Procurement Officer

Grade: Grade F

Salary: £34,834 rising by annual increments to £37,336 (pay award pending)

More information on salaries and progression can be found on our pay and policies page.

Hours: Full time, Monday to Friday, 37 hours per week

Location: The service encourages flexible working and is open to flexible working options. The role will be based at the Support Offices in Potterne, Wiltshire with the flexibility to work from home / DWFRS Stations / Support Offices and we would welcome a conversation with the successful candidate on what type of flexible working arrangement will work best for you. There will be a requirement to attend your base location for key activities and meetings as required including a monthly team meeting as well as project meetings as and when required at other locations.

Appointment Type: Permanent

Contact: For a chat about this post, please contact Nick Vaux, Senior Procurement Officer on 01722 691461 or email Nicholas.vaux@dwfire.org.uk after 2nd September 2024.

Closing and Interview date: The closing date for applications is Sunday 22nd September 2024 (midnight). It is intended that interviews will take place on Monday 7th October 2024 at the Support Offices in Potterne. Should you be shortlisted for interview, further details regarding the interview format will be provided before the interview date.

About the Role

Due to internal promotion, we are looking for a Procurement Officer to join the team.

The Procurement Team currently consists of two Procurement Officers, a Senior Procurement Officer and a Procurement Manager.

The successful postholder will provide support with and oversee the Procurement of goods, works and services in an ethical and legally compliant manner.

The successful postholder will be assigned dedicated categories within the Service such as Estates to provide professional procurement advice, support and guidance to for designated procurement projects.

If you have existing experience and knowledge of public sector procurement and are looking for a new role where you can provide a first-class procurement service to a range of teams, then we would encourage you to complete the application form.

As Procurement Officer you will:

• Support Managers with all aspects of procurement and tendering for designated procurement projects providing professional advice and support at all stages, to ensure that an appropriate and legally compliant process is followed throughout.
• Administer procurement systems including the e-tendering system and contracts register for designated procurement projects and contracts.
• Monitor and obtain risk and credit reports on the suppliers, as requested from the Credit and Risk Reporting System.
  Maintain a pipeline for all procurements relating to the designed categories.
• Support Managers with all aspects of contract monitoring and management for designated contracts. Ensuring standards are set, met, and maintained and appropriate processes are followed where this is not the case.

What makes you our ideal Procurement Officer:

• You will meet the essential requirements as listed on the Person Specification.
• You will have excellent communication skills with internal and external stakeholders, with the ability to build strong working relationships.
• You will have excellent attention to detail with the ability to ensure your work is completed to the highest standard, adhering to legislation, best practice and Service procedures.
• You will have good analytical and report writing skills, working frequently on spreadsheets and word documents.

For full details of the role and requirements please have a look at the Job Description and Person Specification.

Other Information:

• You must have a full current driving licence and be able to fulfil the travel requirements of the role. Use of your own vehicle will be required; however, a Service vehicle may be available. Please note Service vehicles are manual transmission only. If you are unable to drive due to a disability, we would still welcome your application and will explore any reasonable adjustments that could be put in place.
• A Standard Disclosure & Barring Service Check (DBS) clearance will be undertaken on the successful individual prior to offer of employment.
• Any offer of employment will be subject to full pre-employment checks which include identity checks, right to work in the UK, medical and receipt of satisfactory references, and an explanation of any gaps in employment in the last 3 years.
• During the period of training there may be a requirement to attend the office more frequently.
• Please click here for information relating to raising tax awareness and pension considerations when applying for a job.

We offer a wide range of employee benefits and strive to ensure that staff are valued and rewarded. For example, we offer a flexi time scheme, Local Government Pension Scheme, a generous annual leave allowance, a variety of family friendly schemes and health & well-being services.

• Generous annual leave of 29 days per annum, plus 8 bank holidays. Pro-rata amount depending on your start date. Annual leave rises to 31 days per annum after five years’ Service.
• Local Government Pension Scheme – Members benefit from a generous employer contribution.
• Long Service awards.
• Blue Light Card and local discounts.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• A variety of family friendly policies and procedures to support a good work life balance.
• Health and wellbeing initiatives including free gym access.
  Support from the Fire Fighters Charity with your social wellbeing, physical health, mental health, nursing, retirement, and support for families.
• Learning and development pathways and qualifications, allowing employees to cement their knowledge and gain new skills.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, an organisation that is passionate about changing and saving lives. Our corporate staff are absolutely vital in helping to make our communities safer and healthier.  Without them, we couldn’t do it.

As well as being one of the largest combined Fire and Rescue Services in the country we are also one of the top performing. In February 2022, inspectors from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) looked closely at our Service and graded us as ‘Good’, ‘Outstanding’, and ‘Good’ across the three inspection pillars of Effectiveness, Efficiency and People.

To find out more and apply:

Our Candidate Charter outlines the commitments we make to you when applying for a vacancy with us.

Please note we do not accept CV’s in place of application forms.

We welcome the use of AI responsibly and ethically to demonstrate your skills in your application, but please don’t allow it to overshadow your own unique voice.

While we appreciate innovative approaches, we also value authenticity. Our assessment considers both the content of the application and how it was created, ensuring fairness and inclusivity for all applicants. At the end of the day – we want YOU to work for us!

You should ensure you include satisfactory evidence in your application to demonstrate all of the areas stated as being measured at the Application Stage on the Person Specification. This will ensure you have the best opportunity of progressing to the next stage of the selection process.

We are dedicated to building a workforce that reflects the diversity of our communities and welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances.  All applications will be treated on merit and staff involved in recruitment and selection processes undertake unconscious bias training.

We are committed to the Disability Confident Scheme and guarantee an interview to applicants with a disclosed disability if they meet the minimum criteria for the post to which they are applying.  Please tell us in confidence if this applies to you, or if there are any reasonable adjustments that would help you apply for this post.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service’s recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of Adults, Children and Young People.  All staff and volunteers are expected to share this commitment.

If you hold international qualifications, you will be required to provide official evidence that shows how these compare to UK Qualifications. We will accept a Statement of Comparability from a UK organisation called ENIC which can be obtained via their website. Please note that UK ENIC charge for this service, so if you request a Statement of Compatibility, you will be required to pay for it as we are unable to reimburse you.

For further guidance on how to complete your application, please refer to the Job Application Guidance Notes. If you are experiencing difficulties completing your application or have a need to complete your application in an alternative format due to a disability, please contact HR Resourcing on 01722 691444 within plenty of time of the closing date of the position you are applying for.

Values & Behaviours Framework

Our recruitment, assessment and progression processes are based on our Code of Ethics that has been developed specifically for Fire and Rescue Services.  When recruiting, we identify the most important behaviours for the role and these are used as part of the short-listing and selection process.