Purchasing / Buyer Specialist

Are you an experienced Procurement professional with public sector experience looking for an exciting new role at a charity that is certified as a ‘Great Place to Work’? An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Procurement Specialist to join our expanding team and organisation. We are looking for a highly organised professional with a positive attitude, dedicated to achieving excellence in public sector procurement.

CPC is a not-for-profit charity that gives back to the education sector and a one-stop procurement shop, with a vision of being the first-choice procurement services charity that gives back to the education sector. Combining professional support, expert guidance, and resources with FREE training and development opportunities via Crescent Learning.

CPC provides a range of services which include 80+ compliant frameworks, consultancy services which can aid with every aspect of an institution's procurement journey from facilitating flexible procurement outsourcing to designing a strategic procurement package to maximise your savings.

Each year CPC's Board of Trustees review the level of reserves our charity has and any surpluses are reinvested back into the education sector via the 'Giving Back' initiative. To date over £2 million has been designated for re-investment in the form of various projects with the largest amount being used specifically for awarding non-refundable grants to CPC members supporting SEND learners, wellbeing and absenteeism in colleges, schools, academies, and universities nationwide.

We provide competitive salaries, benefits, and opportunities for career development. CPC’s Vision is to be the first-choice procurement services charity that gives back to the education sector. CPC’s Mission is to ensure our members receive outstanding procurement services.

• Customer Always: Everything we do is for the benefit of our customers, to help them provide the best service possible to their learners.
• Excellence: We are 100% committed to delivering the highest-quality services that exceed expectations, with continuous improvement at the heart of what we do.

The role is offered as a full-time or part-time position working with our clients based in the Bournemouth and Dorset region and the surrounding areas. This role will require regular travel to our clients’ premises and involves working onsite directly with our educational clients to provide a fully comprehensive procurement and tendering service. Successful applicants must be able to travel and must have public sector tendering experience.

You will be responsible for leading the process for procuring contracts for a variety of categories, including facilities, estates, finance, curriculum, ICT, and other projects and services. This role will contribute to embedding best practice, efficiency and effectiveness within procurement processes and decisions, ensuring compliance with UK procurement regulations and legislation and assisting us to achieve savings.

Reporting to the Procurement Manager, you will be responsible for offering a proactive and comprehensive service and advice on all aspects of procurement to all levels of personnel and managing relationships between our client and their diverse range of suppliers.

We are looking for someone who has procurement experience within the public sector or the education sector and knowledge of the public sector Procurement Act 2023. Salary of up to £45,000 FTE per annum depending on experience.

• Generous yearly discretionary bonuses following successful probation.
• Remote working with visits to clients onsite when required.
• Access to a local government pension scheme which includes death-in-service and ill health.
• Opportunities to develop through our in-house development programmes and through external learning with full support given to achieve MCIPS.
• 41 days holiday (including three days additional leave for Christmas holiday closure and bank holidays).
• Time off for volunteering opportunities.
• Enhanced leave packages such as paid sickness, carers leave, bereavement and compassionate leave and maternity pay.
• Support for wellbeing with access to 8 mental health first aiders and the opportunity to join an Employee Assistance Programme.
• The chance to get involved in a number of working groups, such as Equality Diversity and Inclusion, Wellbeing and Sustainability.
• The opportunity to join our Women's, Men's and Carer's employee support networks which provide safe spaces for colleagues to share their experiences.
• Social and employee events throughout summer and at Christmas.
• Has a programme of ‘giving back’ to the communities in which it is based and which it supports.
• Travel expenses paid for any additional required travelling outside of your contracted place of work.

The deadline to apply is Sunday 5th July 2026. As an equal opportunities employer, Crescent Purchasing Consortium is committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and does not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership. We are a disability confident employer so if you need any adjustments made to support your application, for example, if you require information in different formats or if you have any accessibility issues, we’re more than happy to review our processes.