Buyer

Our OEM Client based in Gaydon is searching for a Buyer to join their team, Inside IR35. This is a maternity cover contract position with a proposed end date of 1st June 2027. Umbrella Pay Rate: £38.30 per hour.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Regional Purchasing Manager, this role will see you have responsibility for managing the external supply chain from suppliers. Your main focus and priority will be ensuring supplier performance to meet Quality, Cost, Delivery, Innovation and Sustainability (QCDIS) requirements. Responsible for all post sourcing commercial contract and change management activities for designated commodities and suppliers. This role is also pivotal for interface with other key functions, acting within a core team of Production Purchasing, Product Engineering, Supplier Technical Assistance (STA), Material Planning and Logistics (MP&L), Cost Estimating and Manufacturing.

Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities

• Cost Management: Ensuring effective cost management of particular commodities and suppliers, which will involve launching new products at their target cost as well as achieving year on year cost reduction on current spend to deliver against savings targets. Responsibility for resolution of in-contract commercial issues including invoices relating to price queries, annual cost reduction, tooling costs, design changes and all liability claims. Lead negotiations with external suppliers for both current and future products.
• Supplier Relationship Management: Participate in and lead Supplier Business Reviews with your suppliers to develop supplier relationships and ensure performance. Support stakeholder engagement and internal relationship management and act as the primary interface with Product Engineering for designated commodities/parts, to ensure cross-functional alignment on quality, cost, delivery, innovation and sustainability requirements. Support the Global Strategy Leaders to develop the supplier relationships globally for your designated commodities.
• You will be responsible for commercial contract validation activities which includes but is not limited to: Validation activities of core commercial/contractual elements and costs for example. Labour (direct and indirect)/Manning (direct/indirect) and overall supplier programme resources. Process time for manufacturing process, key material flows and information flows. How parts are manufactured – bill of design and bill of process (method of manufacture/key materials/location(s) of manufacture/BOF content and understanding of key BOF cost elements and drivers). Tooling and location of manufacture. OEE/Shift Patterns/JPH achievement and capacity flexibility, breakpoints and sensitivity analysis around volumes. Value Stream Maps – all key material and information flows mapped and understood at production system, supply chain, sub tier and sub tier supply chain variables. BOF Parts and Supply Chain maps. Tariffs duties and incentives around total value stream and any contingency and business continuity considerations which need to be incorporated into contractual or commercial framework moving forward.

Other

• Contribute where appropriate to process improvement and ensuring the adoption and sharing of best practice in Regional Purchasing Teams e.g. leading programmes of cost reduction.
• Manage Supplier and Supply Chain Risk management for assigned commodities post SCPA, ensuring the supply chain operates in accordance with customer and governmental regulations.
• Ensure compliance to the Way and KWS processes. Driving system compliance throughout the supply chain, by maintaining the purchasing systems to ensure data integrity and therefore system performance.
• Undertake any other work as directed by their line manager in connection with their job as may be requested.

Key Interactions

• Global Purchasing Finance
• Programme Teams
• STA
• Cost Engineering
• Product Engineering
• Supplier Base

Essential Skills, Knowledge and Experience Required

• Degree qualified or equivalent experience.
• Delivering complex supply chain solutions in a fast paced, high pressured manufacturing environment.
• Ability to work independently, results driven, demonstrating tenacity, drive and perseverance with the ability to deliver operational plans in a complex, highly demanding environment.
• Implementing and delivering purchasing strategies with the focus on total value chain delivery.
• Identify opportunities for creating value in a commodity or commodities.
• A resilient and enthusiastic individual who responds constructively to new ideas and inputs.
• A strong communicator with the ability to communicate effectively with key stakeholders to influence cross-functional engagement.
• An effective team player, actively develops and supports team members.
• Maintaining compliance with standard policies and procedures.

Desirable Skills, Knowledge and Experience Requested

• An individual with a proven track record in delivering results in both favourable and unfavourable conditions.
• The ability to challenge in a positive way whilst building credibility and trust through experience and personal style.
• Experience of working in a global, multi-cultural environment.

Essential Personal Profile Required

• An individual who works independently, is results driven, demonstrating tenacity, drive and perseverance with the ability to deliver operational plans in a complex, highly demanding environment.
• An individual with the capability to combine a short term, pragmatic focus with medium term planning.
• A resilient and enthusiastic individual who responds constructively to new ideas and inputs.
• A good communicator with the ability to communicate complex ideas.
• An effective team player, actively develops and supports team members.

Desirable Personal Profile Requested

• An individual with the ability to challenge existing thinking in a positive way whilst building credibility and trust through experience and personal style.