hybrid model of working, both from home and in our new office in the centre of Edinburgh
• Flexible working to support both your needs and those of our organisation
• An all‑inclusive gender‑neutral parent policy covering maternity, paternity, surrogacy, and adoption
• A free and confidential Employee Assistance Programme to support you and your family through any concerns or challenges you may face
• Award programme based on peer‑to‑peer nominations
• A cash bonus recruitment referral programme
• Access to the Salary Extras portal which offers to a range of amazing discounts and services such as a voluntary healthcare plan, gym and retailer discounts, bike to work and tech scheme

Equal Opportunities (including our support for Public Sector Equality Duty)

Lothian Pension Fund is committed to promoting a diverse, equal, and inclusive culture and welcomes applications from people of all sectors of the community.

We encourage people from under‑represented communities to apply, including but not limited to those with disabilities, from minority ethnic groups, who are part of the LGBT+ community, and all those who feel their voices are not commonly represented.

If you need any adjustments to support your application, such as information in alternative formats or if you're eligible under the Disability Confident Scheme please contact us and we'll do everything we can to help.

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