Purchasing Assistant Apprenticeship

Summary

Unisurge is a supplier of custom procedure packs, dressing packs, medical disposables and theatre products for healthcare professionals. They are currently looking for a Purchasing Assistant apprentice to join their team.

Wage

£18,000 a year

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Training course

Procurement and supply assistant (level 3)

Hours

Monday - Friday, between 9:00-17:00.

37 hours 30 minutes a week

Start date

Monday 7 July 2025

Duration

2 years

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

Main duties:

Deal with all telephone enquiries in a prompt and efficient manner.
Collect and organise sustainability questionnaires from vendors, the verify environmental credentials of suppliers (e.g., certifications, waste policies), and maintain the supplier sustainability risk register.
Liaise with Contracts, Production and Warehouse departments to ensure all orders that are manufactured and delivered meet customers’ requirements. Advising the Customer Services Supervisor and Territory Manager of any issues.
Ensure back-order reports are run daily and dealt with.
Liaise with customers regarding all price discrepancies.
Assist with queries from Accounts department
Contact the transport department regarding shipment information.
Co-ordinate slow-moving stock.
Manage all standing orders, existing and expiring.
Liaise with the external sales team.
Log any complaints or returns in 24 hours. Dealing with all matters with the exception of ‘quality’ issues – providing all information on complaints relating to quality with the QC Manager.
Help draft sustainability bulletins, posters, and internal newsletters, organise sustainability training sessions or workshops for staff, and coordinate sustainability awareness events (e.g., Earth Day, Green Week).

Where you'll work

Unisurge International Ltd, Farboud Innovation Park, Formula Drive
Newmarket
CB8 0BF

Training

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

College or training organisation

WEST SUFFOLK COLLEGE

Your training course

Procurement and supply assistant (level 3)

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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.

Your training plan

The learner will be studying Procurement and Supply Assistant Level 3.
Online tutor meetings and regular day release to West Suffolk College as part of a blended learning approach.
Functional skills will be studied if equivalent qualifications are not held.
The apprentice will also benefit from Carbon Literacy Training - providing an awareness of the carbon costs and impacts of everyday activities and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions on an individual, community and organisational basis.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE or equivalent in:

Maths and English (grade 4-9)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

Communication skills
IT skills
Organisation skills
Customer care skills
Team working
Attention to detail

Other requirements

The learner must be organised and able to work in a fast-paced environment.

About this company

Established in 1988, Unisurge is a trusted manufacturer and supplier of custom procedure packs, dressing packs, medical disposable and theatre products for health care professionals. Unisurge also offers a broad range of sterile drapes, gowns and supplementary operating theatre products. The contents of each of our packs have been practitioner specified to meet the requirements of all modern surgical procedures. One of the largest custom built Ethylene Oxide sterilisation chambers in Europe gives Unisurge the ability to deliver unrivalled sterility for all our products ensuring a reduction in site infections and fluid contamination for the patients and medical staff that we are proud to serve. Technology and innovation is at the heart of everything in the business with rigorous recycling and sustainability practices and one of the largest solar electric provisions in the county. Linked to a significant investment in Information Technology, we provide a proven and trusted distribution network. Unisurge also maintains its own fleet of delivery vehicles and is able to guarantee that sterile packs arrive at their destination on time and in optimum condition. Surgical teams can be confident that all the necessary components for a procedure will be supplied, to their specification, in a sterile pack, ready for immediate use.

After this apprenticeship

The opportunity to obtain a permanent role.

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