Procurement Assistant Apprentice in Bishop Auckland

Do you want to work for a fantastic organisation that cares about you, your learning, your career, and your future? We’re on the lookout for an Apprentice Procurement Assistant to join our team in September 2026 for 18 months. This is a great opportunity to start your career, gaining hands‑on experience while working towards a recognised Level 3 Procurement and Supply Assistant Apprenticeship.

What this role is all about:

• As part of our Procurement team, you’ll support our team of Category Managers to deliver procurement activity across believe housing.
• You’ll help us put the right contracts and suppliers in place for the goods, services and works our teams need—while building your knowledge and skills through a mix of on‑the‑job experience and dedicated apprenticeship training.

You’ll learn on the job while getting involved in:

• Opportunities to support smaller‑value procurement projects (typically under £100k), helping you learn the end‑to‑end process in a supported environment.
• The chance to build professional relationships with internal stakeholders and suppliers, and develop clear, confident communication.
• Understanding compliance and governance (including the Procurement Act 2023), and how we achieve value for money and social value in our work.
• Ongoing contract management of procurement solutions to ensure expected outcomes are achieved.
• Carrying out contract management meetings to ensure that the operational performance and value is achieved, and the expected benefits are realised from all contractual relationships.
• Developing, implementing and operating a supplier evaluation process to be used.
• Development and implementation of social value as part of the procurement process, ensuring the delivery of social, economic and environmental benefits across the Durham community.

During your apprenticeship, you’ll gain practical experience and develop skills in:

• Helping to source goods and services by gathering requirements, requesting quotes and comparing options for value for money.
• Supporting the purchase order process (raising POs, chasing approvals and tracking deliveries) to help keep suppliers and internal teams on schedule.
• Building professional relationships with suppliers and stakeholders, responding to queries and helping resolve issues in a helpful, timely way.
• Keeping accurate procurement records and supporting purchase‑to‑pay activities (e.g., matching invoices to POs/receipts) while following policies and confidentiality requirements.
• Understanding organisational culture and development.

What we’re looking for:

• We don’t expect you to know everything — this is a learning role — but we’re looking for someone who is:
• Curious, enthusiastic and eager to learn.
• Organised with good attention to detail.
• A confident communicator, both written and verbal.
• Friendly and focused on providing great customer service.
• Comfortable working both independently and as part of a team.
• Willing to ask questions and take on feedback.
• Interested in a career in Procurement.

GCSE Maths and English at grade 4/C or above. Please note: applicants must not hold an existing qualification at the same or higher level than this apprenticeship in a similar subject.

What’s on offer?

• A competitive salary of £19,000 per annum.
• 31 days annual leave.
• Up to 4 days paid volunteering leave each year.

At believe housing, it’s more than just a job. You’ll be part of a supportive team where you can be yourself, grow your career, and make a difference to our customers’ lives.

How to apply:

If you believe you demonstrate our values and can bring something special to this role, apply now — we’re looking forward to hearing from you. Successful candidates will be invited to attend an assessment day at Coast House, Seaham, where you’ll get to meet us and we’ll get to meet you. Applications close at midnight on Monday 8 June 2026.