Gemma McDowell

A reliable and approachable professional with experience in finance and operational administration, known for strong organisation, attention to detail, and a proactive approach to problem-solving. Collaborative and adaptable, with a proven ability to support teams and maintain smooth day-to-day operations.

Procurement Administrator - Arqiva Limited

(2017-04)

As the Procurement Administrator I played a key role in keeping everything running smoothly behind the scenes. I supported the day-to-day delivery of procurement activities, from contract management and supplier onboarding to reporting and operational administration. Running the systems, data, documentation, and shared inboxes organised and up to date. I enabled the Procurement function to operate efficiently, ensuring they can deliver the best outcomes for the business and partners.

• Manage and triage the Procurement mailbox, responding to queries, taking appropriate action, and escalating where required.
• Support the Contracts mailbox, assisting with queries and providing contract-related administrative support.
• Provide support on urgent procurement activities, projects and team priorities as required.
• Create and maintain accurate supplier records within our internal systems, ensuring compliance with processes and standards.
• Upload and maintain contracts and related documentation within our Source to Pay system and SharePoint in line with governance requirements.
• Keep procurement processes, guidance, and training materials up to date and accessible.
• Provide administrative and operational support to enable efficient procurement activities across the team.
• Administrator for the Amazon Business portal, including user management, query resolution, and spend monitoring.
• Supported the implementation of a contract management solution, coordinating the migration of contracts into a single, central repository. Prepared metadata frameworks to support automated classification of live vs expired contracts during system migration.
• Supported the upgrade of the Dun & Bradstreet platform to integrate financial and sanctions screening.
• Provide end-to-end administration across multiple procurement and supplier systems, ensuring data accuracy, integrity, and compliance.
• Arrange Purchase Orders, payment of invoices, expenses and approvals, reviewing POs and discrepancies.
• Arrange team hotels, and travel, team events.

Purchasing Manager - Arqiva Limited

(2015-03 - 2017-03)

• Led the Purchasing Solutions team across P2P, expenses, and credit cards, ensuring effective operations and compliance.
• Improved processes, reporting, and data quality, producing KPIs and supporting Finance with P2P improvements.

Payables / Purchasing Finance Analyst - Arqiva Limited

(2013-10 - 2015-03)

• Finance and systems analyst role supporting payables operations, Oracle payments, and change initiatives.
• Owned testing, reporting, process improvements, and payment controls, providing cover up to Team Leader level.

Oracle Transformation Business Lead - Arqiva Limited

(2012-09 - 2013-09)

• Business Process Lead for the Oracle upgrade, covering Accounts Payable, Payments, and Expenses.
• Led process review and re-design, documenting "as-is" and "to-be" processes, identifying opportunities to reduce customisation.
• Owned business input to design, testing, and user acceptance, including test coordination, validation, and sign-off.
• Managed data cleansing activities, reporting KPIs, and supported cutover through training and post-go-live support.

Property Payable Co-ordinator - Arqiva Limited

(2011-10 - 2012-09)

• Owned property accounts payable processes, delivering accurate landlord payments and strict adherence to contractual lease obligations.
• Processed rent, service charge, insurance invoices, and payment instructions, resolving landlord and internal queries.
• Maintained landlord and site records, completed audits, and supported month-end reporting, accruals, and journals.

Finance Co-ordinator (Accounts Payable) - Arqiva Limited

(2006-08 - 2011-09)

• Managed end-to-end accounts payable processing, including supplier invoices, employee expenses, and purchase card transactions.
• Reconciled supplier statements cleared prepayments and debit balances, and resolved invoice, payment, and refund queries.
• Administered purchasing card accounts, monitored spend, and supported month-end reporting and accruals.
• Reconciliation of supplier statements and payments to suppliers.

Project Administrator - DLO

(2003-08 - 2006-07)

Accounts Payable Assistant - Centrica (The AA)

(2000-07 - 2003-03)

Administrative Assistant - Lloyds TSB

(1999-07 - 2000-07)

Administrative Assistant - AIM Services

(1998-06 - 1998-08)

NVQ Level 2 - Business Administration - Cricklade College, Andover

CLAIT - Text & Word Processing (I & II), MS Excel Level 2 - Cricklade College, Andover

GCSEs - Winton School, Andover