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Market-leading procurement recruitment solutions
Sellick Partnership is a specialist procurement recruiter with an expert team of Consultants who offer a complete recruitment service on a permanent, contract and interim basis. Our Procurement recruitment team have a proven track record of developing long-standing relationships with our clients and candidates, offering trusted insights and solutions, bringing to market the very best procurement talent.
From entry level positions, to senior and board level appointments, we are happy to assist you with all of your recruitment needs on a permanent, contract and interim basis. Roles that we regularly recruit for include:
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With a particular focus on the public & not-for-profit sectors, we work in partnership with our clients and candidates to ensure everyone we work with receives the best level of service. To ensure this we have tailored our recruitment processes over the years to better suit the needs of the public & not-for-profit organisations we work with, ensuring that we provide our expert recruitment services at a transparent and compliant rate through approved supply chains. We supply to the public & not-for-profit sectors through the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Non-Medical, Non-Clinical Framework RM971 and the ESPO Strategic HR Services Framework 3S_18.
We listen to the needs of our clients and candidates and ensure we represent everyone we work with to the best of our abilities. We are always on hand to offer advice to organisations on how to handle their onboarding process and can provide invaluable resources on everything from the interview process to hiring a diverse and inclusive workforce. We also work closely with all of our candidates to ensure we find them a role suited to their expertise and requirements. We regularly assist candidates with CV writing and interview skills and are always happy to answer any questions they have and give feedback throughout the interview process.
Because of this approach and our expert knowledge of the sector, our expert procurement recruitment specialists are perfectly placed to attract both passive and active candidates, ensuring we represent the best procurement talent across the UK. We listen to the needs of both our clients and candidates to ensure we always place candidates that are the right fit culturally and professionally.
Whether you are a client looking to fill a vacancy in procurement or a candidate looking for a new challenge in this sector get in touch today to find out how we can help you.
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Featured jobs
meet our people
Procurement team
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Nikki Kinsey
Director
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Daniella Pye
Senior Manager
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Adam Burgess
Principal Consultant
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Liam Cox
Senior Consultant
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Gemma Jordan
Office Manager
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Adam Rouse
Manager
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Meet the Team
THE LATEST
Insights
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Top reasons graduates should consider procurement as a viable career option
In England, a record 27.9 percent of the 18 year old population were accepted to university through UCAS in 2018, making our graduate talent pool bigger than any. But why is Procurement still struggling to attract graduates into the sector? In this blog, Principal Consultant Adam Burgess looks at the benefits of choosing a career in procurement and why more young people should consider it as a viable career option. Procurement as a profession is often overlooked by graduates due to a lack of knowledge about the sector which is causing a talent shortage, especially at the junior end of the market. Graduates tend to overlook procurement jobs in favour of sectors they have more knowledge about or they deem to be more exciting. Our clients often tell us that they struggle to attract keen graduates to the procurement sector which is causing a talent shortage, especially at entry level. We spoke to a number of our clients and candidates to get their thoughts on why more young people should consider procurement as a career. What is procurement and why is it so important? In simple terms procurement is the act of acquiring something for business purposes. This can cover a range of requirements including services, skills, supplies and assets for the business that enables it to operate in an ethical and profitable manner as well as the management of contracts and supplier relationships. Procurement is a vital part of any business and is responsible for up to 70 percent of a company’s revenue as small reductions in costs can have a large impact on profits. Why should graduates choose a job in procurement? Graduates who are looking for a role that can offer quick progression in a sector that has numerous opportunities should consider procurement. With the current state of the market and the lack of talent to fill procurement jobs across the UK, the opportunities are very positive and very exciting. If you decide to enter this sector you could progress quickly! The procurement sector has also advanced in recent years. Procurement leaders are now at the forefront of transformational change. Chief Procurement Officers (CPOs) and their teams are now an integral part of many businesses and are commonly seen in boardrooms helping with the strategic direction of a company, making the role incredibly varied, fast paced and exciting. So, if you are an ambitious graduate looking for a challenge, this is a great career option for you. Are you a graduate looking for variety in your career? The sheer variety of sectors that procurement interacts with makes it appealing for anyone looking for new challenges. Procurement gives you the opportunity to collaborate with individuals from various sectors, gaining a wealth of cross-industry experience, making the job incredibly varied. What career opportunities do procurement leaders have? Graduates looking for stability and security will see the career opportunities are endless within procurement. A fully qualified Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (MCIPS) with the right amount of experience and achievements will be in high demand and rarely be out of work. A career in purchasing and supply management can offer you a variety of jobs in a number of different industries. There are also numerous areas of specialisation or category such as fleet, facilities, IT, Social Care as well as more generalist roles. Procurement job titles can range from Procurement Officer and Procurement Advisor to Strategic Category Manager and Procurement Specialist. As a Consultant who specialises in public and not-for-profit sectors, I know first-hand that the market, especially the North East, is very candidate led and a good quality candidate will not be on the market for long. There seems to be far more opportunities in the market than there are candidates. How can graduates become procurement specialists? Although there are a variety of routes into procurement, these days the majority of people that are entering the profession have been to university beforehand. As a result, procurement employers are looking for high-calibre graduates, often with either a specialist purchasing and supply degree or a more general business degree. Once in a role, many procurement professionals will find that their employer will encourage to them to sit the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) graduate diploma: a degree-level professional qualification. For those who have studied business-related degrees, there may be some exemptions from the CIPS qualification, but this will be assessed on application. More and more businesses are also introducing graduate training schemes so it is worth speaking with firms and finding out if this is something they offer and when the next intake of applicants might be. What additional qualifications do graduates need to work in procurement? Although not essential, our clients have told us that procurement industry qualifications are important and ensure that candidates are up-to-date with best practice and the latest professional standards. Procurement qualifications will set candidates apart and often help make career progression faster. In the UK, the CIPS qualification is the industry standard and is usually required for most procurement jobs. Candidates can work towards a CIPS qualification via online learning providers, making it fairly easy to get qualified at a pace that works for each individual candidate. It is also possible to complete this whilst working, so on the job training can also be an option within this sector. Typically candidates are required to complete their CIPS qualification then gain three years’ worth of experience in the field in order to gain full membership, allowing use of the title MCIPS. What salary and rewards should procurement leaders expect? It is very difficult to generalise on the subject of starting salaries, given that packages will differ greatly between one sector and another, and even between organisations within the same sector. However, at the lower end for a graduate we would estimate about £18,000, rising to £25,000 at the upper end. Generally this figure should progress to around £32,500 for middle management, jumping to £56,000 for senior management and £75,000 plus for director level No single role in procurement will ever be the same. The organisation you choose to work for will determine what goods and services will need to be bought, and will determine the types of candidate they require. In the early stages, the secret is to gain as much experience as possible in as many areas as possible in order to decide which area of procurement is most suitable. The most important point to remember is that in the purchasing field the potential for career progression is excellent, and the opportunities to carve out a successful and rewarding career are there for the taking for the right candidates. The candidates we speak to about our procurement jobs are always excited by the career opportunities in the sector. Get in touch with me today to find out if procurement is for you and start your journey to being a procurement specialist today!
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Digital skills checklist
In the modern workplace, digital skills are highly valued and in the future they will be absolutely vital. The digital age is expanding into all areas of our lives, and it is not just those who work in IT that will need to be aware of digital and technological advancements. Here we detail what we think are the top digital skills that will help you secure a role and progress within professional services. Social media: social media is one of the fastest growing digital tools available. From networking sites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to platforms like Instagram and Snapchat there is an abundance of choice. For example, most business professionals should ensure they have a fully optimised LinkedIn profile as a minimum, but the likes of Facebook and Twitter are also great ways to improve your online personal brand. You can do this by regularly sharing and writing thought leadership articles and posts to showcase your knowledge of the sectors you work in and interact with your connections and followers. Sector specific technology: every sector within professional services will have technological and digital advancements that are specific to them. It would be beneficial therefore to research into your sector and find out what skills may be relevant to you. By having an understanding of these and an ability to showcase relevant skills you will make yourself a more employable candidate long-term. The Cloud: knowing how to choose, use and benefit from a Cloud service can save you from many future problems. Cloud software allows you to access information that is saved from anywhere, opening up the option to work from home and being a great way of promoting home working and creating a healthy work/life balance. Given that we create and use online content on a daily basis, from images and audio files to apps and personal details, backing it up in The Cloud is a skill you should (already) have. Microsoft Office: Microsoft’s Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint software programmes are essential processing tools for virtually any profession. Creating presentations and spreadsheets are skills that many employees will assume you already have, so knowing your way around these applications will save you time and effort and allow you to come across as a competent professional, no matter the field. Analytics: Analysing and reporting data will continue to be a skill that is sought after. Reporting on return on investment (ROI) and performance is a must in today’s digital world. If you are not already using analytics to measure your PR coverage, website performance and social media must be top of your list for 2018, and having an understanding of this will greatly benefit your job search. Creating and curating content: from creating infographics or spreadsheets to editing or cutting videos, online content creation covers a wide range of applications, and its benefits are huge. The ability to collect, assess and create meaningful and worthwhile content is expected to become even more important in the years to come. You should therefore be looking at ways you can harness this skill. Write blogs on topical events, share your work experiences and write about topics your networks will be interested in. By doing this you will greatly enhance your online brand and will promote yourself as a thought leader in your specialist area. Network and information security: with digital threats, viruses, spam and the new GDPR legislation this is more important than ever before. Network and information security skills are crucial for any business, and candidates with experience in this area may stand a better chance of being employed, especially for technical roles. A business may have its own network or outsource this to an external supplier. In either case, the need for those skills remain critical and intricate to the good functioning of all digital operations. Also, if you are dealing with personal data in your organisation you will need to know about and have some experience with The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) that came into force in May this year. For more tips on how you can ensure you are ready for the digital world check out our handy candidate resources section using the link below. Alternatively you can get in touch with one of our expert consultants today to discuss your options by calling 0161 834 1642. Candidate resources
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Women in professional services
Professional services is a particularly demanding sector, and it is great to see that there is a wealth of senior females coming through the ranks. JMW, Hill Dickinson and Slater & Gordon (formerly Pannone) are just some examples of companies that have high percentages of women at the upper echelons of their sector. However, with equal numbers of men and women now entering professional services I do wonder why this number still remains in the low 20s. Research states that women now occupy just 26 percent of all FTSE100 boardroom positions, making little progress from 23.5 percent in March 2015. I believe this small increase has been steered by a rise in well-qualified female talent graduating from universities and the advancement of effective diversity programmes making roles more attractive to females in professional services. However, more needs to be done to ensure women have the same opportunities as their ale counterparts to progress as their male counterparts. I believe the problem lies in the retention and promotion of women, or lack of in many cases, and as a result organisations are losing some of their best talent. This in turn means that the majority of Boards, Partners and senior leaders in professional services companies remain overwhelmingly male, particularly in larger firms. This could be down to women not being as motivated to stay at an organisation or progress to senior positions in favour of a better work/life balance. One of the main reasons for this is that women are still generally perceived as the primary carer for children and new born babies despite the introduction of shared parental leave in 2014. It was recently reported by the BBC that as little as two percent of all men have taken advantage of the policy citing an understanding of what is on offer, cultural barriers and financial penalties as barriers and often deterring parents from sharing parental leave. Whatever the reason, it worries me that this is still the case as the promotion and retention of women should no longer be perceived as simply a social issue. Business leaders recognise there is a clear business case for tackling barriers to equality, with research estimating that better engagement of women greatly benefits the UK economy. It is therefore surprising that more women are not achieving their full potential. Recent studies have suggested that this may be down to a lack of confidence with many women questioning their own ability to reach senior management positions. This could be the reason why large numbers of talented female professionals are continuing to settle for non-executive positions, and we must work harder to ensure all female professionals have the confidence and support to achieve their full potential. In my opinion this has to be done as early as possible, and I would advise the government to look at universities to help promote female role models and increase confidence prior to starting their career. Last year UCAS reported that young women are a third more likely to go to university than men and this could be the perfect platform for encouraging and promoting women in business. If businesses and lecturers worked closely together to promote strong female role models and give students access to inspirational stories I believe we could instil more women with the confidence to achieve their full potential and help reduce the gender gap once and for all across all industries and sectors. Are you interested in finding out more about the role of women in business? Check out our insights section for blogs from Sellick Partnership staff including Managing Director Jo Sellick.
