Purchasing Coordinator (Leicester, GB, LE1 9BH)

Main duties and responsibilities

Directorate

The Finance and Procurement Directorate is a central support service within the university

Role

We are seeking a proactive and customer-focused Purchasing Coordinator to join our team within the Purchase to Pay (P2P) team. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in delivering an efficient and compliant P2P service across the University.

You will provide support and guidance on purchasing procedures, approved sourcing routes, and SAP system processes. You will play an important role in supporting the end-to-end Purchase to Pay cycle, from the creation of supplier records and processing of purchase requisitions through to invoice query resolution and payment facilitation.

Working closely with colleagues in the P2P Payments team, across Finance, Procurement, and wider University departments, the postholder will:

• Review and process purchase requests in accordance with Financial Regulations, procurement policies and procedures.
• Verify the accuracy and completeness of purchase requisition details within SAP including coding and support information.
• Convert approved purchase requisitions into Purchase Orders within agreed service levels.

• Create and amend supplier records within SAP.
• Investigate and resolve invoice queries to facilitate accurate and timely supplier payments.
• Support the effective operation of the three-way matching process.
• Ensure purchasing data is accurate, complete and compliant with internal controls and audit requirements.

• Provide advice and guidance to requisitioners and stakeholders on approved sourcing routes and purchasing processes.
• Assist in the delivery of SAP requisitioner training and the development of user guidance materials.
• Hold and use a University purchasing card, ensuring all transactions are completed and reconciled in accordance with policy requirements.
• Develop and maintain positive working relationships with colleagues across the University, promoting best practice and compliance.
• Collaborate with colleagues to review and enhance purchasing procedures, guidance and ways of working.
• Manage workload proactively while supporting team objectives and priorities.

Ideal candidate:

We are looking for an individual who is:

• Highly organised with excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
• Knowledgeable about, or experienced within a Higher Education environment or public sector organisation or regulated industry.
• Customer-focused, approachable and confident communicating with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Able to interpret and apply policies, procedures and financial regulations consistently.
• Experienced in processing high volumes of transactional activity while maintaining accuracy and meeting deadlines.
• Comfortable using finance, purchasing  or ERP systems, ideally SAP.
• Proactive in identifying process improvements and resolving issues.
• A collaborative team player with strong relationship-building skills.

This role offers an excellent opportunity to develop your procurement and purchasing expertise within a supportive team environment while contributing to the delivery of a responsive, compliant, and efficient Purchase to Pay service across the University. You will have the opportunity to work with a broad range of colleagues, help shape process improvements, and play an important role in delivering value for money and excellent customer service.

To view the job description and person specification click here

Skills