Indirect Procurement Specialist in Kidlington

An innovative advanced engineering and manufacturing business is seeking an experienced Interim Indirect Procurement Buyer to join its procurement team on an initial 6-month contract. This is an excellent opportunity for a commercially minded procurement professional to make an immediate impact within a fast-paced, technology-led organisation.

You'll take ownership of a broad range of indirect spend categories, partnering with stakeholders across the business to deliver sourcing strategies, supplier improvements, and cost-saving initiatives. Working closely with senior leaders and operational teams, you'll play a key role in ensuring the business has the suppliers, services, and commercial agreements needed to support continued growth and operational excellence.

• Strategic Sourcing & Procurement
  • Lead sourcing activities across a range of indirect spend categories.
  • Manage RFQ, RFP and tender processes from initiation through to contract award.
  • Evaluate supplier proposals and deliver robust commercial recommendations.
  • Negotiate pricing, terms, service levels and contractual agreements.
  • Support the ongoing management of purchase orders and supplier commitments where required.
• Supplier Relationship Management
  • Develop and maintain strong relationships with strategic suppliers.
  • Monitor supplier performance against agreed KPIs and service levels.
  • Drive supplier improvement initiatives and resolve commercial issues effectively.
  • Identify opportunities to reduce risk and improve supplier value.
• Stakeholder Engagement
  • Partner with stakeholders across Operations, Engineering, HR, IT, Finance and Facilities.
  • Ensure procurement involvement at the earliest stages of projects and business initiatives.
  • Provide commercial guidance and market insight to internal customers.
  • Challenge requirements where appropriate to optimise cost and value.
• Cost & Value Delivery
  • Identify and deliver cost reduction and cost avoidance opportunities.
  • Support budgeting, benchmarking and should-cost analysis activities.
  • Drive continuous improvement across procurement processes and supplier management.
• Governance & Compliance
  • Ensure procurement activities are conducted in line with company policies and procedures.
  • Support contract management and supplier governance activities.
  • Maintain accurate procurement records, reporting and sourcing documentation.

About You
We're looking for a procurement professional who can quickly establish credibility, influence stakeholders and deliver results in a demanding environment. You'll bring:

• Proven indirect procurement experience within a manufacturing, engineering or industrial environment.
• Strong sourcing, tendering and supplier negotiation expertise.
• Excellent commercial awareness and analytical capability.
• Experience managing multiple stakeholders across a complex organisation.
• A good understanding of contracts, commercial risk and supplier management.
• The ability to work independently and hit the ground running in an interim capacity.

Desirable Experience

• Automotive, advanced manufacturing or industrial sector experience.
• CIPS qualification is desirable.
• Experience using ERP systems such as NAV.

Contract Details
Oxfordshire Hybrid working with 2-3 days per week onsite Initial 6-month contract Outside IR35 Immediate start available.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a business at the forefront of engineering innovation and play a key role in delivering procurement excellence across a diverse and challenging indirect spend portfolio.