Procure-to-Pay (P2P) Apprentice

Kick-start your career in Procurement Services as a P2P Apprentice! The successful candidate will work across the Procurement Systems team and Accounts Payable, both of which form part of Procurement Services. This is a professional team responsible for the procurement of goods, works and services required by the Council, through to making payments to our suppliers.

Procure-to-Pay (P2P) is the name for the process of sourcing, acquiring and paying for these requirements, usually involving electronic systems.

Procurement Services recently launched its latest Procurement Strategy 2025-2030, with a focus on supporting SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) in the tendering process, and they are at the heart of the ongoing economic and social development of the city.

The team is responsible for making payments and developing processes for suppliers and internal departments involved in key projects. The team is also integral to the improvement of services for Adults' and Children's Social Care, Public Health and Homelessness strategies.

Procurement Services are proud to have played an important part in accelerating payments to support vulnerable suppliers and distribute grants to local businesses and residents during the pandemic and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create an inclusive workplace culture that is accepting of all and is free from discrimination and bias.

In line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that equity and respect remains at the heart of everything we do.

Our Values are:

• Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
• Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
• Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
• Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
• Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
• Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.

Reporting to the Procurement Systems Manager as a P2P Apprentice, you will be supporting the team by:

• Advising colleagues on best practice regarding:

  1. Finance systems

  2. Procurement cards
  3. Governance processes
• Assisting with the development, implementation and improvement of electronic systems
• Supporting with monitoring, control and compliance of procurement processes
• Training and sharing of best practice throughout the authority to maximise corporate procurement effectiveness
• Supporting with the preparation and analysis of reports for the Transparency, Management and Procurement Board and Panel
• Monitoring and updating of information for the team’s intranet and the Council’s website pages
• Resolving queries from internal and external customers

You will undertake the Level 3 Business Administrator Standard. Further information for this apprenticeship can be found here.

This apprenticeship role is a fixed-term contract for 21 months in line with the length of the apprenticeship training.

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

We are looking for applicants who:

• Are motivated and will enjoy collaborating and working in an engaged manner with a flexible and dedicated professional team.
• Ideally, have some knowledge and understanding of the procurement cycle, but this is not essential, as full training will be given.
• Have a good working knowledge of Microsoft Applications
• Possess strong numeric and IT skills
• Have a desire to learn and an eye for detail
• Have good communication skills

If you need help or support to complete your application, please visit our accessibility page to see how we can assist you.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme - As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

For full details on the application process please read the attached document on our jobs page labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'. If there is any evidence of a candidate using AI to complete their application, then the application will be rejected unless the candidate can provide a justification which the Council considers to be reasonable.

• Pre-interviews and assessments take place 6th – 24th July
• Role interviews 20th July – 7th August.

Induction

• Apprentices w/c 7th September

* The pre-interview is a short session to give the candidates further details of the apprenticeship role and to help them understand what to expect from and how to prepare for the final interview.

You will also complete a short diagnostic assessment to check the level of Maths and English that you are currently working at and identify any support they may require.

Did you know that there is support available to help you with your application?

If you would like support in completing your application or have any questions about our recruitment and selection processes, help is available at The Job Shop.

We would recommend that all applicants take advantage of this service in order to maximise the chances of being shortlisted.

Email: jobshop@coventry.gov.uk
Website: http://www.coventry.gov.uk/jobshop

Coventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.

We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse.

At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things.

To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.

If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards & benefits package which includes:

• Flexible working arrangements
• An outstanding local government pension scheme
• Great opportunities to develop with access to accredited courses.
• Access to an award-winning Occupational Health Service
• Salary Sacrifice Scheme