Procurement Specialist - Oxford

Procurement Specialist jobs

The responsibilities of a Procurement Specialist will vary, depending on the company, the products or services it provides and its individual business model.

In most situations, this individual will be tasked with maintaining the right levels of stock and making sure that the goods and services are acquired at the right cost and to the appropriate quality standards.

Of course, making purchasing decisions is only one part of the role and a Procurement Specialist must also continuously monitor contracts and renegotiate them as necessary. Writing KPI reports is a common part of the job, as is finding ways to make improvements, both in terms of the company's profits and customer satisfaction.

The skills required

When applying for a Procurement Specialist vacancy, an awareness of the relevant legislation is essential, while a working knowledge of the various technologies and software packages is a must.

You should also be able to make quick - but carefully considered - decisions, negotiate effectively and build strong relationships with suppliers.

In many cases, a person in this role will also be responsible for a team. Therefore, a sense of leadership and the ability to provide training and motivation are good skills to have. Meanwhile, you'll need to be confident in dealing with any problems that may arise.

Procurement Specialist Jobs in Oxford

The county town of Oxford and famous throughout the world for its university, Oxford is actually a thriving, self-contained city with a diversity of industries not directly related to its county status or education sector. It has been a successful city for so long that its architecture spans the millennia, and since much of the most important buildings were churches, it got the name “city of dreaming spires”.

Without doubt the university and its related activities (bars, cafes, hotels, shops, theatres etc.) is the key single employer of the city, and the university heritage also plays into its thriving tourism industry. All this contributes to the thriving nature of the city, which is busy all the year round.

But a major industry just to the south east of the city centre is car manufacturing, at the Cowley BMW plant, home of the new Mini. The plant used to be the Morris Motors plant during the First World War, and this attracted a railway and other communications to serve it. During World War Two the plant made training planes for the RAF. After the war mergers and acquisitions changed the company to BMC, then British Leyland, Austin Rover, the Rover Group and finally BMW (but locals still call the factory Morris’s).

With a thriving, ever changing population and various high-tech and heavy industries, Oxford often throws up Procurement Specialist positions to help oil the wheels of commerce. It’s certainly an exciting place to live and work.

Popular locations

Discover Procurement Specialist opportunities with Cast UK

If you're looking for a position as a Procurement Specialist, the recruitment consultants at Cast UK are here to help.

The members of our team all have experience in the procurement and logistics industry and their personal knowledge of the roles and responsibilities gives them unique insight into what makes the best candidate for each role.

We take great pride in making the best matches for each vacancy and we tailor our approach according to the needs of our candidates and clients.

Cast UK works with clients and candidates in locations across the country to match the best talent to every vacancy. To find out more about how Cast UK can help you recruit a Procurement Specialist for your business or find you a job as a Procurement Specialist then contact one of our consultant team on 0333 121 3345.

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