Buyer in Cardiff

Do you want to be part of a force for good, helping to make life better for customers & society in the moments that matter? At Hodge, we put people at the heart of our business and that means our customers, colleagues, and communities. Hodge is a Welsh financial service provider that focuses on real estate finance, and specialist residential mortgage markets.

This role supports the development and management of supplier relationships, supporting internal colleagues and building a resilient supply chain tailored to a dynamic financial service environment. The role will build strong relationships with both external suppliers and internal colleagues to manage the contract lifecycle from onboarding to offboarding, ensuring the organisation is abreast of upcoming renewals and has the correct documentation in place.

• Previous buyer or paralegal experience
• Sound negotiation acumen with a record of identifying value for money within a challenging environment
• Ability to build relationships and engage colleagues at all levels
• Strong organisational and project management skills

Key responsibilities will include:

• Responsible for supporting and implementing the Procurement policy, processes and procedures
• Develop and maintain a range of effective relationships both across the organisation and with suppliers
• Supporting the end-to-end procurement processes, ensuring best value and compliance
• Identify, evaluate and negotiate with suppliers to secure best value
• Remain abreast of external market trends related to the financial services industry
• Ensure that suppliers have compliant third‑party risk management and that appropriate due diligence is performed
• Manage contract renewals and documentation within the contracts database
• Oversee and refine procurement risk and performance reporting, automating where possible
• Communicating with relevant suppliers to process invoicing or payment queries

Procurement Processes:

• Generate and analyse data to identify root causes and inform robust procurement decisions
• Support and input to key projects and colleagues
• Support in fostering organisational awareness of procurement best‑practices and value‑for‑money principles
• Assist in developing or amending procurement related policies, templates and procedures to support continuous improvement
• Organise and manage colleagues and SMEs input into the due diligence process

Negotiation:

• Support on developing specifications for tendering and contracting purposes
• Undertake tactical and strategic negotiations
• Assist in the resolution of supplier performance issues or problems
• Manage contract renewals and documentation within the contracts database
• Review and negotiate contractual and commercial terms to the best value of the organisation
• Challenge whether internal requests for expenditure are within budget and present value for money for the organisation, suggesting alternatives where applicable

Procurement Systems:

• Ensure the orderly flow of requisitions and orders through the Procurement to Pay system (Medius)
• Contribute to system development initiatives such as database enhancements, catalogue creation and automation improvements
• Maintain accurate and up‑to‑date records to support audit, reporting and compliance requirements
• Ensuring the timely flow of invoices through the Medius system

Please be aware that should we pursue your application, all our Financial Services employees will be expected to complete background checks to assess suitability for employment; these include; a criminal record, identity, media, sanctions, adverse finance, fraud prevention and reference checks to comply with our regulatory requirements.

Hodge is an advocate of being an equal opportunities employer. We believe in promoting equality and diversity which is central to our lives today. We welcome applications from all sections of the community and recognise the value a diverse workforce brings to an organisation. ESG and sustainability are at the heart of everything we do and serves as a reminder of the responsibility we have to our stakeholders, customers, colleagues and the communities we operate in to use our position wisely.

We’re currently exploring different certifications available and have done an initial review of how we think we’d fare, as we see this as a real opportunity for Hodge given our social purpose.