Apprentice Supply Chain & Operations Administrator
SURFACHEM LIMITED
Leeds (LS1 4BA)
Closes in 7 days (Thursday 6 August 2026 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 29 July 2026
Contents
Summary
Provide administrative support across purchasing, warehouse and production operations, ensuring accurate D365 transactions, stock integrity and efficient operational processes.
- Wage
-
£19,000 a year
- Training course
- Customer service practitioner (level 2)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday 9am until 5pm- 1 hour unpaid lunch- hours can be flexible
35 hours a week
- Start date
-
Monday 7 September 2026
- Duration
-
1 year
- 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
As our Supply Chain & Operations Administrator, you’ll provide essential administrative support across purchasing, warehouse and production, helping to ensure materials, stock and operational processes run efficiently and accurately.
- Create, maintain and expedite purchase orders using D365
- Liaise with suppliers, transport providers and internal teams to ensure materials are received on time
- Coordinate Goods In bookings and process warehouse documentation, including Certificates of Analysis
- Process stock receipts, transfers, production transactions, repacks and authorised stock adjustments
- Support production administration by ensuring manufacturing documentation and transactions are completed accurately
- Carry out routine stock reconciliations, investigate inventory variances and assist with cycle counts and annual stocktakes
- Maintain accurate master data and stock records to ensure system integrity
- Produce operational reports, inventory information and KPI data to support business decisions
- Provide day-to-day administrative support across the Purchasing, Warehouse and Supply Chain teams, including cover during periods of absence
- Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives that enhance operational efficiency and data accuracy
- Ensure compliance with company policies, HSQE standards and operational procedures
Your background…
- Strong administrative experience within a fast-paced environment
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Word and Excel
- Experience using D365 or a comparable ERP system
- Excellent written and verbal communication skillss
- Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise a varied workload and meet deadlines
- High level of accuracy and attention to detail
- Strong numeracy and data processing skills
Nice to have…
- Experience within a purchasing, supply chain or procurement environment
- Knowledge of stock control, inventory management and warehouse processes
- Experience supporting production or operational administration
Where you'll work
2nd Floor
2 The Embankment Sovereign Street
Leeds
LS1 4BA
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
KIRKLEES COLLEGE
Training course
Customer service practitioner (level 2)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Use a range of questioning skills, including listening and responding in a way that builds rapport, determines customer needs and expectations and achieves positive engagement and delivery.
- Depending on your job role and work environment: Use appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication skills, along with summarising language during face-to-face communications; and/or
- Depending on your job role and work environment: Use appropriate communication skills, along with reinforcement techniques (to confirm understanding) during non-facing customer interactions.
- Depending on your job role and work environment: Use an appropriate ‘tone of voice’ in all communications, including written and digital, that reflect the organisation’s brand.
- Provide clear explanations and offer options in order to help customers make choices that are mutually beneficial to both the customer and your organisation.
- Be able to organise yourself, prioritise your own workload/activity and work to meet deadlines.
- Demonstrate patience and calmness.
- Show you understand the customer’s point of view.
- Use appropriate sign-posting or resolution to meet your customers needs and manage expectations.
- Maintain informative communication during service recovery.
Training schedule
The broad purpose of the occupation is to carry out routine administration tasks that support operations.
An assistant administrator is an integral part of the team and organisation responsible for supporting the efficient organisational functions and operations.
An assistant administrator's work can include tasks such as routine data entry and providing support to team members to help ensure that daily activities are carried out within agreed timescales and quality expectations. They represent the organisation when dealing with internal and or external stakeholders.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with colleagues, supervisors, senior managers, clients, customers, contractors, suppliers, service users, and government agencies.
Within their organisation they may be asked to work with or act as a point of contact for other departments and colleagues within the organisation such as IT departments, finance and human resources. They must be able to take and respond to feedback from their supervisor in order to meet the needs of the organisation. They may have access to sensitive information respecting organisational and personal information.
You will complete an End Point Assessment this will involve the following:
- Showcase/Portfolio
- Interview
- Practical Observation
- Professional Discussion
You are given one day per week as time off to study; you will attend classes face to face and via Teams at Kirklees College in Huddersfield. The study day is a Wednesday.
More training information
The qualification will involve the candidate undertaking the following duties to meet the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours required for the Apprenticeship Standard:
Duty 1 Communicate with stakeholders, such as internal teams and external organisations, using appropriate methods and professional language. This may include letters, phone, face-to-face, e-mail, videocall, online chat functions or digital platforms.
Duty 2 Support internal or external events or meetings, in person or on line, following organisational policies and procedures.
Duty 3 Access and store information securely in line with organisational requirements for future use and recovery. For example physical and or digital filing systems.
Duty 4 Use software packages to collate, input and extract data and information in line with organisational requirements. For example updating office databases, stakeholder records or notes, finance records, CRM systems or sending mailshots.
Duty 5 Format and input data in line with organisational requirements. For example, redacting information, stakeholder details, expenses, travel and routine reports. Report or escalate errors, breaches or concerns to supervisor or line manager.
Duty 6 Provide support to team members to help ensure that activities are carried out within agreed timescales, budgets and quality expectations. For example, ordering and reporting on office resources or sourcing information. Inform line manager or supervisor on any changes, anomalies or concerns.
Duty 7 Identify, collate and handle data and information from different sources such as business, stakeholder records and delivery notes. Share securely, confidentially and in line with organisational expectations and requirements.
Duty 8 Be aware of the organisation’s priorities and activities, and how the role supports these. For example undertaking routine tasks such as presenting information and producing documents.
Duty 9 Identify issues and escalate problems to others when beyond remit.
Duty 10 Plan and review workload with supervisor to ensure best use of time to complete allocated tasks to deadlines.
Duty 11 Keep up to date with sector developments to enhance skills and follow a continuous professional development plan.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
Desirable qualifications
BTEC 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
- Customer care skills
- Problem solving skills
- Presentation skills
- Administrative skills
- Number skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Initiative
Other requirements
Following applying for this vacancy the first stage, after your initial application, you will arrange a meeting with Nichola Barnes to discuss your application. If you do not make contact your application will not progress any further.
For any further information on this vacancy please contact Nichola Barnes at Kirklees College on E-mail: nbarnes@kirkleescollege.ac.uk 07788390025
or apprenticeships@kirkleescollege.ac.uk
NO CONTACT should be made with the employer at this initial stage, the College is more than happy to help you with any queries you may have.
This vacancy may close early if sufficient applications are received. Please ensure you apply early to avoid disappointment.
About this employer
About
Delivering chemistry for a better life. Leading industry trends in chemical ingredients distribution.
Since our creation in 1981, Surfachem, a 2M Group Company, has developed into a leading distributor of surfactants and speciality chemicals.
Across a range of market sectors, we supply a broad range of speciality ingredients for industry leading manufacturers including Shell, Stepan, Lubrizol, Evonik, Solvay and Jungbunzlauer.
Our approach is to act as a synergistic link between our suppliers and customers to deliver chemistry for a better life™.
https://surfachem.com/About (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
Flexible working hours
Pension
Complementary refreshments
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
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).
There is a strong possibility that you will gain a permanent position following successful employment as well as achievement of the full apprenticeship qualification.
There may also be further apprenticeship/other training available following successful employment and achievement of the apprenticeship qualifications.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
KIRKLEES COLLEGE
Nichola Barnes
nbarnes@kirkleescollege.ac.uk
01484437054
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000044630.
Apply now
Closes in 7 days (Thursday 6 August 2026 at 11:59pm)