Senior Buyer

Wessex-Nhs-Procurement-Limited; Southampton; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 31,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous NHS pension

NHS terms of service and annual leave

Employee benefits platform

Job summary

Wessex NHS Procurement Limited (WPL) in Southampton is seeking a Senior Buyer (Band 4) to lead a procurement team across UHS & HHFT, delivering cost improvements and compliant ordering. The role involves cataloguing, supplier liaison, and developing staff through training and process improvements.

The post is based at Royal South Hants Hospital with potential work from Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital. NHS pension benefits apply.

Qualifications

• Experience in procurement with good IT and communication skills.
• Ability to develop negotiation skills and cataloguing to improve buying processes.
• Team-based role requiring sociable, outgoing professional demeanor.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a Buyers team across UHS & HHFT to maximise CIP savings.
• Ensure requisitions and orders follow procedures; liaise with customers and suppliers.
• Support the Procurement Operations Lead and Strategic Procurement on work-plans.
• Train staff and maintain up-to-date procedures.

Skills

IT skills

Communication skills

Leadership

Negotiation

Education

CIPS Foundation Diploma in Purchasing & Supply (Level 3)

GCSE Maths & English

CIPS membership or equivalent

Tools

P2P systems

Job description

Employer Wessex NHS Procurement Limited Employer type NHS Site Royal South Hants Hospital (see Job Overview) Town Southampton Salary £28,392 - £31,157 Pro Rata, Per Annum Closing 16/10/2026 23:59 Interview date 03/11/2026

Senior Buyer

Band 4

Job overview

Wessex Procurement Limited (WPL) i s delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Please see below for detailed job description of the role.

Job Title: Senior Buyer

Contact: Permanent

Under current Home Office rules, this role is not eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship.

Please note: This role is based at Royal Hants Hospital but may also require you to work fromBasingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital.

Main duties of the job

This is a great opportunity for a person starting a career within Procurement, you will have a good IT and Communication skills, keen to learn, enthusiastic and outgoing in a professional manner. Our aim is to work closer with the Procurement Managers and Specialist’s developing negotiation skills, identifying items that could be catalogued so the buying process can be actioned more efficiently saving time & expense. If you have a sociable side, there is a team within WPL who arrange online quizzes and days out which you would be more than welcome to join in with.

As a Senior Buyer, you will manage a team of Buyers across UHS & HHFT to maximise cost improvement programme (CIP) benefits. You will also ensure all goods and services are ordered in accordance with laid down procedures including the processing of requisitions, orders and liaising with customers and suppliers to ensure best practice and best value. Supporting the Procurement Operations Lead, Buyers, and Strategic Procurement team in the delivery of work-plans arising from procurement strategy.

Working for our organisation

At WPL, we play a key role in supporting the NHS in Hampshire, delivering end-to-end procurement and supply chain services for University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. As a wholly owned subsidiary of both Trusts, WPL offers the opportunity to contribute to the wider NHS family and improve healthcare services across the region.

Our services include strategic sourcing, value creation, tendering, contract management, inventory oversight, distribution, and materials management across Southampton, Basingstoke, Winchester, and Andover. Joining WPL means being part of a dynamic, forward-thinking team, working alongside stakeholders to drive innovation, efficiency, and value.

Employee Benefits:

• Generous NHS pension scheme
• NHS terms of service and annual leave
• Access to an employee benefits platform offering discounts on groceries, high street shopping, family outings, holidays, and more

Southampton offers an excellent quality of life, located on the south coast with an international airport and direct train links to London. The area boasts the stunning New Forest National Park, beautiful beaches along the Jurassic Coast, and living costs around 20% lower than London. With 14 Ofsted-rated “Outstanding” schools, it’s a great place to live and work.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main Duties:

Responsible for the Operations team to deliver a customer-focused and efficient service in the purchasing of goods and services.

Day to day to management of a team, including a range of HR procedures which may include attendance, performance and appraisals.

Undertaking training for the team in relevant procedures and processes. Ensuring procedures and processes are kept up to date.

Plays a key role in the induction and training of new staff.

Plans own workload and team’s workload to ensure all order requests are processed, queries resolved, and catalogues reviewed as required

Ensures all reports are produced for line manager within specific time frames

Budget and Resource management .

Support the team with CIP opportunities and catalogue management.

Responsible for recording savings made using appropriate procedures

Responsible for sourcing suppliers for goods and services in line with user department requirements.

Training of Trust staff on e-procurement tools.

Communication

Negotiates with suppliers and other external organizations to maximize value for money and cost improvement opportunities

To communicate with suppliers to provide specific information in the form of a pre-purchase questionnaire in relation to procedures for purchasing medical equipment

Establish, maintain, and manage supplier relationships where appropriate

Provide support and assistance for charity / donation purchases and work with Finance and Charity departments to ensure all purchases are aligned with Trust protocol

Communicate delays and discrepancies with customers, ensuring they are handled efficiently and appropriately

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

To assess customer requirements for appropriate method of ordering and distribution (i.e., urgency/quality/price/supply route etc)

Analyses financial and purchasing data to determine best value for money option

To assess problem situations and determine in conjunction with customer or supplier the most appropriate method of resolution

To understand and analyse spend information on specific products or services and relay the information to customers

Identifies opportunities for contracting or tendering.

Work closely with user departments to review goods and services purchased

Policy and Service Development

Works according to laid down policies and procedures, suggesting amendments where feasible.

Monitors supplier performance against contract KPI’s (costs, quality, delivery timescales etc) and standing orders in conjunction with user departments.

Assists the procurement lead with the development and implementation of departmental policies and procedures

Information Resources

Enters data onto purchase ordering system and ensures orders are processed as per procedures

Produces data on pricing information for comparison and informs customers

Checks stock and availability information, ensuring goods are ordered using the appropriate method

Ensure contract documentation compliance using the contracts register

Uses e-tendering, contract and supplier management tool to undertake and manage mini competitions

Facilitates and supports continuous improvement in Catalogue system

Research and Development

Audits and surveys operations team work activities to ensure compliance with targets

Undertakes market analysis to identify alternative suppliers which are able to offer the trust cost efficiencies with no detrimental clinical impact.

Guides customers with regards to obtaining value for money within financial and purchasing procedures

Discusses and agrees solutions to order/delivery queries with customers and suppliers

To communicate any discrepancies in relation to products and services ordered with customers and category leads

Establish, maintain and manage internal stakeholder relationships to ensure effective service delivery

Person specification

Qualifications / training required

• CIPS Foundation Diploma in Purchasing & Supply (level 3) or able to demonstrate equivalent knowledge skills and experience
• Passed GCSE Mathematics and English
• Member of CIPS or equivalent

Previous or relevant experience necessary

• Previous experience of buying in a procurement environment
• Market and supplier / product knowledge including Procedures, catalogue management and contract law
• Track record of achieving cost reductions
• Previous experience in a customer service environment
• Experience in supporting the management of team members
• Procure to Pay system knowledge
• Supply chain knowledge

Requirements

• Training experience
• Working knowledge of public sector procurement processes
• Experience supervising or line managing staff

Please be advised that this vacancy may close earlier than stated if we receive a large number of applications. We will not accept any applications or queries via agencies, under any circumstances.