Procurement and Supply Chain Apprentice

John Crane, a business of Smiths Group, is a global leader in mission-critical flow control solutions for energy and process industries that enable efficient and sustainable operations. Our products include mechanical seals and systems, couplings, filtration systems, and predictive digital monitoring technologies. 

We have a global network of more than 200 sites in over 50 countries and employ more than 6,000 people worldwide. We partner with our customers to help them keep their operations safe, reduce downtime, improve efficiency, and meet the latest environmental standards. 

John Crane is part of Smiths Group. For over 170 years, Smiths has been pioneering progress by engineering for a better future. We serve millions of people every year, helping to create a safer, more efficient, productive, and better-connected world across four global markets: energy, security & defence, space & aerospace, and general industrial. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Smiths employs approximately 16,000 colleagues in over 50 countries. 

We have an opportunity for Apprentices to join John Crane’s 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.

• · 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.

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, Women@Work 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 career’s website (Careers - Smiths Group plc)