Commercial Apprentice

The Met Office

Devon (EX1 3PB)

Closes in 5 days (Sunday 8 March 2026)

Posted on 25 February 2026

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Summary

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Met Office as a Commercial Apprentice for up to 22 months commencing September 2026. This apprenticeship offers you support, training & industry recognised qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS).

Wage

£24,310 a year

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

You will have the opportunity to progress to £25,740 p/a.Your total reward package is potentially worth up to £34,675 p/a, which includes basic salary, potential corporate bonus and employer pension contributions.

Training course
Procurement and supply chain practitioner (level 4)
Hours
37 hours per week (Mon - Fri). Times to be confirmed. Hybrid working considered. As an apprentice, there is the expectation that you attend the office once a week as a minimum in addition to your study day. More information can be provided at the interview.

37 hours a week

Start date

Tuesday 1 September 2026

Duration

1 year 10 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

Your key duties:

  • Support commercial activities to ensure engagements (including contracts and partnerships) are legally and ethically compliant. This includes flow down of terms of prime contracts into business customer contracts.
  • Collating data and information to support the commercial activity under supervision.
  • Build a basic understanding of a sourcing strategy and how a strategy would apply to low value purchases and procurements.
  • As part of the commercial and procurement team, you will have the opportunity to evaluate work processes and make suggestions on improvements, manage the procurement inbox, and liaise with internal stakeholders to ensure urgent order requests are actioned.

Where you'll work

Fitzroy Road
Exeter
Devon
EX1 3PB

Training

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

Training provider

CORDIE LTD

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

  • Your qualification training will be provided virtually by Cordie Ltd, through use of Microsoft Teams group webinars and their comprehensive eLearning platform.
  • The apprenticeship has a maximum duration of 22 months.
  • The tuition schedule will be tailored to the awarding body's examination timetable and will provide flexibility to undertake all other apprenticeship requirements.
  • You will be managed by a line manager and have a mentor to offer further support. You will have off-the-job training and in-house development opportunities during your apprenticeship.
  • You will have various assessment methods, ranging from multiple choice exams and essay-based (written) exams to presentations and interviews.

More training information

You will receive 1 day p/wk (20% of your contracted working hours) to undertake apprenticeship activities. This will range from attending tuition sessions to seeking internal opportunities to develop and embed your skills into your organisation.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

  • 3x Other Subjects (grade 6 (C) or above (or equivalent))
  • English (grade 6 (C) or above (or equivalent))
  • Mathematics (grade 6 (C) or above (or equivalent))

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
  • Customer care skills
  • Problem solving skills
  • Presentation skills
  • Administrative skills
  • Number skills
  • Analytical skills
  • Logical
  • Team working
  • Initiative

Other requirements

You must be committed to your own development and training as this element forms a significant aspect of a modern apprenticeship.

Before applying, we recommend you consider if the delivery method suits your learner needs. We would also recommend you look at the information about the apprenticeship on the training providers' website as well as researching the requirements of an apprenticeship to help you decide whether an apprenticeship is right for you.

About this employer

From science to technology, from meteorology to management, and from planning to communication, our expertise helps us stand out as the authority on weather accuracy and climate prediction. We help individuals, industries and government to make better decisions to stay safe and thrive.

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

  • A Civil Service pension, with an average employer contribution of 28.97%.
  • Annual Leave starting at 27.5 days (+ Bank Holidays) and rising to 32.5 days (+ Bank Holidays) after 5 years.

Disability Confident

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

You will develop skills and workplace experience in this occupation which may lead to a permanent position on successful completion of your apprenticeship or the knowledge to gain employment within the wider industry.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

CORDIE LTD

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000017784.

Apply now

Closes in 5 days (Sunday 8 March 2026)

After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.