Senior Buyer

At IPS, we apply our knowledge, skills, and passion to make a difference in the lives of people, solving complex challenges related to life sciences. We are looking for a dedicated Senior Buyer to join our EMEA Team. The Senior Buyer will report directly to the Procurement Manager for Birmingham / Manchester UK.

The Senior Buyer is firstly responsible for the timely placement of purchase orders & contracts and secondly commercial management of their assigned packages which will include invoice tracking and approvals, supplier change order management and potentially expediting. This will entail coordinating and managing all relevant procurement activities for these packages which can be a mixture of any of the four main supply chain streams managed by IPS namely:

1. Capital equipment (process, mechanical, electrical, automation, instrumentation etc.)

2. Construction trade contracts

3. Professional services contracts

4. Office & site indirect requirements

Job Duties and Responsibilities

• Act as a senior representative of the procurement department to the wider IPS team and ensure that IPS’s procurement procedures are adhered to.

• Act as representative of IPS to clients and be a key IPS interface for client procurement on assigned projects

• Provide project support & procurement advice to the wider IPS team on assigned projects

• Manage the tender process for assigned packages. This will entail taking a package from the point of receipt of scope through enquiry, bid evaluation and to the point of recommendation to award.

• Conduct detailed commercial evaluation of received supplier proposals

• Prepare and submit Recommendation To Award packs for internal and external management approval

• Prepare and issue Purchase Order/Contract packs

• Conduct project reporting for both internal (IPS Project Managers) & external clients (clients)

• Obtain order confirmations to ensure services or materials are being scheduled per order requests.

• Expedite orders to track the timely receipt of goods or services.

• Manage the change order process with suppliers and IPS & client stakeholders for assigned orders

• Manage the invoicing process with suppliers and IPS & client stakeholders for assigned orders

• Manage the order closeout process with suppliers and IPS & client stakeholders for assigned orders

• Maintain Approved Supplier Program records as well as request subsequent QA-related documents.

• Provide market updates (i.e., price increases, supplier mergers/acquisitions, supplier updates etc) to the wider IPS team as they become apparent.

• Research new qualified contractors and vendors as needed.

• Evaluate existing suppliers as needed., Process Architecture, Process Design, Engineering, Construction, Commissioning, Qualification, LEAN Project Delivery, Strategic Master Planning, Energy Conservation Management, Project Controls, Program/Project Management, Operations/Logistics Strategy and Planning, EPCMV and Staffing Services.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment at IPS without regard to race; creed; color; religion; national origin; sex; age; disability; sexual orientation; gender identity or expression; genetic predisposition or carrier status; veteran, marital, or citizenship status; or any other status protected by law. IPS is proud to be an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer.

Attention Search Firms / Third-Party Recruiters: IPS is not seeking assistance or accepting unsolicited resumes from search firms for employment opportunities with IPS. Regardless of past practice, all resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at IPS via email, the Internet, or directly to hiring managers at IPS in any form without a valid written search agreement in place for a specific position will be deemed the sole property of IPS, and no fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by IPS as a result of the referral or through other means.

• Extensive prior experience in a procurement role is a must.

• 5-10 years of experience working with clients in a customer service capacity; must have experience frequently working with outside stakeholders.

• Knowledge and experience in trade contracts and equipment procurement.

• Advanced proficiency with applicable software applications in related fields (Microsoft Suite and other Procurement Databases).

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Engineering, or related supply chain experience preferred.

• Excellent interpersonal skills to professionally represent IPS to various suppliers, external resources, and clients.

• Proven ability to work in a team-oriented environment and regularly interface with departmental staff and upper management.

• Daily use of excellent verbal and written communication in English is prerequisite.

• Enjoy challenges in a fast-paced environment and make logical decisions with the ability to identify when it is necessary to escalate issues and opportunities to management.

• The ability to execute detail-oriented work in a pro-active manner in a multi-tasking environment is required.

• May be required to travel for short durations periodically.

• Provides expertise and guidance to less experienced individuals.