Skip to main content

This job has expired

Commercial Procurement Apprentice

Employer
Transport for London
Location
197, Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NJ
Salary
£20,231.00 annually
Closing date
5 Feb 2019

View more

Specialism
Health & Social Care
Sector
Unspecified
Role Type
Apprenticeship, Higher
Start Date
September
Duration
Permanent
Job overview

First things first - what is Commercial Procurement?

'Procurement refers to the major function of an organization that is responsible for acquisition of required materials, services and equipment... the act of buying goods and services' Wiki Quote

'Procurement is a business management function that identifies, sources, accesses and manages the external resources (materials, services and equipment) that an organisation needs to fulfil its strategic objectives'. Commercial Manager

Our Commercial Procurement function is responsible for implementing and managing contractual requirements with TfL's supply base of over 3 thousand suppliers, accounting for roughly £6bn spend per year.

As well as procuring key services on behalf of the Greater London Authority (GLA) functional bodies (including the Metropolitan Police and Fire Brigade), Commercial also engages closely with the Mayor's office and London Boroughs on major capital projects and operating contracts across the Capital. We also work with Network Rail when it is appropriate to align our practices and approach to the market.

Commercial purchases products including New trains, hydrogen buses, sponsorship and advertising, catering and cleaning, CCTV, electricity, trains, line upgrades and station upgrades. Commercial also sources materials, and provides maintenance services for buses, roads, track, signals and stations.

What will I be doing?

As an apprentice, your 2 year development programme will be made up of up to 4 placement rotations. Our aim is to equip you with the range of skills and experience you need for your successful career. We also understand that everyone's career is different, so every apprentice's journey is unique. Here's an idea of what yours could look like:

Year 1
  • Rail Operations - 6 months - Responsible for London Underground, DLR, Trams, Crossrail and London Overground - supporting train, track & signalling maintenance and operation, as well as the procurement of new trains and labour
  • Surface - 6 months - Responsible for traffic controllers, traffic signals, CCTV, passenger information at bus stops, cycle highway, congestion charging, Woolwich Ferry, Infrastructure Highways, roads, tunnels bridges, footways, Bus Stations, Bus stops & Shelters, piers
  • Tech & Data - 6 months - Responsible for Data Transmission and Networks, End User Computing, Software and Applications, Hosting

Year 2
  • Corporate Services - 6 months - Responsible for Pan-TfL and GLA Services - Consultancy for Financial, Legal, Architecture, Engineering, Management & HR Services, Learning and Development, Office Services, Travel, Events, marketing and Print, Commercial Development & Secondary Revenue, Vehicles
  • Buildings & Infrastructure - 6 months - Responsible for Stations upgrades & works improvement programmes, Head Office Buildings, Lifts and Escalators, Power & Cooling systems and refurbishment
  • Capital Delivery - 6 months - Responsible for providing supporting projects - such as Four Line Modernisation (4LM), World Class Capacity (WCC), the Deep Tube Upgrade Programme (DTUP) and the DLR Rolling Stock Replacement Programme (DLR RSRP)
  • Strategy, Planning & Governance - 6 months - Responsible for supporting the Commercial Business Areas by developing processes, establishing governance and controls, managing commercial systems, working with the supplier market, reviewing performance and building the capability of our people

Each placement will see you undertaking a wide variety of responsibilities that increase with your development on the scheme. You will start by learning simple procurements to understand the business; by the end of the scheme you will be running tenders, processing payments, managing contracts and engaging with stakeholders and suppliers, and will have an extensive understanding of commercial thinking and strategies.

Requirements and prospects

Desired skills

  • Driven to succeed both personally and for thebusiness
  • Strong communicators
  • Motivated to add value


Personal qualities

We're looking for potential in all of our apprentices. We are looking for somebody who can demonstrate our behaviours which are:
  • Active
  • Accountable
  • Direct
  • Fair
  • Consistent
  • Collaborative


Desired qualifications

A minimum of 5 GCSE's Grade A*-C/9-4including maths and English language plus 2 A-Levels grade A*-D/9-3 (or equivalent).

Future prospects

Upon successful completion of this scheme, you could roll-off into Commercial Officer or Assistant Commercial Manager role (dependent on your performance throughout the scheme) which could lead to further career development opportunities such as a Commercial Manager, Senior Commercial Manager, Head of Commercial, Commercial Director - there's no ceiling to how high you could aim!

Successfully completing the Level 4 Diploma means you'll become eligible for membership at the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS).

A career in commercial has a lot of scope and is transferrable into both public and private sector organisations. One thing is true of all businesses; Commercial Procurement is a vital activity and will always be required, meaning that this apprenticeship is an excellent foundation for a successful career.

Things to consider

Reward and benefits

In return for your commitment and expertise, you will enjoy excellent benefits and scope to grow. Rewards vary according to the business area but mostly include:
  • Travel concessions - Oyster card covering zones 1-6 (covering London Underground, Docklands Light Railway, Tramlink and London's bus services displaying a red roundel)
  • 75% reimbursement of annual standard class season ticket loans if you use National Rail services to travel to and from work
  • 29 days annual leave
  • Generous pension scheme with the option to increase your salary by varying your contribution
  • Retail, health, leisure and travel offers
  • Cycle2work scheme - tax efficient savings to reduce tax and National Insurance if you cycle to work

Get job alerts

Create a job alert and receive personalised job recommendations straight to your inbox.

Create alert