V05061 - Higher Apprentice Supply Chain
BAE SYSTEMS PLC
Cumbria (LA14 1AF)
Closes on Saturday 28 February 2026
Posted on 11 November 2025
Contents
Summary
Our Submarines business has been safely delivering world class submarines to the UK Royal Navy for more than a century. The Astute class will equip the Royal Navy with its largest and most capable generation of attack submarines. We are responsible for the design, build, test and commissioning of these state-of-the-art vessels.
- Wage
-
Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
We offer a competitive salary with annual increases throughout the apprenticeship and a range of employee benefits including, free higher education as well as access to the Company pension and share saving scheme
- Training course
- Procurement and supply chain practitioner (level 4)
- Hours
-
Shifts to be confirmed.
37 hours a week
- Start date
-
Monday 14 September 2026
- Duration
-
3 years
- Positions available
-
10
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
- Responsible for coordinating demand, buying products, managing suppliers and ensuring our inventory is safely stored and maintained
- Raising purchase orders for multi-million-pound contracts, reviewing supplier risk portfolios and developing creative storage solutions
- Working in a fast-paced environment on business-critical projects, helping deliver the right products, at the right time, at the right price
- Develop a various set of practical and technical skills within a rotation of placements
- Developing your procurement and supply expertise, gaining an excellent understanding of organisations and wider business environments
Where you'll work
BAE Systems
1st Floor, Main Shipyard Offices
Barrow-in-Furness
Cumbria
LA14 1AF
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
An apprenticeship includes regular training with a college or other training organisation. At least 20% of your working hours will be spent training or studying.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
A Level 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
- Organisation skills
- Team working
About this employer
At BAE Systems, we provide some of the world’s most advanced, technology-led defence, aerospace and security solutions. We employ a skilled workforce of more than 93,000 people in around 40 countries. Working with customers and local partners, we develop, engineer, manufacture, and support products and systems to deliver military capability, protect national security, and keep critical information and infrastructure secure.
https://careers.baesystems.com/locations/uk/apprentices (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
As well as a competitive pension scheme, BAE Systems also offers employee share plans, an extensive range of flexible discounted health, wellbeing & lifestyle benefits, including a green car scheme, private health plans and shopping discounts.
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
Approximately 95% of apprentices choose to stay on with us. As a global business there are a world of opportunities – whether you decide to stay in the UK or explore an overseas role.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
CIPS CORPORATE SERVICES LIMITED
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000000006.
Apply now
Closes on Saturday 28 February 2026
Sign in with your GOV.UK One Login to apply.
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.