Summary

As Citizens Procurement Apprentice, you'll be key in sourcing and acquiring goods, works and services, ensuring excellent services for our customers. You'll develop essential life and soft skills, gain procurement knowledge, and have the opportunity to pursue a CIPS Level 3 Apprenticeship.

Wage

£23,080 a year

Training course

Procurement and supply assistant (level 3)

Hours

Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.00pm. Flexibility: Hybrid Working (minimum of 2-days per week in office).

37 hours a week

Start date

Monday 23 November 2026

Duration

1 year 5 months

Positions available

1

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

Work with colleagues across Citizen to understand what they need and help turn those needs into clear procurement plans.
Help lead and coordinate procurement projects for high-value contracts covering works, goods and services.
Build productive relationships with departments, customers and suppliers, keeping people informed and helping projects move forward.
Use research and information about costs, spending, markets and supply chains to help colleagues make sound decisions.
Ask questions, share advice and influence decisions so that contracts deliver quality, value and safer outcomes for customers.
Check new suppliers carefully, complete supplier set-up and help identify and raise risks before contracts begin.
Help run fair, effective tenders that meet UK procurement rules and Citizen’s policies.
Track the social value promised through contracts and contribute clear information for Citizen’s environmental, social and governance reporting.
Keep the e-Procurement Portal, Contract Register, Sourcing Plan, Benefits Register and procurement guidance accurate and up to date.
Share practical guidance and training with colleagues, customers and suppliers, and bring useful ideas from inside and outside Citizen back to the team.

Where you'll work

Unit 4040
Lakeside
Birmingham
West Midlands
B37 7YN

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

THE APPRENTICE ACADEMY LIMITED

Training course

Procurement and supply assistant (level 3)

What you'll learn

Course contents

Monitor and order products, stock, equipment and services at appropriate times using the appropriate procurement method.
Communicate to procurement's internal stakeholders, suppliers and other stakeholders in order to develop effective relationships and networks
Create, maintain and amend purchase order and contract records.
Interpret, evaluate and compare procurement information such as historical spend and usage using databases and spreadsheets.
Present findings and data in all formats e.g. mathematically, written and oral.
Determine value for money (VFM) and added value through the use of Total Cost of Ownership during the evaluation process, and apply the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) criteria to the evaluation of quotes and tenders to support the recommendation at award. This may include the inclusion of green, low carbon, sustainability, and ethical criteria.
Utilise relevant Procurement computer systems or internal databases.
Select the supplier of the most appropriate products and services for purchases within their remit and place purchase order.
Undertake appraisal of adhoc and low spend suppliers including setting them up on the purchasing system.
Effectively research and analyse demand, spend, trends, potential suppliers and industries utilising qualitative and quantitative methods.
Develop specifications of requirements and requests for quotes/tenders in line with organisational requirements.
Apply considerations of responsible procurement in evaluating potential suppliers, quotes and tenders.
Investigate and resolve purchase order, delivery and invoice queries.
Own low risk value projects such as supply contracts for stationery, personal protective equipment (PPE) or other consumables, and contribute to higher risk activities such as contracts for building services or machinery, and track, log, expedite and review outstanding orders and stock availability where applicable.
Maintain knowledge on all open orders and their status' and provide assistance to all purchasing staff e.g. expediting and feeding information back to the relevant stakeholders.
Able to consider the impact of the decision making process when interacting with the supply chain.
Able to support the contract negotiations and mini competitions with suppliers.
Monitor and order products, stock, equipment and services at appropriate times using the appropriate procurement method.
Communicate to procurement's internal stakeholders, suppliers and other stakeholders in order to develop effective relationships and networks
Create, maintain and amend purchase order and contract records.
Interpret, evaluate and compare procurement information such as historical spend and usage using databases and spreadsheets.
Present findings and data in all formats e.g. mathematically, written and oral.
Determine value for money (VFM) and added value through the use of Total Cost of Ownership during the evaluation process, and apply the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) criteria to the evaluation of quotes and tenders to support the recommendation at award. This may include the inclusion of green, low carbon, sustainability, and ethical criteria.
Utilise relevant Procurement computer systems or internal databases.
Select the supplier of the most appropriate products and services for purchases within their remit and place purchase order.
Undertake appraisal of adhoc and low spend suppliers including setting them up on the purchasing system.
Effectively research and analyse demand, spend, trends, potential suppliers and industries utilising qualitative and quantitative methods.
Develop specifications of requirements and requests for quotes/tenders in line with organisational requirements.
Apply considerations of responsible procurement in evaluating potential suppliers, quotes and tenders.
Investigate and resolve purchase order, delivery and invoice queries.
Own low risk value projects such as supply contracts for stationery, personal protective equipment (PPE) or other consumables, and contribute to higher risk activities such as contracts for building services or machinery, and track, log, expedite and review outstanding orders and stock availability where applicable.
Maintain knowledge on all open orders and their status' and provide assistance to all purchasing staff e.g. expediting and feeding information back to the relevant stakeholders.
Able to consider the impact of the decision making process when interacting with the supply chain.
Able to support the contract negotiations and mini competitions with suppliers.

Training schedule

Citizen Housing Group Limited, Birmingham Business Park. B37 7YN.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

English (grade 5 or above)
Maths (grade 5 or above)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

Communication skills
IT skills
Attention to detail
Organisation skills
Customer care skills
Administrative skills
Analytical skills
Team working
Initiative

Other requirements

N/A

Procurement Apprentice

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