Procurement Specialist

Location: Warwick, UK (Hybrid/On-site as required)

Contract: 12 Months

About the Role

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Direct Procurement Specialist to join a leading global engineering and manufacturing organisation on a 12-month contract. This role is ideal for a commercially focused procurement professional who enjoys working in a fast-paced environment, managing complex supplier relationships, and driving continuous improvement. You'll play a key role in supporting procurement operations while contributing to strategic sourcing activities across a diverse supplier base. We're looking for someone who is analytical, proactive and confident working with large volumes of data, capable of identifying opportunities, solving problems and delivering results with minimal supervision.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day direct procurement activities across a diverse supplier portfolio.
• Lead sourcing activities for new components and materials.
• Negotiate pricing, commercial terms and cost improvement opportunities with suppliers.
• Manage purchase orders, ensuring timely processing and delivery.
• Resolve supplier invoice and payment queries.
• Develop strong relationships with suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Support supplier qualification, evaluation and performance management activities.
• Ensure compliance with procurement policies, purchasing processes and contract management procedures.
• Maintain accurate procurement records and documentation.
• Analyse procurement data and produce reports to support business decision-making.
• Identify and implement process improvements using Lean and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Contribute to wider procurement projects and business initiatives.

About You

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• A minimum of 5 years' experience in Direct Procurement within a manufacturing, engineering or industrial environment.
• Strong commercial procurement experience covering both operational and strategic purchasing.
• Proven supplier negotiation and relationship management experience.
• Advanced ERP system experience (SAP highly desirable).
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and confidence analysing large datasets.
• Experience using Power BI or similar reporting tools.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• The ability to prioritise workloads and meet demanding deadlines.
• A proactive approach with the confidence to work independently.
• A Bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification.

Desirable Experience

Applications are particularly welcomed from candidates with experience in:

• Aerospace, defence or advanced manufacturing.
• Heavy engineering or industrial manufacturing.
• Complex engineered components such as castings, forgings or precision-machined parts.
• Lean manufacturing or continuous improvement.
• Global supply chain and supplier management.

We're Looking For Someone Who Is:

• Commercially aware and results-driven.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment.
• Highly organised with excellent attention to detail.
• A confident negotiator and relationship builder.
• Analytical and data-driven.
• A proactive problem solver who takes ownership.
• Adaptable, resilient and able to manage changing priorities.
• A collaborative team player who can also work independently.

What You'll Bring

This role will suit someone who enjoys taking ownership, working with complex procurement challenges and making a real impact. You'll be someone who naturally looks for solutions, thrives on analysing data, and enjoys improving processes while supporting business performance. If you're an experienced procurement professional looking for your next contract opportunity within a global engineering environment, we'd love to hear from you.