Buyer

Merseywestlancs; Chorley; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional NHS trust is seeking a dedicated Buyer to join their Purchasing & Supplies Department in Chorley. The successful candidate will secure the purchase of supplies ensuring the best value while adhering to procedural guidelines. Ideal applicants will possess strong communication skills and experience within a procurement department. This role offers a competitive salary range of £24,937 to £26,598 per annum and encourages career growth within a supportive environment.

Benefits

Generous pension scheme

27 days annual leave

Access to NHS discounts

Qualifications

• Experience of working in a procurement department.
• Knowledge of Electronic Purchase Order System.
• CIPS Level 1/2 qualification or willingness to pursue.

Responsibilities

• Secure purchases representing best value for money.
• Manage supplier catalogues on purchase order system.
• Deal with queries from purchasing activity.

Skills

Ability to plan and prioritise workload

Good communication skills

Ability to co-ordinate work

Good time management

Ability to adhere to confidentiality

Education

Good level of general education (5 GCSE 'O' Levels Grade C)

ECDL Qualification

CIPS Level 1/2 or evidence of willingness to work towards

Tools

Microsoft Office

Electronic Purchase Order System

Job description

We want talented and enthusiastic people from all backgrounds to join #TeamMWL, with us you can learn, grow and develop yourself and your career, realising your true ambitions and aspirations.

Whatever you’re looking for in your career, you’ll find it here at MWL.

Site Knowsley Community College / Southport Hospital Town Knowsley Salary £24,937 - £26,598 Per Annum Salary period Yearly Closing 01/02/2026 23:59 Interview date 09/02/2026

After applying via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into our сообщения to the required. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs. You will not be able to track the progress of your application or receive messages through the NHS Jobs website, and furthermore, as an employer, we will not be able to respond to any e-mails sent to us via the NHS Jobs website. By applying for this post you are agreeing to "name of trust" transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are appointed to a post information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Job overview

We have an exciting opportunity for applicants to join us as a Buyer

The Purchasing & Supplies Department is a high performing department, accredited to Level 2 NHS Standards of Procurement, 7th in most recent (September 2019) Procurement League Tables liik winners at the 2022 Trust Awards for Excellence In Support Services.

Interview Date - Monday 9th January 2026

Main duties of the job

• To secure for customers the purchase of supplies, which represent best value for money in the context of price and quality, which should be consistent with need as and when required.
• The post holder will not receive constant, direct supervision and will require the post holder to exercise initiative in thechemical provision of service to customers with only occasional supervision and guidance.
• The post holder will be expected to perform a range of tasks operating within a team which will call for independent judgement and will be expected to operate within procedural guidelines to ensure public accountability.

Working for our organisation

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.

We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.

Our Services:

Acute Care

Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.

Primary Care

Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.

Community Services

Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.

Specialist Regional Services

We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merse პირვಮಿಟ್ಟೊಂಡಿಂ _that. http://? 

Achievements:

• Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
• National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme емло()

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

KEY DUTIES

• To secure for customers the purchase of supplies, which represent best value for money in the context of price and quality, which should be consistent with need as and when required.
• Process purchase orders via non-catalogue route on purchase order system
• Manage supplier catalogues on purchase order system
• The post holder will be required to adopt a flexible approach towards any supplies activities undertaken.
• To be aware of the markets in the post holder's commodity area so as to secure the best value for money in a dynamic supply situation and to provide customers with appropriate advice and guidance.
• Effect the purchase utilising as appropriate purchasing arrangements/contracts provided by Purchasing Organisations including, NHS Supply Chain, Crown Commercial Service, Health Trust Europe and NHS SBS CPS as part of the procurement service they provide to the Trust.
• Ensure that all relevant details are included on the requisition for the production of a purchase order.
• Deliver cost‑efficient benefits in line with departmental objectives and report these savings weekly to the Buyer Team Leader/Senior Buyer.
• Responsible for the implementation of Trust Policies which have relevance to duties and in particular Health and Safety.
• Understand appropriate legislation and guidance in terms of Corporate Governance and Standing Financial Instructions.
• Deal with any queries which result from purchasing activity and respond with appropriate advice and guidance.
• The post holder will be responsible for any returns and repairs within commodity area.
• Assist with the production of specifications, information or estimates required by NHS Supply Chain, Crown Commercial Service, Health Trust Europe and NHS SBS CPS to assist them in the provision of procurement service to the Trust.
• Purchase items in consultation with appropriate staff in so far as are relevant to commodity area.
• Post holder should have a working knowledge of different supply routes to ensure best value for money e.g. distributors such as NHS Supply Chain versus direct supply.
• Con ಹಲವುರ contribute to the maintenance of supplier catalogues and be aware of directories and other sources of information which will assist procurement.
• Interview representatives and consult sales literature in order to maintain a knowledge of products and markets.
• Assist in rationalisation and variety reduction exercises as and when required.
• Provide appropriate cover for sickness and holiday absence to other members of the purchasing team.
• Attend meetings relevant to duties and responsibilities.
• Assist in research projects and in the provision of purchasing information to colleagues and customers.
• Responsible for the implementation of Trust policies which have relevance to duties and in particular Health and Safety.
• Liaise with colleagues in the Accounts Payable Service, end users and suppliers to resolve price disputes and discrepancies that may arise relating to Supplier Invoices received.
• Assist the Senior Buyer in any quotation exercises/projects valued at between £10,000 and £50,000.
• To be responsible for any other relevant duties assigned by the Head of Purchasing & Supply or their Deputy.

CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• CIPS level 1/2 or evidence of willingness to work towards.

ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

• The post holder will be involved with the continued upkeep of the departmental contract, quotation and waiver register.
• Assist with the continued upkeep of the procedures register
• Assist with the continued upkeep of the new supplier register

TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSBILITIES

• Participate in Training and Education initiatives to assist with personal development. Training may also involve providing to Team to assist with using purchasing system or good practice around procurement. This will be on an ad hoc basis.

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

• Ensure adherence to Trust SFIs
• Clear understanding of financial governance processes

RESEARCH & AUDIT

• Maintain knowledge of supply routes

Person specification

Qualifications

• Good level of general education (5 GCSE ‘O’ Levels Grade C )
• Experience of Microsoft Office
• ECDL Qualification
• CIPS Level 1/2 or evidence of willingness to work towards.

Knowledge and Experience

• Knowledge of Electronic Purchase Order System
• Experience of working in a procurement department

Skills

• Ability to plan and prioritise workload
• Ability to co-ordinate work
• Ability to adhere to confidentiality
• Able to be flexible in approach to working hours
• Good communication skills – in an often chaotic and unpredictable environment - verbal, written, IT
• Good time management
• Good Team Player
• Able to use own Initiative

Other

• Commitment to develop self

Thank you for considering an application to work for Mersey West Lancashire NHS Trust. MWL is an exciting and forward-thinking NHS Trust who are one of the best places to work for in England.

Given sometimes we receive a high volume of applications สำหรับ}{…onde школе | job. Therefore, you are advised to apply at your earliest convenience.

The Trust may contact you during the recruitment process for your feedback on your experience. We always aim for continuous improvement in our practice.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

We actively cultivate a professional environment of fairness, equality, dignity, and respect for all individuals. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and value the unique skills, perspective and experience you bring. We are grounded in the belief that diversity enhances our collective strength, fostering innovation and excellence within our workforce. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we commit to offering an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.

If you are having difficulty completing an online application, or require any disability reasonable adjustments, to the application process, please contact [e-mail]

We also commit to offering an interview to all armed forces veterans who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate fornecedores.

The Trust operates anonymous shortlisting where no personal information about you, including your name or personal agir. No equality information is shared at any time during the recruitment process with the recruiting manager or other people involved in the decision-making process.

The equality monitoring information you provide is used in the following situations: to review our recruitment practices; where a job is limited to a specific person to verify their eligibility to apply; and to offer disability reasonable adjustments to the application process.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Following the recent update on UK immigration policy for those on a Health and Care Visa or Skilled Worker Visa, please click here to check your eligibility before applying for this post as we may be unable to provide sponsorship.

eVisa Update
For successful candidates on selected work and study visa routes, who have completed and paid for their applications will no longer receive a visa vignette in passport as evidence of their permission to enter the UK.
Instead, you will be issued with an eVisa only, which is accessed by creating a UKVI account.
Before travelling to the UK, we advise applicants to:

• Understand how to generate an eVisa share code

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

If this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Please note if applicable, applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment.

If you have not already done so, you are therefore encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service to which a small annual fee of £13 per Serialization applicable.

Flexible Working

We actively support flexible working patterns throughout MWL. Changes made to the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook mean that:

• All employees have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment.
• There is no limit on the number of requests they can make.
• Employees have the right to make requests, have them considered, regardless of the reason.

At Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, we will consider requests for flexible working. We would also encourage you to also discuss flexible working options at interview stage.

Working for Team MWL

Staff recognition is especially important to us; as well as performance reviews and appraisals编辑... we recognise staff through Employee of the month. Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.

The Trust is a non-smoking across all our sites. Failure to follow this rule could lead to disciplinary action. For more information, see the Smoke Free NHS website.

You will be expected to undertake the Trusts' commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

You must ensure that your application, including personal statements and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

The Trust will not accept applications which are found to be AI generated and will check all applications against AI detection software.

Additional Information

Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trusts Values and Behaviours which are We are KIND, We are OPEN, We are INCLUSIVE, which can be found here.

An applicant guide to help and support you with your application and what to expect during your recruitment journey can be accessed in the supporting documents.

Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team MWL very soon.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will citrate for a submission for Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service.