Procurement Support - Reading, Berkshire

Procurement Support - Reading, Berkshire, RG1 8DB

Contract: PermanentSalary: Up to £40,000 per annumThe Procurement Support Centre (PSC) plays a vital role in enabling efficient, compliant, and well-governed procurement across the organisation. It provides end-to-end administrative and governance support for the delivery of procurement activities across goods, services, and works, working closely with Strategic Sourcing, Capital Procurement, Contract Management, and Supplier Management teams to ensure all processes align with procurement legislation and best practice.

What you’ll be doing as a Procurement Support

As a Procurement Support professional, you will:

• Provide specialist administrative support across the full tender lifecycle, ensuring process integrity and compliance.
• Set up and maintain project folders within the Commercial Agreements SharePoint repository.
• Act as a key point of contact for stakeholders, responding to clarification questions and general procurement enquiries in a timely and professional manner.
• Manage and maintain data within the KeyedIn system, including sourcing pipeline projects, contract management activities, and trading agreements, as well as supporting system access and password resets.
• Deliver induction and refresher sessions for new team members, including regulatory guidance and an overview of PSC support processes.
• Stay up to date with changes in procurement legislation and share relevant updates with the wider team.
• Maintain and update external-facing procurement information, including guidance on working with Thames Water suppliers.
• Ensure procurement processes are compliant with regulatory requirements, escalating any risks or potential breaches where appropriate.
• Produce and distribute regular reports, including tracking missing documentation and supporting project closure activities.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives led by the Continuous Improvement Manager.
• Provide flexible ad-hoc support across the procurement function as required.

Location Hybrid – Clear Water Court, Reading
We are currently recruiting for two Procurement Support roles.

What you’ll bring
This is a dynamic role that goes beyond traditional administration, requiring strong coordination, judgement, and stakeholder engagement skills.

Essential requirements:

• Experience working with multiple stakeholders in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work effectively to deadlines and manage competing priorities.
• Close attention to detail in a compliance-driven setting.
• Strong sense of ownership, accountability, and personal drive.
• Adaptability and resilience in a changing environment.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Strong stakeholder management capability.

Desirable experience:

• Exposure to procurement environments
• Experience within regulated industries such as utilities or public sector
• Familiarity with water industry operations
• A continuous improvement mindset and interest in process efficiency

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary of up to £40,000 per annum.
• Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year increasing to 30 with the length of service (plus bank holidays)
• Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets
• Generous Pension Scheme through AON
• Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of you and your family’s health and wellbeing, and your finances – from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling, to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance.

Find out more about our benefits and perks (Please note different T&Cs apply if on
secondment)

Who are we?

We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.

Learn more about our purpose and values

Working at Thames Water

Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

If you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region, and our planet.

Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.

We’re committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, whether that’s extra time, accessible formats, or anything else just let us know, we’re here to help and support.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues.

Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.