We are seeking a Buyer with proven procurement experience to help drive greater cost efficiency and deliver sustainable value through an effective and engaged supply base. This is a pivotal role for professionals who want to make a real impact in a fast-paced, forward-thinking environment.
As a Buyer, you’ll support sourcing activities across defined categories, helping to improve commercial positions and ensure compliance with policies. You’ll work closely with suppliers to manage relationships and negotiate contracts that balance cost, quality, and risk, while supporting Nationwide’s sustainability and ethical sourcing goals. You’ll partner with stakeholders across the business to understand requirements, influence decisions, and deliver outcomes aligned to strategic objectives. You’ll also assist in creating governance reporting for contract renewals and wider sourcing initiatives, while analysing market trends and emerging technologies to identify opportunities for innovation and risk mitigation. Alongside this, you’ll play a key role in driving continuous improvement and challenging traditional thinking to help evolve our procurement processes.
Candidates should be eager to learn and build a career in procurement. You’ll bring curiosity, a willingness to develop new skills, and a proactive approach to working with others. Understanding the importance of clear communication, staying organised, and being adaptable in a fast-paced environment will all be a key part of this role. With a collaborative mindset and attention to detail, you’ll help ensure processes run smoothly while contributing fresh ideas and supporting the team in delivering great outcomes.
This role offers the opportunity to work in a transformational procurement function, where your expertise will help shape the future of how Nationwide engages with its supply base. If you’re passionate about delivering value, influencing change, and making a difference, we’d love to hear from you.
We are happy to consider flexible working approaches to help you perform at your best.
At Nationwide, we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK-wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected.
For this job you'll be located at our nearest regional office or hub. There will be a need to regularly connect with colleagues for collaboration and in some locations you’ll be expected to spend at least two days a week, or if part time you'll spend 40% of your working time, in the office. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works.
Nationwide is committed to the redeployment of our employees impacted by change, as such applications for redeployment candidates will be prioritised in this recruitment process.
If you’re a colleague on long-term absence (for example, on parental leave) or a temporary worker, please use your personal email address to submit an application.
Responsibilities
What you’ll be doing
In this role, you’ll work with Senior Buyers and Category Sourcing Managers to deliver procurement and supply chain strategies for your assigned spend category, ensuring alignment with business objectives. As you develop in the role, you’ll enable value creation by driving supplier performance through category plans, development initiatives, and robust governance frameworks. Managing commercial contract risk will be a key part of your remit, alongside negotiating, drafting, and overseeing simple contracts within your subcategory—or contributing to more complex deals in partnership with Category Sourcing Managers. You’ll also ensure the timely maintenance and execution of Nationwide’s contract pipeline, keeping everything on track to deliver maximum value and compliance.
About you
As a minimum requirement, you’ll have:
- Knowledge of and experience in procurement and supply chain management (category management, contract negotiation and management, supplier selection and management)
- Good interpersonal skills, including effective communications, relationships building, and stakeholder management
- The ability to plan and prioritise effectively to deliver a demanding workload
- Great analytical skills for conducting spend analysis, cost modelling, market and supplier analysis, risk analysis, and data interpretation and visualisation
Our customer first behaviours put customers and members at the heart of how we work together. They are the set of behaviours that every colleague needs to display, in every role:
Feel what customers feel - We step into our customers’ shoes, using their feedback and insights to empathise with them and to understand their needs, so that every decision we make starts and finishes with our customers in mind
Say it straight - We are brave in speaking out and saying what we think – we’re honest and direct with good intent, openly sharing diverse perspectives to reach the best conclusions and using language everyone can understand
Push for better - We don’t settle for mediocrity, we challenge the status quo, taking responsibility for continuous improvement and personal development
Get it done - We prioritise what will have the greatest impact, we are decisive, and we take accountability for delivering brilliant customer outcomes
You can strengthen your application by showing how our customer first behaviours resonate with you, and where you may have already demonstrated these.
Qualifications
The extras you’ll get
There are all sorts of employee benefits available at Nationwide, including:
25 days holiday, pro rata
Private medical insurance
A highly competitive pension to help you build a strong foundation for retirement
Access to an annual performance-related bonus
Training and development to help you progress your career
A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme
Life assurance to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones in the event of your death
Wellhub – access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness
Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year
Banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society
We forge our own path at Nationwide.
As a mutual, we’re owned by our members - those customers who bank, save or have a mortgage with us. We challenge the financial sector status quo. We don’t see customers as the engine of our own profit. We share our profits with them and put their needs first. Always there when they need us. Supporting them and their lives.
If you’re inspired by fairer finances, passionate about making a meaningful impact, and truly care about our customers, you’re one of us.
At Nationwide, you are challenged to grow and rewarded for doing so. Valued. Recognised. Inspired to be your best. As a community, we want our working lives to count. As a team, we celebrate what we achieve. As a standard-setter, we work for the good of customers, communities, and broader society.
We are purpose-driven. Uncompromisingly customer. Unstoppably Nationwide.
What to do next
If this role is for you, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button. You’ll need to attach your up-to-date CV and answer a few quick questions for us.
We respond to everyone, so we will be in contact shortly after the closing date to let you know the outcome of your application.
The hiring manager for this role is Bjorn Olsson, and the main recruitment contact is Nathan Richens.
Buyer in London employer: Nationwide
At Virgin Money, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a supportive and dynamic work environment in Cleckheaton. Our commitment to employee growth is evident through ongoing training and development opportunities, alongside a competitive benefits package that includes generous holiday allowances, health and wellness resources, and a strong pension plan. Join us to be part of a team that values customer care and community impact, where your contributions are recognised and celebrated.
