Procurement Officer; Apprenticeship

Position: Procurement Officer (Apprenticeship)
Location: Rhondda

Salary - £31,942

Hybrid working (50/50)
Apprenticeship - Fixed-Term 2 Years Closing date for applications: 12 July 2026. We reserve the right to close this advert early if we find the right candidate, so we encourage you to apply early. Please note that an assessment centre is expected in weeks commencing 20 and 27 July 2026.About UKCEHUKCEH is a leading independent research institute with over 600 scientists studying how the natural world works.

We take a connected approach across land, water and air to understand environmental systems and build resilience for people and the planet.

About This Role Are you looking to build a long ‑ term career in procurement , or perhaps you’re exploring your career options and drawn to working for an environmental - orie n te d organisation like ours ?

We’re excited to offer a Procurement Officer apprenticeship - a great opportunity for you to build or develop your career while contributing to our mission to deliver world-leading environmental science. Within this role, you’ll gain valuable, hands-on experience in procurement within a nationally recognised research organisation, playing a part in work that has real environmental impact. Alongside your role, you’ll also work towards a Level 3 or 4 qualification with the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) - giving you a way to earn, learn , and build a meaningful career with purpose.

You’ll join a friendly and highly experienced Procurement team, bringing together a diverse breadth of knowledge and expertise . This creates an excellent environment for you to learn, grow and build your career. You’ll gain valuable experience and exposure across the full procurement cycle - from working with colleagues to understand their needs, to researching suppliers, comparing options, and supporting purchasing decisions.

You’ll also begin to build commercial awareness, learn how contracts and negotiations work, and use real data to track spend and performance. Along the way, you’ll see how procurement plays a vital role in delivering value, managing risk, and supporting sustainability.

As an apprentice, you’ll receive hands-on support and mentoring from experienced colleagues, including senior leaders and a specialist contractor, giving you exposure to a wide range of skills, perspectives and real-world procurement challenges. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn directly from knowledgeable professionals who are genuinely passionate about sharing their expertise and supporting your development every step of the way.

You’ll gain valuable insight into how organisations purchase goods and services responsibly and sustainably, while contributing from day one - helping ensure our scientists have everything they need to tackle some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. You’ll also have the chance to get involved in wider organisational initiatives, such as staff network groups and discussion panels, giving you the opportunity to share your ideas and help shape our future.

Your main responsibilities will include:

Act as a point of contact for colleagues, offering clear and practical procurement guidance

Work closely with teams across the organisation and external partners, building strong, professional relationships

Play a key role in keeping procurement running smoothly by supporting the creation and review of purchase orders

Build your knowledge of supplier management, from due diligence checks to maintaining accurate records

Help manage contracts and renewal timelines, ensuring services continue without disruption

Develop commercial awareness by researching suppliers and benchmarking pricing

Gain hands ‑ on experience of the full Procure ‑ to ‑ Pay (P2P) process using systems and data Contributing to spend analysis, reporting and KPIs, helping identify trends, improve compliance and highlight opportunities for efficiency

Supporting projects and improvement initiatives alongside senior colleagues

Contributing ideas to improve and evolve procurement processes and ways of working

Taking ownership of your work while ensuring compliance with UKCEH policies

Contributing ideas and c ontinuously developing your…