At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead purchasing activities and manage supplier performance in a dynamic aerospace environment.
- Company: Join a rapidly growing aerospace and defence firm with exciting projects.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career growth opportunities, and a chance to make an impact.
- Other info: Be part of a team that values proactive problem-solving and collaboration.
- Why this job: Take ownership of supplier relationships and drive real change in procurement.
- Qualifications: Experience in purchasing within manufacturing or engineering, with strong negotiation skills.
Backed by significant new investment from a US aerospace and defence private equity firm, they're pushing hard into A&D alongside an already strong project base spanning motorsport, medical and energy. The order book is growing, the defence pipeline is building fast, and the procurement function needs to grow with it.
They need a Senior Buyer who will take real ownership of suppliers, performance, and outcomes. Someone who can walk into a supplier conversation, challenge a late delivery without apology, and drive the kind of consistent weekly cadence that stops small problems becoming big ones.
You'll be the operational lead in the purchasing function, taking end-to-end ownership of a mixed portfolio of commodities and suppliers across composites, metallics, and subcontract services. The team has solid transactional foundations; what's needed now is someone to bring sharper supplier-facing discipline and the kind of proactive thinking that gets ahead of issues before they land on someone else's desk.
- Leading purchasing activity across your assigned supplier and commodity portfolio from start to finish
- Managing supplier performance across quality, cost, delivery, and responsiveness, including the difficult conversations when things slip
- Negotiating pricing and commercial terms rather than accepting historic positions at face value
- Supporting NPI and engineering teams with procurement requirements as new products come through
- Keeping SAP data accurate, including pricing, lead times, supplier information, and purchasing parameters
- Mixed commodity portfolio, composites and metallics, with composites increasingly prominent as defence work grows
- Cross-functional stakeholders across Planning, Production, Engineering, Quality, and Finance
- A supply base that needs active management, not passive monitoring
Solid purchasing or procurement experience in a manufacturing or engineering environment is required, along with a track record of owning supplier relationships end to end, not just raising POs but genuinely managing performance. Familiarity with MRP/ERP systems is essential, and SAP experience is desirable. Exposure to composites, metallics, or subcontract services is useful but not essential. Asks for help before problems grow, not after.
At 6 months, you're driving material flow, reducing avoidable escalations, and demonstrating stronger negotiation discipline on repeat buys.
Buyer Senior Buyer (Permanent) employer: NEUTRA
Join a leading precision motorsport and aerospace component supplier in Oxon, where we prioritise employee growth and development. With competitive pay rates of £15-17/hr and a supportive work culture that offers training for both new entrants and experienced professionals, you'll thrive in an environment that values skill enhancement and teamwork. Enjoy a structured weekday shift pattern with no night shifts, allowing for a balanced work-life experience while contributing to cutting-edge projects in the motorsport and defence sectors.
