Apprentice Procurement Assistant
ELECTORAL COMMISSION
LONDON (EC1Y 8YZ)
Closes in 12 days (Tuesday 12 August 2025)
Posted on 29 July 2025
Contents
Summary
Join the Electoral Commission as an Apprentice Procurement Assistant and take your first step into a professional career in procurement. You’ll gain hands-on experience working with our experienced team while studying towards a CIPS Level 4. This role is based in our London office with structured mentoring and a supportive learning environment.
- Wage
-
£25,963.20 a year
Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
£312 annual homeworking allowance
- Training course
- Procurement and supply chain practitioner (level 4)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday, 9am – 4:30pm, 36 hours per week (4 days in the office, 1 study day).
36 hours a week
- Start date
-
Sunday 31 August 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
- Help prepare and manage procurement documentation in line with the Procurement Act 2023
- Assist with stakeholder engagement and communication with suppliers
- Learn how to evaluate bids, manage risk, and uphold governance standards
- Support contract handovers and maintain accurate procurement records
- Participate in team activities and contribute to planning and reporting
You’ll spend one day each week studying towards a CIPS Level 4 qualification, with structured on-the-job learning and mentoring to help you apply your knowledge in real time.
Where you'll work
3 BUNHILL ROW
LONDON
EC1Y 8YZ
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
CIPS CORPORATE SERVICES LIMITED
Training course
Procurement and supply chain practitioner (level 4)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Manage relationships with stakeholders.
- Interpret business requirements by assessing the demand for the product or service.
- Undertake market analysis to establish potential routes to market.
- Conduct benchmarking to evaluate costs against industry standards.
- Prepare or contribute to the drafting of a sourcing plan which meets business needs, including corporate social responsibility factors.
- Use the organisation's documentation designed for commercial procurement processes for the supply of goods and services.
- Notify potential suppliers of proposal requirements.
- Use selection and award criteria to source requirements from external suppliers evidencing how supplier bids are evaluated against them.
- Analyse the financial implications of decisions and identify cost-saving opportunities.
- Liaise and negotiate with suppliers and stakeholders to ensure the timely delivery of purchased goods and services.
- Support contract award and briefing of suppliers in line with the organisations processes and governance.
- Monitor and manage contract performance to meet time, costs, service, and quality objectives.
- Manage contract performance and advise suppliers on any areas for improvement.
- Maintain contract documentation such as change control, version control.
- Use IT and software to produce spreadsheets and presentation packages to communicate information.
- Identify, raise, and facilitate discussions with stakeholders to resolve any issues or risks.
- Analyses sustainability challenges and risks at each stage of the product or contract life cycle.
- Manage information in accordance with policy and processes.
- Continuously review work processes to identify and eliminate inefficiencies and simplify workflow.
- Use available systems and tools to identify relevant data.
- Interpret, analyse, and evaluate data through questioning to drive actionable intelligence and support decision making.
- Use horizon scanning to identify future changes in procurement and contracting.
- Manage relationships with stakeholders.
- Interpret business requirements by assessing the demand for the product or service.
- Undertake market analysis to establish potential routes to market.
- Conduct benchmarking to evaluate costs against industry standards.
- Prepare or contribute to the drafting of a sourcing plan which meets business needs, including corporate social responsibility factors.
- Use the organisation's documentation designed for commercial procurement processes for the supply of goods and services.
- Notify potential suppliers of proposal requirements.
- Use selection and award criteria to source requirements from external suppliers evidencing how supplier bids are evaluated against them.
- Analyse the financial implications of decisions and identify cost-saving opportunities.
- Liaise and negotiate with suppliers and stakeholders to ensure the timely delivery of purchased goods and services.
- Support contract award and briefing of suppliers in line with the organisations processes and governance.
- Monitor and manage contract performance to meet time, costs, service, and quality objectives.
- Manage contract performance and advise suppliers on any areas for improvement.
- Maintain contract documentation such as change control, version control.
- Use IT and software to produce spreadsheets and presentation packages to communicate information.
- Identify, raise, and facilitate discussions with stakeholders to resolve any issues or risks.
- Analyses sustainability challenges and risks at each stage of the product or contract life cycle.
- Manage information in accordance with policy and processes.
- Continuously review work processes to identify and eliminate inefficiencies and simplify workflow.
- Use available systems and tools to identify relevant data.
- Interpret, analyse, and evaluate data through questioning to drive actionable intelligence and support decision making.
- Use horizon scanning to identify future changes in procurement and contracting.
Training schedule
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Problem solving skills
- Administrative skills
- Number skills
- Team working
- Initiative
Other requirements
Passing a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Be a UK National, or have been living legally in the UK for the last 3 years. Have not studied procurement at Level 4 previously.
About this employer
We are the Electoral Commission – the UK’s independent body overseeing elections and regulating political finance. We work to safeguard trust in the democratic process.
http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
Fully funded CIPS Level 4 apprenticeship qualification. 28 days annual leave + bank holidays. Civil Service Pension Scheme (28.97% employer contribution). Eye care vouchers, Ride 2 Work scheme. Sell up to 5 days annual leave.
Disability Confident
A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.
You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.
After this apprenticeship
On successful completion of your apprenticeship, you may have the opportunity to apply for permanent roles at the Commission or elsewhere in the public sector. The skills and qualifications gained are widely recognised across UK government and beyond.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
ELECTORAL COMMISSION
Mohamed Ahamed
procurement@electoralcommission.org.uk
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000334267.
Apply now
Closes in 12 days (Tuesday 12 August 2025)
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