Buyer

Buyer
Salary Circa £35k-£38k 
Hybrid working - 2 days at home and 3 in the office
Southampton, Hampshire

Our high-tech manufacturing client in Southampton are looking to expand their Purchasing team by recruiting a Buyer. This would suit a junior Buyer looking to step up to a Buyer level role and will likely have 3 - 4 years industry experience. It is a great opportunity for someone to come in and learn a lot from the team, growing as they learn.

Job Purpose:
•    Reporting to the Senior Buyer, you will be responsible for purchasing related activity for the Southampton site ensuring that material is available when needed and supply is optimised in-line with company strategies 
•    This is a visible role and you will be responsible operationally for managing direct material with an annual spend of approximately £5m covering mechanical and electrical commodities 
•    Travel to supplier locations in the UK and internationally will be required on occasion 

Key Areas of Responsibility:
•    Obtain quotations, negotiate pricing, lead-times and commercial terms / agreements where this is not covered by the commodity management team
•    Execute MRP output and generate purchase orders
•    Manage deliveries and inventory (expediting and rescheduling with high levels of self-sufficiency)
•    Support new product development and introduction 
•    Identify and manage supply chain risk
•    Support cost reduction initiatives and evidence-based reporting of cost savings and avoidance
•    Support the development of and execute commodity / category strategies 
•    Manage and implement design changes with minimal business impact
•    Quarterly supplier KPI reporting 
•    Resolve invoice and/or delivery queries 
•    Work with the quality team to address any supply chain related quality issues
•    Input and maintain master data within the ERP system 
•    Collaboration with team members and stakeholders across the business and other international group plants primarily in Germany, Poland, China and the USA

Required Experience:
•    Purchasing professional with 3-5 years’ experience in a supply chain setting 
•    Experience of working in the technology sector and a complex manufacturing environment across multiple locations   
•    Good understanding of project management principles, practices and processes 
•    Good knowledge of S&OP and MRP/ERP systems
•    Strong commercial / financial acumen 
•    IT literate, strong knowledge of MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Teams

Qualifications:
•    Degree qualified in either a technical or business discipline would be an advantage  
•    CIPS preferred but not essential 

Personal Profile:
•    Able to analyse data and provide clear interpretation of key opportunities and risks 
•    Able to operate at all levels within an organisation with an ability to quickly establish good relationships and credibility with suppliers and internal stakeholders alike 
•    Self-confidence combined with strong negotiation, influencing, leadership and coaching skills
•    Disciplined in fact-based debate and decision making
•    A creative and innovative approach to problem solving 
•    Remains calm and composed under pressure and shows respect when dealing with others
•    Excellent communication skills both orally and in writing
•    Has the drive and initiative to manage their own workload, with the ability to prioritise and deliver against deadlines with minimal supervision
•    Able to work with internal cross-functional stakeholders to deliver best outcomes
•    Able to cooperate and adapt and strives for excellence in all areas

To apply please send an MS Word formatted version of your CV over for our review and consideration.