Procurement Officer (Graduate) x2

23 Months Fixed Term

The Scottish Prison Service are responsible for the secure custody of around 8,000 people across Scotland. Our vision is to help build a safer Scotland by unlocking potential and transforming lives. To enable us to successfully deliver our vision, we are committed to nurturing and investing in our greatest strength and resource: Our People. The hard work and dedication of our staff is, without doubt, the most critical component to the delivery and enablement of frontline services right across the Scottish prison estate, and we are committed to ensuring they are supported, fairly rewarded, and recognised for the unique contribution they make every day 

The main day-to-day focus of the role shall be to develop and/or manage a diverse range of Goods, Services and Works contracts in line with the Scottish Model of Procurement. The role will require active contribution towards the effective and efficient operation of the SPS Procurement team through a range of direct and indirect procurement activities. You will be given your own work portfolio to manage in addition to providing support to other members of the team.

Whilst carrying out your duties, you shall provide a procurement service to a range of internal stakeholder groups, including but not limited to: Estates & Technical Services; Operations Directorate; Digital Services; Human Resources; and Legal Services.

Tasks will include, for example:

• preparing tendering paperwork;
• utilising the electronic tendering system and associated electronic contract management module (PCS-T and ECM) and the Scottish Government portal for advertising contract opportunities (PCS);
• developing tender evaluation matrices and associated recommendation reports;
• undertaking contract reviews and pricing reviews, and making recommendations on whether to extend an existing contract or not;
• monitoring and measuring supplier performance; and
• exploring and obtaining added value.    

In addition to the above duties, you will undertake ‘on the job’ training and reflective learning, with a mix of formal and informal training and development. This will be a hybrid working role with a mix of remote and on-site working and it will, at times, require attendance at SPS headquarters or other sites as required.

Please note that SPS will be hosting a virtual drop-in session on 8th July 2026 between 10.30am and 12.00pm. The session will be available for 2 hours, during which time interested candidates can drop in and have a chat with some of our previous Graduate Procurement Officers and member of our Management Team.

Key responsibilities include: 

• Provide support and assistance to all areas of Procurement Policy and Services Department (PPSD), primarily Contract Development (purchasing Goods, Services and Works) and/or Contract Management (pro-active management of Goods, and Services contracts). You will be expected to deliver and/or manage your own projects or contract portfolios; always with the full support of your line manager and PPSD colleagues.
• Arrange, co-ordinate and support a wide range of procurement activities including, for example: working groups/meetings; bidders forums/debriefs; review meetings/negotiations. Draft well-constructed professional project and supporting documentation including, for example: project timetables; meeting minutes; maintain action/issues log(s); templates; tender documentation; recommendations; extension reviews; and pricing reviews.
• Research, analyse, present and provide information to support procurement activities in terms of contract award and/or contract management (e.g. data and sensitivity analysis; evaluation matrices; market and benchmarking information; demand management; and spend information).
• Support and undertake the publication, updates and communication of procurement documentation on the PCS, PCS-T and eCM websites and ensure kept up to date where contract extensions are taken.
• Undertake to meet the required milestones and complete the requisite learning and development (including maintenance of a reflective learning log) as set out in the Graduate Procurement Programme.
• Filing, record keeping and any other general administrative duties appropriate to this post, or required by activities undertaken.

If you have the following, we would like to hear from you:

• Qualified in a degree (or due to be qualified within the next 2 months) minimum 2:1.
• Planning, Implementation & Control: Experience of producing work under strict timescales and deadlines.
• Administration and Microsoft Office Experience: Experience of undertaking administration tasks and producing work in an office or university environment, or a remote/virtual setting, and the ability to manage time effectively. Competent in the use of Microsoft Office packages including Word, Excel and Outlook. 
• Quality: Experience of producing documentation to a high standard which accurately reflects the process undertaken (including key issues, showing initiative creativity, resilience and commercial awareness) in order to successfully achieve positive outcomes.
• Relationship Management: Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with a range of parties (internal and external) and within a team to provide advice and guidance and the ability to positively influence others to achieve desired results.

Some of the benefits you can enjoy in role are:

This role lends itself to Hybrid working, in line with policy. While the main office location will be SPS Headquarters there may be some travel to attend other locations.

• Attractive Pension (Civil Service)
• Commitment to your personal and professional development
• Free gym and car parking
• Discounts at high street stores, supermarkets and restaurants through our partners at Blue Light Card, Edenred and
• Civil Service Sports Council. 
• Sick Pay
• Annual Leave - 37 days rising to 42 days

For information on the job, including full job description and person specification, and to apply for these vacancies, please visit the Scottish Prison Service website. We are committed to your personal and professional development and offer a wide range of career progression opportunities.

Closing date: 13 July 2026.