My name is Stacey, I started at Essex County Council as a Procurement Support Officer in May 2020.

I left school at 16 and wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to college as I didn’t have a set career path in mind, so I decided I wanted to go straight in to work. I had a few jobs (which were all very different to each other) before deciding to explore a career in recruitment. I worked for in recruitment for the NHS for a while before taking a manager’s position at a private healthcare agency in 2018. Unfortunately, in March 2020 my role was made redundant due to covid. I had decided I wanted to go back into the public sector a few months earlier, so this gave me the push I needed to look at what transferrable skills I had and that is when I saw an advert for a Procurement Support Officer at Essex County Council.

Something that appealed to me was that it was an opportunity to start working towards a diploma and start afresh in a new role. I have always been attracted to a career that helps other people in some way and I enjoy work that varies day to day, which is what makes Procurement a perfect fit for me.

In March 2021 I was promoted to Procurement Officer on the Corporate Procurement team and in April 2022 I moved across to Passenger Transport so that I could develop my skills further and eventually move into an Assistant Manager position.

Previously, on Corporate I managed contracts such as Corporate Travel and Stationery, I also supported with sourcing a supplier for distribution of vouchers to people facing hardship during covid. On Passenger Transport I look after home to school transport for children who attend mainstream schools, and I am supporting on some sustainable transport procurements. It’s a really exciting time to have joined Passenger Transport as I get to support on things like the climate strategy and the way we will procure going forward.

Since joining ECC, I have now completed my level 4 diploma in Procurement and Supply and I am now working my way through the level 5 advanced diploma. I hope to also achieve a yellow belt in Lean Six Sigma within the next 12 months. I am now a mental health first aider, and I will be taking a first aid course in November this year.

If you are interested in a career in procurement, then please find out current vacancies here.

If you have any question about opportunities at Essex County Council, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk