Supply Chain and Operations Associate
Elevate Programme for early-career talent: 12 - 24 months
Location: Cardiff city centre, hybrid
Start Date: ~22 May 2026

The Opportunity 

Are you curious, organised, and excited by the idea of helping big organisations work better?

We’re hiring Associates to join a growing Supply Chain and Operations team in Cardiff. This is a great first step for graduates who want to build a career in business, procurement, operations, commercial management, or consulting.

As the impact of Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Sourcing transforms the way we work, this is a great time to be joining a team which can give you a huge breadth of experience and turbocharge your career.

You’ll work on real client projects - everyone from household names to new start-up businesses, government departments, industrial giants, technology leaders and global financial services firms - so you can be sure of variety and plenty of opportunities to learn and contributehelp solve practical business problems, and learn from experienced professionals in a fast-moving environment.

What You'll Be Doing

• You’ll support projects that help organisations improve how they buy goods and services, manage suppliers, reduce risk, and run their operations more effectively.

• Your work could include helping with procurement activity, reviewing supplier information, supporting contract management, analysing data, tracking project actions, and working with different teams to keep delivery on track.

• You’ll be part of a team, so you won’t be expected to know everything on day one. You’ll learn by doing, ask questions, and build confidence as you go.

The services you'll learn to deliver are:

Procurement: Supporting Clients in the delivery of procurement activities including market analysis and engagement, requirements identification and management of the procurement process from initiation to contract award.

Contract and Supplier Management: Managing contracts on behalf of Clients, driving to improve strategic supplier relationships, 3rd party supplier risk assessment, delivering and optimising commercial assurance and undertaking detailed analysis of existing contract structures to identify improvement opportunities and current compliance.

Supply Chain Management: Management of existing supply chains (internal and 3rd party) and analysis to reduce risk and identify improvement opportunities.

Productivity Improvement: Analysing current operational processes/systems / data and resourcing to identify potential improvements, then working with clients to deliver the resulting change programme.

What You'll Be Learning

• This role gives you the chance to build practical skills that are valuable across many industries.

• You’ll learn how procurement and supply chains work in real businesses.

• You’ll develop experience in stakeholder communication, data analysis, supplier management, commercial thinking, process improvement, and project delivery.

• You’ll also learn how to work with clients, manage competing priorities, and solve problems in a professional environment.
  

What We're Looking For

We’re open to recent graduates and early-career professionals looking to build a career in operations and professional services. This role could be a strong fit if you enjoy solving problems, working with people, and getting stuck into detail.

You do not need years of experience. We’re more interested in your potential, your attitude, and your willingness to learn.

You should be:

• A clear communicator who can build good working relationships

• Organised and able to manage tasks well

• Comfortable working with detail, data, and deadlines

• Interested in how businesses operate and improve

• Curious, proactive, and keen to learn

• Calm and adaptable when priorities change

• A team player with a professional approach
  

Programme Timings and Ways of Working

• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

• First interviews are expected to take place virtually.

• Final stage interviews are expected to take place in person in Cardiff.

• The role begins full-time on Friday 22 May 2026.

• The first 6 weeks of in-person training take place in central Cardiff- candidates will be required to attend the office up to 5 days per week.

• After training, the role becomes hybrid, with 3 days per week in the Cardiff office.
  

Programme Benefits & Progression

• Alongside your starting salary, there will be a performance review every 6 months and a potential salary uplift at 12 months

• Ongoing training and development support through one-to-one coaching and access to our award-winning trainers 

• Health cash plan and cycle to work scheme

• Opportunity for conversion into a permanent role at 12-24 months

• There is potential for longer-term progression into operations, procurement, commercial management, consulting, and business transformation.
  

Why Join?

• This is a chance to start your career in a role that gives you real responsibility, strong training, and exposure to well-known clients and meaningful projects.

• You’ll join a growing team, build skills that will stay valuable for years, and gain experience that can open doors into operations, procurement, commercial management, consulting, and business transformation.

• If you want a role where you can learn quickly, contribute from the start, and build a strong career path, this could be a great opportunity.
  

Please submit your CV and answer a few screening questions via our careers portal. If you do not hear from us within three weeks of applying, your application will not progress further.

Successful applicants will need to hold BPSS clearance. Some projects may also require SC clearance, which usually means you must have lived in the UK for the last five years.

Vantage Point Global is a fully committed Equal Opportunities, inclusive employer. We are passionate about attracting diverse talent, and welcome applications regardless of ethnicity, culture, age, gender, nationality, religion, disability, or sexual orientation.