Co-op Academies Trust
Procurement Assistant
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Procurement Assistant – Co-op Academies Trust
Drive value, efficiency, and compliance across one of the UK's leading Academy Trusts
At Co-op Academies Trust, we're on a mission to provide exceptional education for every child. With 38 academies across the North and Midlands and ambitious plans for the future, maximizing our resources means we can invest more back into our classrooms.
We are looking for a proactive, organized, and collaborative Procurement Assistant to join our central team.
This is an exceptional opportunity for an administrative or finance professional who wants to expand their career in procurement and see their work make a tangible difference. Working under the guidance of our Procurement Manager, you will act as a vital first point of contact for our schools, providing high-quality operational support to ensure our purchasing activity is compliant, innovative, and delivers outstanding value for money. If you have sharp attention to detail, great relationship-building skills, and a desire to learn public sector procurement standards, we want you on our team.
About the Role
- Role title: Procurement Assistant
- Location: Central team (by arrangement)
- Employment type: Permanent
- Salary: Competitive package with benefits (details below)
- Working hours: Standard office hours (flexible arrangements considered)
Key responsibilities include:
Operational & Day-to-Day Support
- Act as the first point of contact for school-based teams, triaging procurement queries and guiding them on quotes vs. tenders.
- Review school-level requisitions and quotes to verify they align with the Trust’s Financial Regulations and "Value for Money" principles.
Contract & Tender Management
- Support high-value tender administration, including uploading documents to e-tendering portals, managing clarification questions, and scheduling evaluation meetings.
- Conduct due diligence checks on new suppliers, verifying:
- Insurance certificates.
- Safeguarding/DBS compliance.
- Financial stability.
- Maintain the Trust-wide Contract Register, ensuring all local school contracts are accurately recorded and tracked.
- Monitor contract lifecycles, proactively alerting the Procurement Manager and school leads 6–12 months before expiry for smooth re-procurement.
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Document Control & Supplier Management
- Manage document control to ensure signed contracts, variations, and KPIs are stored centrally for audits.
- Track supplier performance, gather feedback from schools, and support formal contract review meetings.
- Maintain the Preferred Supplier Portfolio, ensuring pricing schedules and contact details remain up to date.
Financial & Compliance Oversight
- Help resolve day-to-day disputes regarding delivery or invoicing between schools and suppliers.
- Extract spend reports from financial systems to identify:
- Trends.
- Consolidation opportunities.
- Potential cost savings.
- Assist with compliance reporting for the Finance Director and Senior Leadership Team.
Requirements
You will have:
Essential Criteria
- Administrative experience within a fast-paced office or finance environment.
- Experience working in a school, academy trust, or public sector procurement setting.
- A solid understanding of:
- Basic financial controls.
- Processes (e.g., PO systems, quotes, invoices).
- Governance and public sector accountability.
- Numerical and analytical skills with a strong attention to detail.
- The ability to organize and prioritize workloads, especially during peak periods.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the confidence to:
- Professionally answer procurement and banking queries.
- Work with HS2 teams, partners, schools, and suppliers.
- Confidence using the Google Workspace platform.
- GCSEs (or equivalent) in Maths and English at Grade C/4 or above.
Nice-to-Have Experience
- Knowledge of tender processes, supplier frameworks, and e-tendering/e-sourcing portals (e.g., OGC, Procure Plus).
- Familiarity with:
- The Academies Trust Handbook.
- DfE guidance.
- Public Contracts Regulations.
- Understanding of:
- Internal control frameworks.
- Segregation of duties.
- Experience working across multiple sites or organizations.
- Knowledge of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and sustainable procurement principles.
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Why Join Us?
All our values are based upon the values of the Co-op Group, which will inform our behaviours.
The Co-op Values
- Self-help → We solve problems ourselves responsibly.
- Self-responsibility → We learn independently and take accountabilities seriously.
- Equality → We respect diversity and ensure equal opportunities.
- Equity → We recognise and reward achievement fairly.
- Democracy → We engage in ideas to create a collective success.
- Solidarity → We achieve more through collaboration.
Our Ethical Values ("Ways of Being")
- Succeed together
- Do what matters most
- Be yourself, always
- Show you care
Benefits
We offer a wide range of benefits and rewards to recognise your contribution:
- Co-op membership & colleague discount card (10% off Co-op Food stores)
- 31 days’ annual leave (plus bank holidays)
- Collaborative & supportive team environment
- Co-operative flexible benefits:
- Discounted line rental & broadband.
- Family care advice.
- Cycle-to-work scheme.
- Discounted gym membership & leisure activities, including:
- Merlin Entertainments (Sea Life, Legoland, etc.).
- Virgin Experience Days.
- SuperBreak & more.
- Co-operative Credit Union: Save, borrow, and earn at competitive terms.
Diversity & Inclusion
The Trust is fully committed to equality of opportunity and encourages applications from individuals regardless of:
- Age
- Disability
- Sex
- Gender reassignment
- Sexual orientation
- Pregnancy/maternity
- Race
- Religion/belief
- Marriage or civil partnerships
For more information, visit: www.coopacademies.co.uk.
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