Buyer - Licenced Trade in Stockport

NUS Charity is an exciting organisation, developing and championing strong students’ unions. We connect our members and curate services to deliver advice, guidance and crisis support to students’ unions across the UK.

We do professional differently. We are a progressive charity representing students’ unions. The sector is inclusive, fun, dynamic and representative and we put students and students’ unions at the heart of everything we do. We are challenging but are committed to creating a supportive and flexible environment which pushes your personal development in your everyday activity.

Students’ unions can be transformational hubs for students, staff, and wider society. NUS Charity supports our members’ development to enhance their capacity and harness opportunities to maximise their positive impact – we strive to make a difference for our members.

One of our key services is the operation of a purchasing consortium, supplying over 400 sites with products in Licensed trade, Retail and Catering, with excellent prices and innovative volume driver initiatives, as we introduce our suppliers’ products to the next generation of customers across the UK. We also run a number of social enterprise initiatives, including a thriving trading support team, which helps students’ unions purchase products for their bars, cafes and shops, and we also help brands to connect with students through the International Student Identity Card (ISIC).

We’re looking for a Buyer / Senior Buyer, responsible for the Licensed Trade category, to strengthen our Trading Support Department. This role oversees all aspects of the tender cycle, including contract and pricing negotiations with suppliers, and has a primary goal of sourcing products to meet proposition requirements, ensuring they’re ethically sourced and deliver ‘best in market’ cost price.

The ideal candidate will have significant experience in a buying or account management environment, coupled with a strong track record of project delivery. You should be confident in negotiating and managing budgets, adept at using data and insight to inform decisions, and be able to brief the wider team to support in pitching marketing ideas to external stakeholders. We’re seeking someone who is not only commercially astute but also deeply values-led, with an understanding of how ethical and sustainable business practices can flourish within a student-led environment. Strong interpersonal skills are essential, as you will engage with a diverse range of stakeholders, from student officers to senior brand managers.

This position offers a unique opportunity to combine commercial acumen with significant social impact. If you thrive on the hustle and bustle of commercial negotiations, this role is an excellent fit, as every penny generated through commercial returns is designed to deliver on the values and mission of NUS, putting ethical, sustainable, and student-focused outcomes at the heart of everything we do. You will be contributing to a team that is passionate about empowering students, supporting unions, and driving positive change across the UK’s education sector, ensuring that the purchasing consortium drives great value for our members.

The role is available at either NUS pay band F or G, dependent on experience. Starting salary for band F is £35,494 (total range £35,494 - £39,319) and starting salary for band G is £39,368 (total range £39,368 - £43,586).

We’re committed to equality of opportunity for all. We welcome applications from individuals regardless of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, age, gender, or disability. You can be yourself here whoever you are, be proud of the work you do and build a career in a place that knows different is good.

We recognise that candidates from racialised backgrounds are under-represented in our organisation, and that there are often additional barriers present for people from these groups when applying for roles in the charity sector and beyond. We are committed to taking positive action to expand the diversity of our staff team, and if you meet the minimum criteria for a role (at least 80% of the criteria in the person specification) and are from a racialised background, you’ll be guaranteed a first stage interview. It is important to note that this scheme guarantees an interview for candidates who meet the minimum criteria and tell us that they’d like to be considered under the scheme. The selection decision at interview will be based on the most suitable candidate, regardless of any protected characteristic.