Procurement and Supply Chain Apprentice

We have an opportunity for Apprentices to join John Cranes first Supply Chain and Procurement Apprentice Academy in Slough. As an Apprentice you will be involved in supporting our global procurement and supply chain team. This 2-year programme will give you structured rotational opportunities so you learn from our experts. You will gain knowledge of buying planning sourcing and supplier management while completing your Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) Level 4 qualification with the apprenticeship training provider SRSCC. There could be the opportunity to progress onto Level 5 and 6 qualification in the future.

Please note: The interview and selection day will be held at our Slough offices on the 19th May 2026.

Key responsibilities

Our apprentices will:

• Support creation placement and administration of purchase orders and supply contracts in line with company procedures.
• Assist with demand inventory and supply planning activities to ensure material availability and minimise excess/obsolete stock.
• Contribute to sourcing activities data analysis and business cases for supplier selection negotiation and stock making decisions.
• Help monitor supplier performance manage basic issues and support continuous improvement and risk-mitigation actions.
• Maintain accurate data in ERP and related systems (pricing lead times contracts KPIs)
• Create & produce reports to support the procurement and supply chain function
• Demonstrate and promote ethical sustainable and compliant procurement and supply chain practices.

Qualifications :

• A-level BTEC or T-level (or equivalent) with strong GCSEs including maths and English or relevant vocational qualification.
• A degree is desirable but not essential
• Evident numeracy and analytical ability; comfortable working with numbers and data
• Clear written and verbal communication; able to work with stakeholders at different levels.
• Interest in procurement supply chain engineering or manufacturing environments with curiosity about how products are designed and made.
• Organised and reliable able to balance work and professional study.
• Evidence of strong teamwork and taking initiative

Person specification Desirable:

• Any experience (work internships projects) in a commercial operations logistics or engineering setting.
• Basic understanding of supply chains contracts or business processes (e.g. through prior study or self-learning).
• Committed to working towards a qualification as part of your learning journey.

Additional Information :

With colleagues stretching across the globe we are proud of our diversity. To foster inclusivity we run employee resource groups (ERGs) to provide a safe space for employees to connect and support each other. Our cross-business ERGs include Veterans Pride Network Black Employee Network Network and Neurodiversity. 

Across our company we recognize excellence culminating in the Smiths Excellence Awards our annual celebration of the most extraordinary activities people and projects that best showcase our strengths and help drive our business forward. We announce these on our annual Smiths Day a global celebration of Smiths around our network. 

Join us for a great career with competitive compensation and benefits while helping engineer a better future. 

We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds are what make a company flourish. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment regardless of color religion sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin economic status disability age or any other legally protected characteristics. We are proud to be an inclusive company with values grounded in equality and ethics where we celebrate support and embrace diversity.

At no time during the hiring process will Smiths Group nor any of our recruitment partners ever request payment to enable participation including but not limited to interviews or testing. Avoid fraudulent requests by applying jobs directly through our careers website (Careers - Smiths Group plc)

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time