Senior Buyer

Location: Bradford

Salary: Circa £45k

My client is a local manufacturer and are looking for a Machine Development Engineer to join their team. Reporting to the Purchasing Manager. The post holder will have responsibility for ensuring that we manage supplier relationships within our current supply chain and take the lead to introduce new suppliers who can give us a cost-advantage, responsive, flexible service. Candidates should have the drive and ability to make their mark in purchasing and supplier management at a senior level. The emphasis of this role will be focus Capital expenditure on commercial activity rather than day to day expediting

Senior Buyer - Job Role:

• Using a category management approach, review of production and non-production

• expenditure and develop sourcing strategies that align to the business goals. Project
• manage the migration of spends for the given commodities into the remit of the
• Purchasing department where they do not exist today.
• Design and implement supplier rationalisation based upon the category strategy
• proposed and approved.
• Establish and manage contracts with core suppliers in each category. Negotiate
• improved prices and terms of business with key suppliers. Adopt a corporate approach
• to cost reduction whilst maintaining an exceptionally high level of quality.
• Work with internal stakeholders on NPI, capital equipment & bespoke projects to
• ensure purchasing input from the project start.
• Build relationships internally and externally with stakeholder departments to ensure
• optimum success.
• Co-ordinate monitor and report upon supplier performance liaise with client
• departments on supplier status; produce monthly reporting on all of the above as
• required by Departmental Manager. Manage performance improvement activities with
• the suppliers.
• Liaise with European/Global plants to identify leverage opportunities.

Senior Buyer – Person Requirements:

• Ability to work as a change agent in the company to improve processes and services,

• ensuring key project milestone are met.
• Strong negotiation skills, contract management knowledge and experience
• understanding cost makeup.
• A strong relationship builder with ability to communicate effectively with all levels of the
• organisation as well as with external suppliers.
• Bring innovative industry best practice ideas to help improve the indirect process.
• Drive to achieve best value and ongoing cost reduction.
• Able to achieve senior management expectations whilst delivering at operational level.
• Well developed communication, negotiation and persuasion skills and a tenacious
• attitude to delivering change
• Must have a can-do attitude with high levels of motivation to continually challenge the
• status quo.
• Comfortable working and managing within a small team environment, delivering
• change.
• A self starter and confident decision maker who is able to think on their feet.

Essential Experience

• Significant experience and be from a 1st tier or OEM automotive, engineering, or

• general manufacturing background.
• A proven record of purchasing non-production materials and commodities.
• Experience with capital expenditure and tooling purchases would be required general
• non-production buying within an engineering or fast-moving manufacturing
• environment is essential.
• Experience of sourcing and managing suppliers located in low-cost countries.
• A commercially focused professional who can demonstrate knowledge of best practice
• purchasing techniques and have the ability to plan and prioritise their workload to meet
• deadlines, work on own initiative and identify, analyse and solve problems.
• Experience in managing change and continuous improvements.
• Degree/HND caliber candidate preferably with a CIPS qualification, or be studying towards CIPS.