Senior Buyer – Walsall
The Role:
As a Senior Buyer you will be responsible for sourcing, negotiating, and ordering materials, services, and plant equipment essential for the delivery of our projects, in Water, Transport, Energy and the Built Environment. You will collaborate with your direct counterparts and other members of the procurement team, collectively working to provide best-in-class service for our sites and offices.
Your primary responsibilities will include procurement activities both within and outside of frameworks, collaborating with internal stakeholders to understand and source their commercial and product requirements while providing reports and data to drive departmental and business KPIs.
This role requires a detail-oriented individual with a core understanding of materials and plant in the construction/civil engineering environment, able to manage supplier relationships effectively while maintaining the highest standards of quality and compliance. You will thrive in a fast-paced environment, able to deliver a professional, customer-focused service, supporting the transactional needs of our operations teams.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Procurement duties:
o Collaborate with project teams to understand their procurement needs and provide timely support, ordering necessary construction materials, plant or related services across all operational sectors.
o Ensure that procurement activities align with project schedules and budget constraints, optimizing cost-efficiency without compromising on safety or quality.
o Ensure our procurement activities align with the necessary frameworks.
o Develop strong relationships with key suppliers and category leads for both frameworks and the wider supply chain; monitor supplier performance and compliance with contractual agreements, implementing corrective action where required.
o Negotiate contracts, terms, and pricing with suppliers to secure cost-efficient solutions while maintaining quality and service.
o Support the development of the sustainability and social impact agenda, proactively engaging the supply chain for innovations and new sustainable products or technologies.
o Be proactive regarding market trends, product and industry developments to anticipate changes in the supply chain and adjust approach, accordingly, leading as directed by the Head of Procurement on any specific commodity or category.
o Provide guidance and support on procurement best practices, fostering a culture of continuous improvement within the procurement department.
o Work with procurement team members and project teams to review contract progress and address associated issues immediately.
o Maintain a full knowledge and understanding of the purchasing strategy and processes to ensure a professional and auditable procurement contract is in place.
o Support any other procurement related activities subject to business requirement.
2. Reporting duties and record keeping:
o Support the provision of monthly spend reports, feeding board and procurement reports to support informed decisions making, taking necessary actions as identified.
o Support the delivery of the department KPIs, collaboratively analysing data to identify areas for improvement and acting accordingly.
o Submit detailed cost analysis to senior management and site teams for approval as required under company governance.
o Provide reports and data identified by the Head of Procurement relating to department and whole business requirements.
o Manage and keep up to date project procurement schedules, controlling and monitoring costs against project and framework budgets.
o Maintain and upkeep order and supply chain records utilising the company's purchase order system and procedures.
3. Key measures & targets:
o Monitor and manage best value achieved through procurement activities, such as commercial betterment, quality, and efficiency.
o Monitor and manage order placement for delivery on time and in full. Monitor and manage requisition quality to support business 'right first time' principles.
o Monitor and manage project progress, identifying early engagement opportunities.
o Monitor and manage positive interventions / non-confirming products against the supply chain to support continuous improvement within the supply chain.
4. Key Relationships:
o Head of Procurement and all levels of procurement personnel in both the central and regional teams.
o All internal departments including site operations, HSEQ, estimating, accounts, and business development.
o Build and maintain supply chain relationships to support performance management, issue resolution and drive continuous improvement.
Person Specification:
The successful candidate is likely to meet all the following criteria:
Essential
* Purchasing experience, within the construction/civil engineering industry including knowledge of relevant industry regulations and standards.
* Experience in the water sector with a keen understanding of associated goods and services.
* Experienced negotiator, with the proven experience in establishing long term relationships and an engaged, collaborative supply chain; able to demonstrate the ability to drive cost savings and value enhancement.
* Demonstrable commercial awareness, with the ability to control and monitor budgets.
* Excellent communication and people skills, able to collaborate effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
* Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, able to demonstrate attention to detail with a proactive approach.
* A full UK driving licence.
Desirable
* CIPS or equivalent or working towards.
* Industry-related qualifications, which could include:
o Professional qualification e.g. Institute of Supply Chain Management (IoSCM), Institute of Procurement and Supply (IPS).
o ONC/HNC/HND/Degree in associated disciplines e.g. engineering or business.
* IT literate and proficient in the use of the Microsoft Office package.
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