We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide.

We work directly with individuals to help them gain the skills, confidence and connections to transform their lives and shape a better world in partnership with the UK. We support them to build networks and explore creative ideas, to learn English, to get a high-quality education and to gain internationally recognised qualifications.

Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2021-22 we reached 650 million people.

Role Purpose

To provide administrative and transactional assistance to the British Council Procurement function in the region.

Main Accountabilities:

Procurement administration

• Ensure adherence to the corporate procurement policy and processes, and external financial regulations in all aspects of the role
• Check that Purchase Requests received from the countries comply with British Council corporate procurement policy.
• Classify incoming Purchase requisitions into Purchase orders or Intercompany orders and decide which internal purchasing system is required. Convert PRs received into PO or I/C request
• Reconcile or resolve value discrepancies
• Act as a contact point between country operational teams and the Shared Services Centre with regards to payment processing Procurement will be developing a greater level of engagement with the business units and establishing a strong business partnering approach.
• Follow up with the operational teams in the countries on down-payments and operational advances approvals in line with corporate policy

Master data & new vendor requests

• Ensure all activity is directed towards preferred suppliers as much as possible.
• Maintain and update contracts database as required
• Support the vendor creation requests from the business and ensure required documents and information is provided in order to fulfil requests

About You (essential requirements for the role):

• University degree or equivalent
• Entry-level administration work experience
• Experience in administration of procurement and/or finance; conducting external purchases with overseas countries in the region
• Fluent level of spoken and written English - level B2
• Basic administrative and financial skills with demonstrable attention to detail

Desirable requirements for the role

• Diploma/qualification/degree in a relevant top
• Experience working for the British Council
• Knowledge of the British Council procurement policy
• Experience working for a UK Governmental organisation
• Experience working for an international organisation
• Experience in the operational use of P2P within SAP

Further Information

• Role: Regional Market Place (Procurement) Advisor - MENA
• Number of positions: 1
• Pay Band: BRC - 2J
• Location: Sharjah, UAE
• Contract type: Fixed term Contract - Local (1 year)
• Closing date: 9th July 2023 (23:59 Gulf Standard Time)
• Salary: Basic Salary = 4324.32 AED and Housing = 1909.7 AED
• Other: This role is open to candidates who are having right to work in located in UAE

*Please note that all applications should be submitted only in English.
*It is advisable to apply in advance to avoid any technical issues at the last moment.

A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.

Equality , Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Statement

The British Council is committed to policies and practices of equality, diversity and inclusion across everything we do. We support all staff to make sure their behaviour is consistent with this commitment. We want to address under representation and encourage applicants from under-represented groups, in particular, but not exclusively, on grounds of ethnicity and disability. All disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria are guaranteed an interview and we have Disability Confident Employer Status. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.

The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with.

We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989.

Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed; these will include qualification checks, reference checks, identity & criminal record checks in line with legal requirements and with the British Council\'s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.

If you have any problems with your application please email

Please note: Applications to this role can only be considered when made through the Apply section of our careers website. Our \'ASK HR\' email is only to be used in case of a technical issue encountered when applying through the careers website. Emails with supporting statements and CV/Resumes sent to this email address will not be reviewed and will be deleted.

British Council