Job Description

The Procurement Assistant plays a vital role in supporting the procurement team within the Procurement and Supply Chain team. This position is responsible for assisting in the acquisition of materials, equipment, and services essential for the successful completion of our projects.

The Procurment Assistant ensures that procurement activities are carried out efficiently, accurately, and in compliance with company policies and project requirements. By collaborating with suppliers and internal teams, the Procurement Assistant to maintain a reliable supply chain, contributing to the overall effectiveness and profitability of the projects.

This role requires strong organisational skills, attention to detail, and a proactive approach to problem-solving to support the procurement process and ensure timely project delivery

Responsibilities

Responsibilities

• Assist in identifying and evaluating potential suppliers to ensure a reliable and diverse supply chain.
• Request and collect quotations from suppliers for various materials and services.
• Prepare and issue purchase orders under the guidance of senior procurement staff.
• Monitor and track orders to ensure timely delivery and resolve any issues that arise.
• Assist in coordinating with inventory management to maintain optimal stock levels.
• Maintain accurate procurement records and documentation for audit and compliance purposes.
• Communicate with suppliers to follow up on orders, clarify requirements, and address any discrepancies.
• Conduct market research to stay informed about industry trends, pricing, and new products or services.
• Assist in analysing costs and identifying opportunities for cost savings.
• Ensure all procurement activities comply with relevant laws, regulations, and company policies.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

Essential

• Experience in procurement or a related field.
• Basic proficiency in procurement software and tools, understanding of supply chain management principles.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills to manage supplier relationships and collaborate with internal teams.
• High attention to detail to ensure accuracy in procurement processes and documentation.
• Strong organisational skills to manage multiple tasks and priorities.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the civil engineering sector and its specific procurement needs.
• Good analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Basic negotiation skills to assist in supplier negotiations.
• Understanding of sustainable procurement practices

#LI-SA2

Qualifications

Essential

• GCSEs with at least a grade C/4 in Maths and English

Desirable

• Working towards membership of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply

About Us

Costain helps to improve people's lives with integrated, leading edge, smart infrastructure solutions across the UK's energy, water, transportation and defence markets. We help our clients improve their business performance by increasing capacity, improving customer service, safeguarding security, enhancing resilience, decarbonising and delivering increased efficiency. Our vision is to be the UK's leading smart infrastructure solutions company. We will achieve this by focusing on blue chip clients whose major spending plans are underpinned by strategic national needs, regulatory commitments, legislation or essential performance requirements. We offer our clients leading edge solutions that are digitally optimised through the following five services which cover the whole lifecycle of their assets: future-shaping strategic consultancy; consultancy and advisory; digital technology solutions; asset optimisation and complex programme delivery. Our culture and values underpin everything we do.

Costain appreciate the time and effort taken when applying for one of our positions but, due to the high volume of responses, we are unable to provide individual feedback on candidates at application phase.

We do share individual feedback following an interview.

A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that disclose they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer.

It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people.

For more details please go to the Disability Confident website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/disability-confident-campaign