Senior Buyer

Nicholas Howard is delighted to be recruiting for an SC cleared/clearable Senior Engineering Buyer for a leading engineering, defence and aerospace business. We are looking for a Senior Engineering Buyer to join the team on a 6 month contract. This role benefits from a 4-day working week and hybrid working with typically 3 days a week onsite.

This role is part of the UK Supply Chain Organisation managing the total supply chain for goods and services to meet a variety of programme and business requirements. Focussing on managing supplier delivery, it primarily supports the development and production in Armoured Vehicles, Platform Integration, Special Projects and Weapons areas and domains to meet domestic and international programme and business needs. The business has a worldwide supply base although predominantly in the UK, Europe, Middle East and the US.

Success requires experience of working in a functional organisation and a blend of proven skills including relationship building and achievement of deliveries on time and in full, through the ability to successfully negotiate and manage procurements, ranging from simple to complex subcontracts. This will be coupled with effectively working within a multi-disciplinary product team including Engineering, Operations and Quality. The role focusses on supporting a variety of programmes and undertakes activity across multiple categories of goods and services including simple to complex build to print in commodity areas including PCBs, box-builds, cable harnesses, mechanical, COTs and MOTs.

Responsibilities:

• Undertaking the procurement process including issuing RFQs, Invitation to Tender, Terms and Conditions, negotiations, bid evaluations, and award of contract.
• Holding a procurement delegation and signing supplier agreements and purchase orders within this limit.
• Negotiating with suppliers to ensure best-value is achieved.
• Managing supplier performance to meet Technical, Schedule, Quality and Cost requirements.
• Developing and maintaining stakeholder relationships with key internal and external business contacts to achieve mutual benefit.
• Ensuring procurement activities are compliant with internal/legislative procedures, and that risks are identified and managed.
• Providing the key interface between internal customers and suppliers to ensure that communication is effectively managed, and issues and risks are fully understood and managed.
• Supporting internal and external reviews of supplier performance as required.
• Contributing to the continual improvement of the supply chain processes.

Required skills, qualifications and experience:

• Proven experience as a Senior Engineering Buyer or related role.
• Buying experience for complex drawn items (Mechanical Assemblies, PCB-A).
• Experience within a high volume, fast production rate environment.
• Excellent understanding of procurement best practice.
• Capable of managing complex schedule and cost challenges.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to effectively manage stakeholders’ expectations at a variety of levels.
• Able to complete tasks under minimal guidance/supervision.
• High level of supplier engagement, delivering successful outcomes.

Desired Skills:

• Supply chain experience in the defence environment.
• CIPS.

Please register your interest by submitting your CV now.