Procurement Specialist

• Apr 2022 - Present

Awaiting Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Card

• May 2021 - Mar 2022

I moved over to the USA on a spouse visa and have been awaiting my EAD card. My card has now arrived, allowing me to start work in America. I moved over to the USA on a spouse visa and have been awaiting my EAD card. My card has now arrived, allowing me to start work in America.

Buyer

• Nov 2018 - May 2021

Managed and executed the day-to-day sourcing of direct and indirect products and services. This included, but was not limited to, all training materials for students, human resources, IT, travel, office supplies, and utilities. Assisted with the strategic sourcing process for large and complex purchases, issuing and evaluating RFQ’s, analysing prices/quality expectations, negotiating prices and terms, and awarding and communicating agreements to suppliers. Performed market research and conducted price benchmarking exercises to ensure that our preferred suppliers remained competitive against other suppliers within the industry. Appointed as project lead on a regional audit project, reviewing and assessing all contractors to ensure compliance and quality standards were in line with the company expectations. Developed and managed effective supplier relationships through collaboration, regular business reviews and frequent communication via email, telephone and face-to-face. Communications with suppliers included matters regarding delivery schedules, quality issues and cost concerns. Managed suppliers and contractors’ performance using specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound KPI’s and SLA’s. Performed Ishikawa’s cause and effect analysis to identify the root cause/corrective actions for stock outs, missed deliveries and non-conformances to proactively drive permanent solutions. Resolved procurement-related issues and discrepancies collaborating between the relevant departments including finance and the supplier to resolve billing issues. Monitored existing orders to ensure on time deliveries, expediting supplier orders where necessary. Raised purchase orders and processed invoices in line with company policies and procedures. Show less

CIPS Approved Lecturer

• Jan 2017 - May 2021

• Delivered effective, high quality procurement training on the CIPS Level 2, 3 and 4 programmes, meeting the current and emerging needs of procurement professionals including: buyers, procurement officers, category managers, supply chain managers, procurement managers and contract managers. • Provided in-house training for large corporate clients. • Planned, developed, and delivered content using best practice industry strategies and theories, frequently updating the materials to ensure that they were relevant and in line with current industry topics. • Adopted an engaging teaching style, effectively building rapport with the students, resulting in an enhanced learner experience: demonstrated through student feedback and module results. • Communicated complex procurement models and concepts in a simple and efficient manner. • Frequently assessed and adapted the course to meet the needs of the students including the delivery approach, and frequency of mock exams and assessments. • Continuously updated my knowledge of procurement through research of industry developments. • Point-of-contact for prospective students, handling all CIPS-related enquiries regarding the course programmes on offer, qualification and experience requirements, the assessment process, fees, and payment options. • Conducted interviews with all prospective students to assess competence and capabilities to ensure they joined the level most suitable for them. • Managed all assessment bookings for students and oversaw all assessment days at our exam centre – setting up exam rooms, recruiting invigilators, procuring IT and welcoming students as they arrived. Show less

Direct Procurement Controller

• Apr 2018 - Nov 2018

Responsible for over £1 million of category spend, procuring 40,000+ compressors per month within the automotive sector. Inventory Management Successfully stabilised all critical models where frequent shortages occurred, reducing the number of air freights by 95% and eliminating customer line stop penalties. Collaborate with the head of Procurement, Supply Chain and Demand Planning to agree monthly PO volumes, using future customer demand figures and vendor capacity levels to determine the appropriate order quantities. Discuss cost saving initiatives to drive down costs, develop internal Procurement & Supply Chain processes, and ensure the successful delivery of targets. Analyse current customer requirements, previous sales data and forecast data to identify demand variances and cyclical demand trends. Periodically review and adjust stock levels. Manage inventory flow ensuring that optimum stock levels of items are held, to mitigate the risk of: over-stocking inventory leading to increased warehouse costs and obsolete stock; and under-stocking items – leading to product shortages. Analyse international transport methods, providing the most cost-effective solution whilst achieving contractual lead times. Vendor Relationship Management Effectively manage all interactions with our international vendors in Japan and the USA, creating collaborative working relationships. Engage with international vendors, reviewing progress on joint initiatives, operational performance and supply risks. Monitor and improve assigned KPIs to increase productivity, reduce lead times, and ensure that deliveries arrive on-time-in-full (OTIF). Implemented an effective performance management tool to clearly illustrate progress, which has been rolled out internationally to all vendors. Resolve all vendor issues such as missed/partial deliveries, PO and invoice discrepancies, and production problems where model mix solutions are required. Show less

Procurement Specialist

• Jul 2017 - Feb 2018

Facilitate the day-to-day procurement needs of over 650 Stores and 11 Regional Distribution Centre’s nationally. Issue RFQ’s; raise comprehensive, high-value purchase orders; and process invoices. Project Lead on national and international projects, including: cost reduction initiatives; procurement process improvement; and national training programmes. Appointed as the refrigeration specialist managing relationships with core suppliers. Developed trust and transparency through consistent delivery and frequent communication, resulting in strong, open and collaborative alliances. Handle all inbound and outbound communications, including calls and emails from suppliers and clients. Resolve supplier issues such as missed/partial deliveries, pricing and invoice discrepancies, and delivery note inconsistencies. Contract Management: Contract Preparation – Support the Project Managers to draft contract terms and conditions, conduct market research, obtain relevant H&S documentation to ensure that the suppliers are compliant, and attain credit reports to assess the supplier’s financial capabilities. Contract Maintenance – Hold regular monthly contract review meetings with Project Managers to ensure that contracts are kept up to date. Ensure all contracts are compliant, obtaining missing documentation and amending contracts where necessary. Invoice Management: Reduced overdue invoices by more than 50% and decreased the average payment cycle from 60 days to 30 days in line with the agreed payment terms. This was achieved by effective process improvement and training. Set KPI’s for Procurement Administrator’s, scheduling weekly update meetings on progress and discussing issues with problematic invoices and how best to tackle them. Advanced Excel knowledge using VLOOKUP, Pivot Tables and Conditional Formatting to analyse and manipulate data. Show less

Administration & Procurement Assistant

• Nov 2014 - Jul 2017

Responsible for facilitating the effective and efficient day-to-day operations and supply of materials/equipment within the organisation for internal and external customers. Handled all inbound and outbound communications, including calls and emails from suppliers and clients. Organised, arranged and coordinated meeting on behalf of the Managing Director – creating agendas and taking minutes. Maintained comprehensive spreadsheets and databases via Excel, imputing supplier and client information and extracting data where necessary. Purchased office equipment and course materials – selecting the most appropriate suppliers, negotiating where possible (for improved pricing and delivery), and placing orders. Expedited/chased orders – communicating effectively with suppliers to ensure that goods were dispatched and delivered on time, as promised. Show less

Project Management Office Assistant

• Apr 2014 - Nov 2014

I worked in collaboration with the Project Manager to ensure that the project was delivered to the client on time and within budget. Planning and organisation skills were of high importance for the successful day-to-day running of this particular project. Duties included:•Arranging meetings on behalf of the Project Manager, and taking minutes from all meetings attended•Creating key process documentation•Creating RFQ’s, and chasing supplier quotes •The procurement of various products and services including IT services, Telecomms and office equipment Show less

Student Recruiter

• Sep 2013 - Apr 2014

Within this role I was responsible for identifying, selecting and recruiting candidates for the organisations Sponsored Degree Programme, Apprenticeship Programme and Graduate Programme. I visited a variety of local schools to promote the programmes and recruit students, delivering presentations to 100+ students. Keeping engagement required confidence, passion and energy of which I displayed regularly. This was confirmed by the highly positive feedback received from each school and the levels of interest generated by the students. I also frequently attended careers fairs to promote the various programmes.Some of my other day-to-day duties included receiving & reviewing applications, conducting telephone interviews and organising complex Assessment Days. Show less

Marketing & Administration Co-ordinator

• Apr 2013 - Aug 2013

Within this role, I worked in collaboration with the Managing Director to acquire new students and manage the day-to-day production of training materials to support the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply modules on offer. Developed a student records database for client assessment and CIPS Audit purposes. Attended networking events on behalf of the organisation, gaining new clients and generating leads. Course Adjudicator, setting up and running Examinations. Managed corporate events: •Heavily influencing the organisational structure of the event •Representing & negotiating on behalf of an organisation •Handling Public Relations for the event Show less