Assistant Procurement Manager

Do you want to join a nationally award-winning Procurement Team? At the West Midlands Combined Authority, our team has been recognised as Procurement Team of the Year at the GO Awards 2024/25 and, most recently, won the 2026 CIPS Excellence in Procurement & Supply Award for Best Initiative to Build a Diverse Supply Base. These achievements reflect our commitment to delivering innovative, responsible procurement that creates opportunities for businesses, supports our communities and ensures public money delivers real value for the West Midlands.

As Assistant Procurement Manager, you will play an important role in helping us build on this success. Our Growth Plan sets out an ambitious vision for a stronger, more prosperous region, and effective procurement is essential to making that ambition a reality. Working across infrastructure and corporate services, you will support and manage procurement activity that helps WMCA secure the goods, services and partnerships needed to deliver its priorities. From managing tender processes to working with stakeholders and suppliers, your work will help ensure procurement decisions are compliant, commercially sound and deliver meaningful value for the organisation and the region.

What you’ll be doing.

• Lead and support procurement activity across infrastructure and corporate services, managing allocated procurements from initial planning through to contract award.
• Develop and implement procurement processes that support business priorities, deliver value for money, encourage innovation and establish robust contractual arrangements.
• Manage tendering activity, including supplier engagement, preparing tender documentation, evaluating submissions, bid clarifications, award recommendations and supplier debriefs.
• Work closely with internal stakeholders, suppliers, Legal, Finance and framework providers to coordinate procurement activity, provide advice and ensure requirements are delivered within agreed timescales.
• Maintain accurate procurement records, trackers and governance documentation, ensuring compliance with relevant procurement legislation, WMCA policies, financial regulations and approval processes.
• Monitor and report on procurement progress, identify risks and opportunities for collaboration or savings, and support continuous improvement across procurement processes and systems.

What’s essential.

• Purchasing/Procurement processes is essential; demonstrates experience of leading purchasing processes and supporting on tender processes; formuluating Invitation to Tender documentation, evaluating tender responses, undertaking bid conditioning and bid clarification, debrief of suppliers, awarding contracts, managing supplier relationships.
• Experience of advising and influencing senior management to accept procedures, systems, governance and methods of working.
• Experience of working effectively with stakeholders to achieve and communicate shared goals.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities under pressure, trouble-shoot, and to meet short and long-term deadlines.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Able to effectively present information with a strong attention to detail.
• Effective time management skills and ability to work independently as well as a member of a cross-functional team is essential.

For a full list of duties and essential criteria, please refer to the job description attached.

Location.

The location for this role is 16 Summer Lane, Birmingham, B19 3SD with at least 2 days a week spent in the office.

There may be a requirement to work outside normal office hours on occasion to meet work deadlines, attend meetings or work within stakeholder and partner offices across the WMCA constituent area.

How to apply.

Applying for a role with WMCA is straightforward. Follow these steps to get started.

Please note, we reserve the right to close any vacancy from further submissions when we have received sufficient applications from which to make a shortlist. Please apply without delay if you wish to be considered for this role.

Anonymised Applications.

Your uploaded CV won’t be visible after submission. Our process is anonymised, and only the information in your profile is used for shortlisting. Be thorough in each section. It’s your chance to showcase your skills and experience.

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We cannot stop anyone from using AI to help write application content. Used right, it can be a great tool. If you choose to use AI, then use it as a helper rather than relying on it wholly to write your application.

Applications that rely too heavily on AI may be rejected during shortlisting. For help on how to write a supporting statement, please visit the FAQs section of our careers site.

Reasonable adjustments.

If you have an accessibility need, disability, or condition that means you might require changes to the application or recruitment process, please get in touch with our Recruitment Team ([email removed]).

Salary and benefits.

We advertise salary ranges, with new appointments typically starting at the lowest salary point. In exceptional cases, the salary point may be adjusted to secure the best candidate. This approach allows for potential year-on-year salary increases, offering progression and appropriate rewards to employees. Requests for salaries above the maximum advertised range will not be considered.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Local Government Pension Scheme (one of the most generous pension schemes in the UK).
• Shared Cost Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme where you can build an additional pot of money alongside your pension with contributions exempt from Income Tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs).
• 28 days paid annual leave (with an option to purchase more) + Statutory days.
• EV car benefit scheme
• Healthcare plans.
• Discounted gym membership, will writing, and mortgage advice.
• An option to buy a bicycle, including e-bikes and adapted pedal cycles, at a discounted rate.
• 3 days of paid leave each year to volunteer.
• Interest-free financing through SmartTech to buy the latest technology
• Discounted shopping with over 2,000 big-name retailers, and more. You can now also obtain a Costco membership through the WMCA.
• Boundless unlocks unlimited entry to top-rated UK attractions and loads of extra benefits and discounts.
• Eye Care Scheme, offering a free eye test and a financial contribution towards your glasses.

For more information, please visit the benefits page on our career site.

Why join WMCA?

WMCA is laser-focused on improving the West Midlands, bringing economic growth, jobs, homes, and better journeys to the region. We target local needs wher