Indirect Buyer

Location: Woking or Bicester
Salary: £45,000 – £49,000
Contract: Permanent, Full Time
Working Hours: Monday to Friday, 9am – 6pm
Working Pattern: Hybrid – 3 days onsite, 3 days remote home working

The Role

We are currently recruiting for an Indirect Buyer to own the end-to-end sourcing and commercial management of manufacturing CAPEX suppliers, including automation cells, tooling, machinery and test equipment.

Working across Procurement, Engineering, SQA/Quality and Manufacturing, you will translate manufacturing requirements into commercially sound, executable supplier solutions, while managing supplier relationships, performance and risk throughout the equipment lifecycle.

You will be supported by a Senior Category Lead for onboarding, mentoring and first-point escalation.

Key Responsibilities

CAPEX Sourcing & Delivery

• Lead RFx activity for CAPEX, including specification alignment, bid packs, Q&A and clarifications.
• Complete commercial and technical bid analysis and support supplier nomination.
• Execute contracts and purchase orders, including milestone validation, change-order control, invoice approval and asset tagging.
• Maintain close alignment with programme milestones and factory readiness.
• Support ramp-up and SOP industrialisation activities with Manufacturing.

Supplier Relationship Management

• Act as the commercial owner for strategic line-builders and equipment suppliers.
• Run structured performance reviews, scorecards and risk mapping.
• Drive corrective actions and continuous improvement.
• Build senior-level supplier relationships to secure technology access, capacity and competitive commercial positions.

Contracting & Commercial Governance

• Negotiate pricing, payment milestones/terms, warranty, service levels and liquidated damages where applicable.
• Manage change orders throughout the project lifecycle.
• Monitor supplier capacity reservations and price validity windows.
• Escalate early where legal or commercial frameworks need adapting.
• Support e-bidding and digital sourcing where appropriate.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work across Procurement, Engineering, SQA and Manufacturing to establish robust technical scopes and quality plans.
• Support APQP/PPAP where relevant to equipment sign-off.
• Partner with Finance on CAPEX budgeting, NPV/TCO and cash-flow phasing.
• Keep stakeholders informed through agreed RASIC/role boundaries.

What You'll Bring

• 4+ years' experience in automotive or complex manufacturing, with demonstrable CAPEX sourcing and contract execution across tooling, machinery, automation or test rigs.
• Strong understanding of RFx processes, bid analysis and negotiation of high-value equipment contracts.
• Experience covering pricing, milestones, warranty/after-sales and governance through to asset tagging and acceptance.
• Understanding of manufacturing readiness, SOP ramp-up and APQP/PPAP/quality gates where applicable.
• Experience managing supplier scorecards, risk mapping, recovery plans and continuous improvement.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence at senior level and navigate complex programmes.

Benefits

• Structured career development framework
• 25 days' holiday, plus bank holidays, with annual buy & sell of up to five days
• Enhanced company pension scheme
• Discretionary annual bonus award
• Private medical insurance and health cash plan
• Life assurance benefit
• Ability to apply for a sabbatical of up to one year after two years' service
• Lifestyle benefits, including discounted shopping
• Generous parental leave policies
• Wellbeing initiatives, including employee assistance programme and free financial & mortgage advice