Engineering Buyer in Stoke-on-Trent

This is a great opportunity for a professional, confident Buyer from an engineering sector or with raw materials buying experience to join a friendly Team of 4, managing over 700 suppliers globally, with personal responsibility for approximately 20 suppliers in India and the UK. This role offers the chance to build relationships, including visits to India twice per year and once per month to visit UK suppliers.

You will need to be skilled in building mutually beneficial working relationships with suppliers, balancing assertiveness and friendliness to ease negotiations on price, delivery, and quality. Ideally, you will be familiar with engineering drawings and have a relevant qualification such as CIPS Level 3 or 4 or be working towards this.

The office environment is friendly and professional, allowing time for both work-related and non-work-related conversations, creating a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere with opportunities for progression within the wider group for ambitious individuals.

The Role: We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Buyer to join our team. The ideal candidate will play a key role in ensuring the timely and cost-effective procurement of materials, services, and components essential for our manufacturing processes. The position requires an understanding of the engineering industry, communication and negotiation skills, and the ability to build and maintain relationships with suppliers and internally within the company.

You should have an analytical mindset with excellent problem-solving skills, be able to work under pressure, and take the initiative. You must be able to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment while paying attention to detail, maintaining accuracy, and being thorough. Strong organisational and time management skills are essential, along with effective communication with internal stakeholders at all levels. Flexibility is required as the position dictates.

This is a fantastic opportunity for the right person to get involved in exciting new products and projects and grow within the organisation. It is a permanent role within an existing team of experienced individuals, and full training will be provided.

The Company: We are a world-leading manufacturer of mechanical equipment and components for sectors such as Oil & Gas, Defence, Nuclear, and Nuclear Decommissioning. We are growing rapidly, and this is expected to continue into the future, providing excellent long-term job security for the right individual.

Key responsibilities for the role:

• Supplier Relationship Management: Develop and maintain strong relationships with existing suppliers in the engineering industry. Identify and qualify new suppliers, assessing their capabilities, quality standards, and reliability. Ensure suppliers are working in line with departmental KPIs and manage underperforming suppliers effectively.
• Sourcing and Procurement: Source and procure raw materials, components, subcontract services, and equipment required for the projects we undertake. Negotiate terms and conditions with suppliers to secure favourable agreements on price, delivery, and quality. Raise and issue purchase orders ensuring they are placed within budget, at the correct lead time, and in a timely manner. Support the estimating team with obtaining prices required for tenders and bids adhering to tight deadlines. Identify and implement cost savings in line with business goals, including carrying out costing exercises for non-direct spends where required. Expedite purchase orders for direct and indirect suppliers in a timely manner and report any delays/problems to internal stakeholders such as production and project teams.
• Quality Assurance: Collaborate with quality control and engineering teams to ensure that purchased materials and components meet the required specifications and standards. Action non-conformance reports. Generate and issue Corrective Action Reports to the supply chain and ensure they are returned to a suitable standard in a timely manner. Monitor inventory levels to prevent stockouts and excess inventory.
• Risk Management: Identify potential risks in the supply chain and develop contingency plans to mitigate disruptions. Stay informed about industry trends, geopolitical factors, and other variables that may impact the supply chain.
• Documentation and Compliance: Maintain accurate records of all transactions, including purchase orders, contracts, and supplier quality records. Ensure compliance with company policies, industry regulations, and ethical standards.

Essential Qualifications and Experience:

• You should have a relevant qualification such as CIPS Level 4 or be working towards this.
• Proven experience as a Buyer in the mechanical engineering industry.
• In-depth knowledge of materials, manufacturing processes, and industry-specific regulations.
• Strong negotiation, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Experience and a good understanding of ERP systems.
• IT literacy is essential to be successful in this role. Proficiency in Microsoft Office software, such as Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint is required.
• You should hold a full clean UK driving licence as travel will be needed from time to time.
• It is a requirement of this position that you apply for and obtain UK national security clearance, which will be organised for you by the company.
• It is also a requirement for this role that you are a UK citizen due to the nature of the work that we do.

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits: Company pension, free parking, on-site parking, referral programme.

Ability to commute/relocate: Stoke-on-Trent: reliably commute.

Application question(s): Are you able to obtain enhanced UK government security clearance (note that this has restrictions in place based upon nationality)?

Language: English (required)

Licence/Certification: Driving Licence (preferred), CIPS Level 4 Diploma (preferred).