Graduate Trainee

Scotland Excel Graduate Trainee Programme: Be Part of Scotland's Future

A career in public procurement supports Scotland's social, economic and environmental goals.

What do you think about when you hear the word procurement? Contracts? Paperwork? Dare we say it… boring? Well, think again!

Scotland Excel is a leading public sector procurement organisation where everything we do is about supporting local and national economic growth and wellbeing. A career at Scotland Excel touches all aspects of public life, helping to make sure Scotland is a great place to live.

Our extensive portfolio of frameworks has a total value of over £2 billion and plays a vital role in the delivery of public services. Think of everyday items you may come across in your daily life and you may be surprised to find that it is from a Scotland Excel framework… your bins and the vehicles that empty them, even the bitumen in the road surface right through to school and nursery food, classroom materials, and library books.

We also commission the care that is provided for those in care homes or their own home, as well as services to support fostering and services to adults such as those recovering from addiction. A lot of public assets will have been designed or possibly built using Scotland Excel arrangements, including social housing and its repair and maintenance.

We have teams working to shape the requirements, running fair, transparent tendering processes to form National Frameworks that provide goods and services right across Scotland, including the island communities.

We rely on teamwork and growing great relationships with our colleagues within councils and housing associations, to ensure we fully understand their requirements from contracts to meet the needs of people from all parts of the country.

Scotland Excel is committed to working towards a fairer, wealthier and cleaner Scotland. We work alongside colleagues within Scottish Government to ensure we are embedding the optimum mix of requirement in contracts to ensure Fair Work is respected, greater proportions of workers receive the Real Living Wage in payment, climate change measures and Net Zero targets are facilitated.

Scotland Excel works extensively with our colleagues across the Public Sector and graduate appointments would be encouraged to become involved with collaborative working to garner a broader and more round experience during the training programme.

We are delighted to be recruiting a new intake for our Graduate Trainee Programme. We have openings across three different functions to give talented and enthusiastic people an exciting opportunity to develop at Scotland Excel.

Strategic Procurement and Commissioning

As a Strategic Procurement and Commissioning graduate you will rotate through different teams, to allow you to experience and participate in the different stages of the Procurement and Commissioning process.

In doing so you will:

• Gain experience of different markets and developing solutions to ensure that contracts meet the needs of multiple stakeholders while delivering value for money and national policy objectives.
• Gain the exposure to all the steps within the procurement process.
• Have the opportunity to hone your negotiation skills by working alongside colleagues and suppliers, whether it is managing the pricing process, or seeking to bring on new and innovative products, managing supplier relationships, monitoring performance, and helping maintain high standards in contracts across the public sector
• Develop effective relationships with key stakeholders such as customers, Scottish Government, providers and suppliers, ensuring professional communications and high quality customer service are delivered.
• Help build contracts that are robust, compliant and beneficial on a national scale by following Public Procurement regulations and any associated guidance that is released in line with national policies. You will receive training and support in all the Policies and Procedures that apply to Public Procurement in Scotland.

Business Intelligence

As a Business Intelligence Graduate, you will play an active role in supporting key aspects of Scotland Excel’s business and strategic processes. Over the course of the programme, you will develop a strong understanding of the public sector landscape and develop the professional skills required to work in a constantly evolving digital and data environment.

As a key member of a small team, you will:

• Research and analyse economic, political, and social factors impacting local government and the wider public sector, producing reports for a local government audience.
• Work closely with procurement and commissioning teams to understand the pressures affecting public sector supply chains, sharing insights that support councils in planning and budget setting.
• Contribute to Scotland Excel’s strategic risk management process, helping to identify, assess, and manage emerging risks.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency through process automation and the use of data tools such as Power BI.
• Assist in coordinating responses to Freedom of Information requests.
• Work closely with internal customers to develop reports/tools to boost performance and drive Scotland Excel KPIs

Commercial & Projects

As a Commercial & Projects graduate, you will rotate across multiple teams to support Scotland Excel in the delivery of a high quality, efficient and customer-focused approach across all aspects of our services.

You will experience and contribute towards:

• Customer relationship building - demonstrate the value of membership, promote satisfaction, and maximise the uptake of new and existing service offerings, working with project leads and customers.
• Identifying and pursuing business development opportunities with our local authority members, with our associate members, and with prospective members across sectors.
• Helping customers develop procurement and commercial capability through strategic projects and management of national initiatives and assessments.
• Supporting the delivery of Scotland Excel’s Customer First Programme.

At Scotland Excel we believe procurement starts and ends with people: our colleagues, our customers, our suppliers and, most importantly those who use public services.

At Scotland Excel you will work with procurement and supply chain partners to drive positive social and environmental change, encourage innovation and create a sustainable future for Scotland. We are all about change for the better, so the one thing you’ll never be is bored!

We offer an inspiring working environment, competitive salary, generous holiday allowance, a defined benefits pension and flexible working options. As an Investors in People employer, we are committed to helping staff develop their skills and we promote a healthy work-life balance for all our staff.

From induction to qualification, combining study with a rewarding job, the next two years are going to challenge you. During your programme you’ll have the opportunity to explore different disciplines within your specialised area and gain exposure to other business functions across the organisation. Over two years, you will grow your skills, knowledge and experience with an opportunity to build a platform to develop your career.

We start things with an intensive induction programme for our new graduate. This is when we’ll introduce you to life at Scotland Excel. It’s your chance to get to know your fellow graduates, as well as new colleagues and managers, and begin building a strong network within Scotland Excel.

We will also introduce you to your Mentor, a senior manager within the organisation, who will support and guide you throughout your time as a Graduate Trainee with Scotland Excel.

Then you’ll start the real job. You’ll work alongside experienced colleagues on live projects, developing your commercial and stakeholder skills as you go. From day one, you can count on an extensive network of support including your Mentor, your colleagues and your line manager. They’ll all help you to achieve your full potential.

Your first year’s training programme will give a solid foundation of skills and knowledge, building the confidence needed to begin your career in local government. Developing you as an individual and as a valued team member of Scotland Excel.

In your second year, you will start to work towards the professional qualification which best suits your position within our organisation.

You will receive all the support necessary for you to achieve your target qualification. Study will be facilitated via a mixture of self-taught and classroom sessions; we’ll make sure you have sufficient study time and support. We know this is a challenging period and we will help you in any way we can.

Scotland Excel has an established career pathway across all areas of the organisation. Onward progression from the Graduate Trainee role will be supported and encouraged and we will remain committed to your professional development throughout your career at Scotland Excel.

Why start your graduate career with us?

• Develop and learn in an inspiring environment
• Grow your skills and build a platform to develop your career
• Work with experienced colleagues on live projects
• Support and guidance from a 1-2-1 mentor
• Achieve a professional qualification
• Be a part of creating a sustainable future for Scotland

Who Can Apply?

For our graduate programme, you need to have:

• Honours degree from any discipline at 2:1 or above (achieved or anticipated) or a Post Graduate Degree

How To Apply

Please be aware, our application process is a multiple stage process that will span between April to June.

Scotland Excel is committed to diversity and inclusion and welcomes applications from all backgrounds. Candidates with disabilities who meet the essential criteria are guaranteed an interview. If you have a disability, please let us know when applying.