Senior Category Officer

I started within Defra group Commercial (DgC) in March 2020 at the age of 18 joining as a Commercial Apprentice in Procurement & Supply. As an apprentice I completed level 4 CIPS (the recognised commercial professional qualification from the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply). Within the Infrastructure Team we deliver procurements which are part of the Environment Agency’s Flood and Coastal Risk Management Programme. We get involved in many projects from the Thames Tidal Barrier through to smaller, but still very important projects, which might be managing debris or maintaining sluice gates all of which contribute to the end goal of managing the risk of flooding.

Throughout my time as an Apprentice, I always felt that I had the opportunity to ask questions, about work and my studies. I was fortunate to have a very supportive network behind me including a Talent Coach from Capita Knowledge Pool, an awesome line manager and an encouraging team. I was entitled to the equivalent of 1 day a week to dedicate to my Apprenticeship and I definitely made the most of this when I was going through the End Point Assessment phase. The CIPS tutors were amazing and had boundless knowledge on Procurement, making the content come to life in my study and revision sessions. I was able to build a base for my knowledge and apply it to the commercial projects I was delivering in my role.

I have now completed my Apprenticeship and I’m continuing my CIPS journey studying Level 5. I continue to be supported by Defra with the costs of study and paid study leave. I was successful gaining promotion to Category Officer after I completed by Apprenticeship and was successful again gaining promotion to Senior Category Officer in February 2023.

I’m based in the Peterborough office working typically two days a week in the office where I meet up with colleagues also in the Infrastructure Team but also from other teams in DgC. I really value the flexibility from hybrid working. As I am newly promoted, I am developing in the role and as part of this, I shadow my colleagues on more complex requirements so that I can grow my awareness of strategic procurement and take on bigger challenges in the future. I feel I have taken advantage of all the opportunities available to me while I have been with Defra and especially when I was an Apprenticeship, and I am very grateful for all the opportunities I’ve received which include:

• Discussed the future of Apprenticeships in Defra with our Permanent Secretary, Tamara Finkelstein.
• Nominated for a ‘Young Talent’ CIPS Award by DgC.
• Finalist at Peterborough Apprenticeship Awards 2022.
• Shared my experiences on Defra group Commercial All Staff Calls.

I hope this shows how I have been able to develop my career with Defra and I hope you’ll be inspired too.