Location: Hybrid – mainly remote, with occasional face-to-face meetings
Contract: Freelance preferred; part-time or full-time arrangements may also be considered
Pay:
- Freelance hourly rate: £35–£45 per hour
- Freelance day rate: £250–£325 per day
- Permanent equivalent: £42,000–£50,000 per year
- Start date: To be confirmed
The proposed salary reflects the current UK market. A recent Supply Chain Lecturer vacancy advertised £42,254–£48,823, while more research-intensive university roles may offer higher salaries.
Role overview
We are seeking an experienced and suitably qualified Higher Nationals Procurement and Supply Chain Management Lecturer/Assessor to support the delivery and assessment of the Pearson BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma in Business, particularly the Procurement and Supply Management pathway.
The programme will be delivered mainly through distance learning. The successful candidate will deliver interactive live online teaching, prepare appropriate learning resources, assess learner work and contribute to the programme’s internal quality-assurance processes.
The preferred arrangement is freelance, although part-time and full-time applications may also be considered. Occasional face-to-face attendance may be required for meetings, staff training, standardisation, assessment boards or Pearson quality-assurance activities.
Units that may be allocated
Depending on qualifications and experience, the successful candidate may teach and assess:
- Unit 15: Operational Planning and Management;
- Unit 19: Research Project;
- Unit 25: Global Business Environment;
- Unit 26: Principles of Operations Management;
- Unit 36: Procurement and Supply Chain Management;
- Unit 37: Pitching and Negotiation Skills;
- Unit 43: Business Strategy;
- Unit 45: Business Data Analytics and Insights;
- Unit 56: Tapping into New and International Markets;
- Unit 57: Business Intelligence.
The principal Level 5 Procurement and Supply Management pathway units are:
- Unit 26: Principles of Operations Management;
- Unit 36: Procurement and Supply Chain Management;
- Unit 37: Pitching and Negotiation Skills.
Unit 36 carries 30 credits, while Units 26 and 37 each carry 15 credits.
Main responsibilities
The Lecturer/Assessor will:
- plan and deliver live online lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials;
- prepare schemes of work, lesson plans, presentations and learning materials;
- deliver unit content in accordance with Pearson specifications;
- provide structured guided learning and independent-study activities;
- use current procurement, logistics and supply-chain case studies;
- help learners connect theory with operational and commercial practice;
- teach sourcing, supplier selection, contract management and negotiation;
- support learners in understanding supply-chain risk, sustainability and performance;
- contribute to the development of valid, vocationally relevant assignment briefs;
- ensure assignment briefs are internally verified before issue;
- assess learner work against Pearson Pass, Merit and Distinction criteria;
- provide clear, accurate and timely assessment feedback;
- maintain complete assessment and learner-progress records;
- support authorised resubmissions and reassessments;
- participate in assessor standardisation and internal quality assurance;
- respond to actions raised by the Programme Leader, IQA or External Examiner;
- monitor learner attendance, engagement, progress and achievement;
- provide individual and small-group tutorials;
- promote correct referencing and academic integrity;
- monitor plagiarism, collusion and inappropriate use of artificial intelligence;
- contribute to assessment boards and programme reviews;
- maintain current professional knowledge through continuing professional development.
Teaching and learning expectations
The successful candidate should deliver practical, interactive and industry-focused sessions. Teaching activities may include:
- supplier-selection exercises;
- procurement-cycle mapping;
- sourcing-strategy development;
- make-or-buy analysis;
- supplier appraisal and performance measurement;
- contract and tender evaluation;
- inventory-management exercises;
- supply-chain mapping;
- logistics and distribution case studies;
- demand forecasting;
- operational process analysis;
- risk and contingency planning;
- sustainability and ethical sourcing reviews;
- negotiation simulations;
- supplier-pitch activities;
- group presentations;
- business case analysis;
- regular formative assessment and knowledge checks.
Delivery must go beyond pre-recorded lectures and should give learners meaningful opportunities to apply theories to realistic commercial situations.
Assessment evidence
Depending on the allocated unit, learner evidence may include:
- procurement strategies;
- sourcing plans;
- supplier-evaluation reports;
- tender-analysis exercises;
- supply-chain maps;
- operational improvement plans;
- risk assessments;
- negotiation plans;
- recorded negotiation or pitching activities;
- contract-management reports;
- logistics and inventory analysis;
- business presentations;
- case-study reports;
- research projects;
- reflective evaluations.
Where practical skills such as pitching or negotiation are assessed, the centre may require live or recorded activities supported by tutor observation records.
Essential qualifications
Applicants should hold:
- a relevant degree in Procurement, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Operations Management, Business or a closely related discipline;
- preferably a Master’s degree or relevant postgraduate qualification;
- a recognised teaching qualification or substantial higher education teaching experience;
- an assessor qualification or demonstrable experience assessing assignment-based qualifications.
Professional membership or qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply are strongly preferred, such as:
- CIPS Level 5 Advanced Diploma;
- CIPS Level 6 Professional Diploma;
- MCIPS;
- Chartered Status;
- another relevant procurement or supply-chain qualification.
Essential experience
Applicants must have:
- experience teaching Procurement, Supply Chain, Logistics or Operations at Level 4, Level 5 or higher education level;
- strong knowledge of procurement and supply-chain principles;
- experience planning and delivering structured teaching programmes;
- experience assessing written, practical and presentation-based evidence;
- knowledge of Pass, Merit and Distinction grading;
- the ability to provide clear and constructive assessment feedback;
- confidence delivering live online teaching;
- experience using a Learning Management System and video-conferencing platform;
- strong analytical and commercial skills;
- excellent written and verbal communication;
- the ability to meet teaching, marking and quality-assurance deadlines.
Desirable experience
It would be advantageous to have:
- direct experience delivering Pearson BTEC Higher Nationals;
- experience teaching the Pearson BTEC HND Business Procurement and Supply Management pathway;
- current or recent professional procurement or supply-chain experience;
- experience in supplier management, purchasing, logistics or contract management;
- experience conducting commercial negotiations;
- experience supervising Level 5 research projects;
- an Internal Quality Assurance qualification;
- experience developing and internally verifying assignment briefs;
- experience preparing evidence for a Pearson External Examiner;
- experience delivering blended or distance-learning programmes;
- MCIPS or Chartered professional status;
- experience using procurement, inventory or data-analysis systems.
Subject knowledge
Applicants should demonstrate current knowledge across several of the following areas:
- strategic procurement;
- procurement cycles and processes;
- sourcing strategy;
- supplier selection and appraisal;
- supplier relationship management;
- contract and commercial management;
- tendering and bid evaluation;
- negotiation;
- inventory management;
- logistics and distribution;
- demand and capacity planning;
- operations management;
- supply-chain risk and resilience;
- ethical and sustainable procurement;
- global supply chains;
- digital procurement;
- supply-chain analytics;
- performance measures and key performance indicators;
- quality management;
- current legal and regulatory considerations affecting procurement.
Negotiation and pitching responsibilities
Where delivering Unit 37, the lecturer may be required to:
- teach preparation and planning for negotiations;
- explain negotiation models, tactics and ethical boundaries;
- organise simulated business pitches or supplier negotiations;
- establish clear assessment conditions;
- observe live online or face-to-face performance;
- ask follow-up questions to confirm individual competence;
- complete tutor observation records;
- ensure group activities provide identifiable individual evidence;
- authenticate recorded or live evidence;
- assess both communication skills and commercial reasoning.
Research Project responsibilities
Where suitably qualified and allocated Unit 19, the lecturer may also:
- supervise procurement, logistics or supply-chain research projects;
- help learners select topics linked to Pearson’s annual theme;
- review research proposals;
- support the development of research aims and questions;
- advise on qualitative and quantitative research methods;
- support supplier surveys, interviews and operational data analysis;
- monitor research ethics, confidentiality and commercial sensitivity;
- conduct and record supervision meetings;
- authenticate the development of learner work;
- assess completed research projects.
The lecturer must support the research process without writing or directing the learner’s assessed work.
Online delivery requirements
The successful candidate will be expected to:
- deliver scheduled live online sessions;
- use discussions, polls, breakout activities and commercial case studies;
- facilitate online negotiation and pitching exercises;
- maintain accurate electronic attendance records;
- upload resources and activities to the Learning Management System;
- provide structured independent-learning tasks;
- hold individual or group tutorials;
- respond to learner enquiries within agreed timescales;
- monitor participation and assessment submission patterns;
- report disengagement or academic concerns promptly;
- ensure online materials are accessible and inclusive.
Assessment responsibilities
The Lecturer/Assessor must:
- assess only against Pearson’s published assessment criteria;
- ensure decisions are supported by sufficient and authentic evidence;
- apply Pass, Merit and Distinction standards consistently;
- maintain observation records for practical assessments;
- clearly record how assessment decisions were reached;
- meet agreed marking and feedback deadlines;
- participate fully in internal verification;
- amend unsupported decisions when required;
- follow procedures for extensions, late submissions and mitigating circumstances;
- refer suspected malpractice through the correct process;
- protect learner and commercial information;
- avoid internally verifying their own assessment decisions.
Skills and attributes
The successful candidate should demonstrate:
- strong procurement and supply-chain expertise;
- commercial awareness;
- effective negotiation and presentation skills;
- an engaging and applied teaching style;
- the ability to explain technical and operational concepts clearly;
- strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
- professional judgement when assessing learner evidence;
- accuracy and consistency in grading;
- confidence using online teaching and analytical tools;
- reliability when working remotely;
- a supportive and inclusive approach;
- the ability to collaborate with the Programme Leader and IQA;
- commitment to maintaining Level 5 academic standards.
Working arrangements
The role will mainly be completed remotely. Duties may include:
- live online teaching during daytime, evening or weekend periods;
- electronic marking and assessment feedback;
- online learner tutorials;
- virtual staff and standardisation meetings;
- online negotiation and pitching assessments;
- assessment-board attendance;
- External Examiner sampling and meetings;
- occasional face-to-face meetings or staff-development events.
The freelance workload will depend on learner numbers, allocated units, teaching hours, assessment volume, tutorial requirements and quality-assurance activity.
Application requirements
Applicants should provide:
- an up-to-date CV;
- copies of relevant academic, professional and teaching qualifications;
- evidence of CIPS membership or qualifications, where applicable;
- details of units they are competent to teach;
- evidence of Level 4, Level 5 or higher education teaching experience;
- details of professional procurement or supply-chain experience;
- details of Pearson BTEC Higher Nationals experience, where applicable;
- availability and preferred contractual arrangement;
- expected hourly or daily rate;
- contact details for two professional referees.
Appointment checks
Appointment will be subject to:
- verification of academic and professional qualifications;
- identity and right-to-work checks;
- satisfactory professional references;
- declaration of conflicts of interest;
- a DBS check where applicable;
- compliance with safeguarding, data protection, academic integrity and centre policies.
Pay: £42,000.00-£50,000.00 per year
Work Location: Remote
