Role: Project Buyer - NPI (6 Month Fixed Term Contract) Location: Shoreham by Sea Role ID: 2024-2560 Salary : £35,000 - £42,000 per annum pro rata Our vision is to create a safe and sustainable world. Ricardo plc is a global strategic, environmental, and engineering consulting company. With over 100 years of engineering excellence and employing close to 3,000 employees in more than 20 countries, we provide exceptional levels of expertise in delivering leading-edge and innovative cross-sector sustainable products and solutions. Every day, we enable our customers to solve the most complex and dynamic challenges to help achieve a safe and sustainable world. The Role This is an exciting opportunity for someone wishing to apply their gained experience and knowledge in a dynamic mixed manufacturing & consultancy environment, delivering world class products globally across a range of technologies and market sectors including Automotive, Marine, Rail, Aerospace & Green Propulsion. The successful candidate will be rewarded with the opportunity to be a key member of a team with a broad remit to manage New Product Introduction (NPI) projects within the Performance Products division of Ricardo. This division specialises in delivering niche volume products and consultancy across a range of industries to many premium brand customers. Key Responsibilities Working alongside clients, suppliers, engineering and programme management to determine and plan development and pre-production parts requirements. Procurement of project goods including bespoke parts/tooling manufactured from drawings, along with design/development, and other technical services. Preparing RFQ packs (downloading drawings/CAD files etc) Analysing RFQ feedback and making sourcing decisions based on project requirements and best value. Ownership of the Purchase Requisition/approval process to ensure compliance with internal and legislative controls. Order placement and management/ownership with UK and international suppliers. Order confirmation and acknowledgement to ensure accuracy of all order details and delivery to plan. Investigating & solving invoice queries in a timely manner. Placement of assembly/facility and supplier tooling orders in line with programme plans to ensure programme timings maintained. Liaising with suppliers and engineering teams on design feasibility issues, changes, expediting orders and agreeing concessions or return of non-conforming parts. Coordination & maintenance of spend tracker (BoM items, assembly/facility equipment, supplier tooling) Coordination and Maintenance of supplier tooling registers. Regular reporting on project procurement status both internally and to clients. Maintain and promote relationships with clients, suppliers, and the wider business community. Key competencies and experience Experience of NPI and Procurement Process or a similar role where skills can be transferred into the objective’s description above, preferably gained within the automotive or marine sector. Strong data management skills and IT literacy especially Microsoft; Teams, Outlook, Excel, and Power-Point. Understanding of and experience using materials & procurement management modules within MRP systems Attention to detail, accurate, numerically astute. A strong team player and be self-motivated. Ability to communicate and present effectively to suppliers and clients at all levels. Strong customer focus with a flexible approach to succeed in a fast-moving environment. Knowledge of BoM’s, end-to-end purchase process, familiarity with technical drawings. An understanding of the principles of sustainable procurement and ESG factors. Able to manage own workload and priorities effectively to meet deadlines. Membership of (or studying toward) Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) is an advantage. Experience working in an Automotive, Marine, Engineering or manufacturing environment essential. Flexibility to support travel to suppliers domestic and internationally and holder of a driving licence. Required to work outside normal hours if necessary to achieve deadlines. Desirable A knowledge of marine outboards and marine outboard systems for this role would be advantageous. Skills and behaviours Excellent communication skills, plus being comfortable communicating with different levels within the business, is essential. A good team player who can work alone when required. Highly Self Motivated and Focused. Reliable and Punctual. Working here You will be warmly welcomed into our workplace where every voice matters. We are diverse thinkers and doers, coming together to create a culture of inclusion. We will support you to find your place. We will encourage you to use your passion and expertise to make a positive impact through the projects you work on. Your knowledge and desire to bring about change will be invaluable in helping deliver innovative solutions that support communities across the globe in becoming safer and more sustainable. Work life balance We offer flexible approaches to work, whether that is working from home, being in the office, or as a hybrid worker. We're happy to discuss flexible working arrangements. Wellbeing is at the core to our culture, allowing employees to flourish and to achieve their full potential. Benefits We want you to know how much you are valued. Your remuneration and benefits package will reflect that. You will receive a range of benefits which include support for your physical and mental health. Our core benefits include 25 days' annual leave, plus 8 flexible bank holidays, a competitive company pension scheme, life assurance and professional subscriptions reimbursement. We also offer a wide range of flexible benefits to suit your lifestyle. Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion statement We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person's potential, and we'll help you reach yours. We have an ambitious diversity, equality, and inclusion approach as explained here. We value diversity; recognising that a more diverse workforce creates a richer and more varied working environment. Diversity also drives innovation, by allowing us to offer our clients the best consultancy service that we can. As part of our commitment to engage positively and pro-actively with all our employees and to ensure an inclusive culture, we are a recognised as a 'disability confident' employer. Next steps Once you have submitted your application a member of our Recruitment Team will be in touch. Please be aware that the timing can vary dependent on the volume of applications that we receive for each role and in some cases, we may start to review applications prior to the closing date. Ricardo is a Disability confident employer please advise the recruitment team via recruitricardo.com if you require any adjustments to support you throughout the recruitment process. LI-ZP1