Apprentice Material Controller

DIA-STRON LIMITED

Andover (SP10 5RG)

Closes in 25 days (Sunday 11 January 2026 at 11:59pm)

Posted on 16 December 2025

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Summary

The Apprentice Materials Controller will manage stocks of components and materials for our instrumentation builds.

Wage

£14,918.80 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age

National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

  • Salary paid monthly

Training course
Procurement and supply chain practitioner (level 4)
Hours
Monday to Friday, 9.00am - 5.00pm, with some flexi-time options.

38 hours a week

Start date

Monday 26 January 2026

Duration

1 year 6 months

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

  • Check and book in material deliveries
  • Create kits of components ready for assembly
  • Use IT to understand what components need to be purchased to create complete kits
  • Work with suppliers to ensure components are available
  • Improve processes and record keeping to help provide quick leadtimes for complete kits
  • Record keeping to support finance tracking and reporting of stocks

Where you'll work

Hikenield House
Icknield Way
Andover
SP10 5RG

Training

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

Training provider

HIGH RIDGE TRAINING

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

  • A significant portion of the training will be on the job at the workplace
  • In addition you will do c. 6 hours per week of off the job training with our training provider and self study at our offices in Andover
  • After completion of L4 the apprentice is likely to be given the option to extend their apprenticeship to a L5 or L6 (degree) qualification

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

  • English (grade 4)
  • Maths (grade 5)

Desirable qualifications

A Level in:

Business / Economics / Maths / IT (grade pass)

T Level in:

Business / Adminstration / IT (grade pass)

BTEC in:

Business / Adminstration / IT (grade pass)

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
  • Administrative skills
  • Number skills
  • Logical
  • Physical fitness

Other requirements

  • Passing a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
  • The work involves light physical activity to move and kit stock items to and from stores

About this employer

Dia-Stron in Andover, UK and Bossa Nova Vision in Los Angeles, USA (a fully owned subsidiary of DiaStron) design and manufacture instruments used in natural and synthetic fibre testing laboratories around the world. They are primarily used to test the hair care products and combine both physical and optical technologies to give the user as much data as possible to make science founded decisions.

http://www.diastron.com (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

  • Modern office environment
  • flexible working hours
  • Sharesave scheme (after qualification period)
  • 26 days paid holiday + bank holidays

After this apprenticeship

Possible career progressions are:

  • Material Controller
  • Operations Manager
  • Office Manager
  • Other career options may be available if you progress to a level 5 or level 6 apprenticeship

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

HIGH RIDGE TRAINING

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000004068.

Apply now

Closes in 25 days (Sunday 11 January 2026 at 11:59pm)

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