Do you want to help us improve human health and understand life on Earth? Make your mark by shaping the future to enable or deliver life-changing science to solve some of humanity's greatest challenges.
Join a world-leading genomics research institute and play a key role in delivering commercial value and risk mitigation through strategic procurement.
As a Project Buyer, you'll support our Procurement Partners and Category Buyers by running lower-value sourcing projects and RFx processes, ensuring procurement activity aligns with the Institute's wider research and operational goals.
About the Role:
This is an agile, delivery-focused position within our GRL Procurement team. You'll be responsible for managing a varied portfolio of procurement projects, contributing to category planning, and building effective relationships with stakeholders across the Institute. Your work will support scientific and operational teams by helping them make informed commercial decisions while ensuring value, compliance, and efficiency.
You will be responsible for:
* Managing end-to-end Procurement workstreams for allocated projects, including running RFx processes.
* Providing commercial insight and market analysis to support stakeholder decision-making.
* Ensuring procurement activity delivers measurable value and mitigates risk.
* Collaborating with Legal, Finance and other internal functions to ensure smooth project delivery.
* Contributing to process improvement initiatives and constructively challenging the status quo.
* Supporting the development and implementation of category strategies through stakeholder feedback and insights.
* Negotiating with suppliers to achieve best-value outcomes for the Institute.
About You:
You'll be proactive, commercially minded, and confident working independently on projects while also collaborating across teams. You'll bring strong organisational skills, the ability to manage multiple priorities, and a natural aptitude for building trusted relationships. You'll be comfortable navigating ambiguity, influencing decision-making, and offering challenge where needed to drive continuous improvement.
Technical Skills:
* Strong advocate for Procurement value proposition
* Good understanding of key contractual terms
Competencies and Behaviours:
* Strong and collaborative working relationships with relevant stakeholders and project team members
* Self-starter, able to work autonomously, but with full support of department colleagues where required
* Proven negotiator with suppliers and customers alike
* Solution and output orientated with a willingness to take on challenges
* Proven ability to listen, understand business needs and provide win-win solutions in a proactive and principled manner
* Flexible and pragmatic attitude
* Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills
About Us:
The Wellcome Sanger Institute is a world-renowned genomics research centre at the forefront of scientific discovery. We focus on large-scale data generation to understand biology and improve health. Our Procurement team plays a key role in supporting science by delivering high-impact commercial solutions that enable value for money and reduce operational risk across the Institute.
Application Process:
Please apply with your CV and a Cover letter outlining how you meet the essential skills and experience set out above, why you want to apply to this role and what value/experience you can bring.
Other Information:
This is a full-time, hybrid role with minimum of two/three days per week based at our campus in Hinxton, Cambridgeshire. We offer a supportive and inclusive workplace, with access to ongoing development, generous benefits, and a culture that values work-life balance.
Flexible working options, including part-time or condensed hours, will be considered.
Salary range (Dependant on skills and experience):
Grade 2: £41,685 to £49,000 G2 Role profile
Closing date: 18th May 2025
Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract - expiry date 31st Dec 2026
Hybrid Working at Wellcome Sanger:
We recognise that there are many benefits to Hybrid Working; including an improved work-life balance, with more focused time, as well as the ability to organise working time so that collaborative opportunities and team discussions are facilitated on campus. The hybrid working arrangement will vary for different roles and teams. The nature of your role and the type of work you do will determine if a hybrid working arrangement is possible.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:
We aim to attract, recruit, retain and develop talent from the widest possible talent pool, thereby gaining insight and access to different markets to generate a greater impact on the world. We have a supportive culture with the following staff networks, LGBTQ+, Parents and Carers, Disability and Race Equity to bring people together to share experiences, offer specific support and development opportunities and raise awareness. The networks are also a place for allies to provide support to others.
We want our people to be whoever they want to be because we believe people who bring their best selves to work, do their best work. That's why we're committed to creating a truly inclusive culture at Sanger Institute. We will consider all individuals without discrimination and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees, where everyone can thrive.
Our Benefits:
We are proud to deliver an awarding campus-wide employee wellbeing strategy and programme. The importance of good health and adopting a healthier lifestyle and the commitment to reduce work-related stress is strongly acknowledged and recognised at Sanger Institute.
Sanger Institute became a signatory of the International Technician Commitment initiative In March 2018. The Technician Commitment aims to empower and ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians working in higher education and research, across all disciplines.