Assistant Procurement Officer in Croydon, Surrey

The founder and sponsor of the Harris Federation, Lord Harris of Peckham, opened our first school in 1990. We have, over the past thirty years, implemented ideas and initiatives that have transformed the opportunities of pupils from working class and disadvantaged backgrounds. Harris academies are widely recognised as a force for social mobility. We are immensely proud of the role that our alumni are now beginning to play in the world and of what we believe our current generation of pupils will go on to achieve. We now have over 50 schools educating more than 40,000 young people across London and Essex, and employ over 5,000 staff across our academies and head office. With the majority of our academies located in areas of high socioeconomic disadvantage, a high-quality education is key to the futures of the pupils we serve. As a provider of employment and education, we value the diversity of our staff and students, and all our staff are equally valued and respected. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment for our students and staff. Our work will impact many generations to come, and our staff come from all backgrounds and walks of life, coming together to inspire young minds. We promote an inclusive culture that embraces the valuable and enriching contribution that all of our community make.

We are looking for an Assistant Procurement Officer to provide dedicated administrative and operational support to the Procurement Team on a fixed-term basis, with a primary focus on the onboarding of new academies into the Trust. You will work closely with the Head of Procurement to support procurement due diligence, data collection, and the structured integration of new academies into the Trust's procurement arrangements, policies, frameworks and systems. The role will also provide proportionate general procurement support during the contract period.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Providing focused support to the procurement onboarding of new academies during the fixed term period, working directly with the Head of Procurement throughout each onboarding cycle.
• Assisting with procurement due diligence activity, including collecting, collating and maintaining information on existing contracts and suppliers, spend data and pricing arrangements, expiry dates, break clauses and key risks.
• Supporting the review, organisation and validation of legacy procurement documentation, ensuring records are complete, accurate and suitable for audit and internal assurance purposes.
• Coordinating engagement with new academies, including arranging initial onboarding meetings, site visits and follow up actions linked to procurement integration.
• Supporting the structured onboarding of new academies onto Trust procurement processes, policies, frameworks and systems, ensuring documentation and guidance is clearly prepared and shared.
• Maintaining onboarding trackers, action logs and document repositories, escalating risks, gaps or delays to the Head of Procurement where appropriate.

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• A high level of computer literacy with practical knowledge and application of all Microsoft Office applications.
• English and Maths GCSEs at Grade C or above.
• A-Level / BTEC / HND or equivalent/similar with demonstrable experience of an office environment.
• Basic commercial awareness.
• Office administration experience.
• Procurement process knowledge and application.

If you would like to discuss the opportunity further, or if you have any questions, please contact us via email to arrange a conversation. Before applying please ensure you download the job pack from our careers website, this will help with completing your application. Please note that we only accept applications submitted online before the closing date. When applying, you will have the option to import your CV or use a LinkedIn profile which will auto populate the online application. A reminder to check your junk mail for our email communications and add us to your safe senders list to ensure all future email communication is received.

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed. The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates. We value the diversity of our staff and students, and everyone at the Harris Federation is equally valued and respected. We aim to be an inclusive employer that reflects the communities we serve.

Harris has a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level. You will also have access to a variety of benefits, support programmes and initiatives including:

• Excellent opportunities for continuous professional development and career progression.
• Annual performance and loyalty bonus.
• Pension scheme (Teachers' Pension Scheme or Local Government Pension Scheme) with generous employer contribution.
• 26 days' annual leave (inclusive of our Christmas Eve closure day) plus bank holidays, rising to 27 days after 2 years' service, or equivalent for staff on term time contracts.
• Harris Wellbeing Cash Plan including cover for routine and specialist healthcare.
• Employee Assistance Programme for free and confidential advice.
• Cycle to work salary sacrifice scheme.
• Wide range of shopping, leisure, and travel discounts.
• 20% off at Tapi Carpets, exclusive to Harris employees.
• Interest-free ICT and season ticket loans.

For most non-teaching staff based at our Head Office in East Croydon, we also offer lifestyle friendly working arrangements including flexible start and end times, and hybrid working with two days from home and three days on site.