Buyer

Buyer, reporting to Procurement Manager, based in Burnley

PURPOSE OF POSITION

Responsible for:
The Buyer is responsible for the sourcing, negotiation and commercial management of goods and services to support project delivery and operational requirements.
The role has primary accountability for creating and managing purchase orders, ensuring all commitments are commercially aligned, accurately documented and placed in line with project timelines.
The Buyer owns supplier relationships within allocated categories, negotiates pricing and payment terms, and manages supplier performance to protect delivery reliability and margin.
Working closely with Project Delivery Managers, Engineering, Workshop, Commercial and Finance teams, the Buyer ensures procurement activity supports project schedules, financial controls and governance requirements.
This role plays a key part in strengthening procurement, supporting ERP transition (SAP to IFS), and building long-term supply chain resilience.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES

Remit & Responsibilities:

• Purchase Order Creation 
  • Create and manage purchase orders in line with project and operational requirements.
  • Review and convert MRP requisitions into accurate and commercially aligned purchase orders.
  • Ensure purchase orders reflect agreed pricing, lead times, payment terms and contractual conditions prior to supplier commitment.
  • Validate specifications, quantities and delivery requirements before order placement.
• Commercial Sourcing & Negotiation
  • Lead RFQs and competitive sourcing exercises.
  • Negotiate pricing, lead times, payment terms, and commercial conditions.
  • Establish and maintain sustainable supplier credit arrangements aligned to company cash flow strategy.
  • Manage commercial agreements within assigned categories.
• Supplier Ownership & Performance
  • Own supplier relationships within allocated categories.
  • Monitor delivery performance and commercial compliance.
  • Conduct structured performance discussions where required.
  • Identify and mitigate supply risk.
• Commercial & Financial Risk Management
  • Work collaboratively with Finance to support stable supplier trading relationships.
  • Support restoration and maintenance of agreed payment terms.
  • Resolve commercial disputes and pricing discrepancies
• Delivery & Stakeholder Alignment
  • Align procurement activity with project and operational requirements.
  • Ensure purchase orders reflect agreed commercial terms and accurate specifications.
  • Communicate supply risks impacting cost or delivery.
• Health, Safety, and Environmental Responsibilities:
  • All employees have a duty to take care of their own health and safety and that of others affected by their actions at work.
  • Employees must conduct assigned tasks and duties in a safe manner, in accordance with instructions, and comply with all Health, Safety & Environmental rules, policy, procedures, regulations and codes of practice.
  • Employees must co-operate with management and co-workers to help everyone meet their legal obligations.
  • Employees must follow any instructions or health, safety & environmental training provided by the company and report any hazards, injuries or ill health that present a serious and imminent risk and inform your line 
    manager about any shortcomings you identify within your health and safety arrangements.

REQUIREMENTS

Job Specific Education Required:
Essential:

• GCSEs or equivalent, including Maths and English

Desirable:

• CIPS qualified or working towards certification
• Experience with ERP systems (SAP, IFS advantageous)

Work Experience Required:

Essential:

• Minimum 3–5 years’ experience in a Buyer role within Manufacturing, Engineering, Energy or 
  Construction environment.
• Demonstrated experience running RFQs and negotiating commercial terms.
• Experience managing supplier relationships and resolving commercial disputes.
• Experience negotiating and managing payment terms.

Desirable:

• Exposure to project-based manufacturing environments.
• Experience supporting ERP transitions or system improvement initiatives.

Skills & Knowledge Required:

Essential:

• Strong commercial awareness and negotiation capability.
• Understanding of payment terms, cash flow impact, and supplier credit management.
• Ability to manage multiple sourcing activities within a project-driven environment.
• Proficient in SAP and Microsoft Office (Excel particularly).
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Confident communicator able to influence suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Proactive risk identification and escalation capability.

Desirable:

• Engineering knowledge or technical understanding.

Requirement to travel:
Occasional travel to suppliers or other company sites as required.

Internal Communications: (who, how)

• PDMs
• Engineering
• Workshop
• Supply Chain
• Tendering
• Commercial
  • Communication via meetings, teams, email reports, and other channels to ensure up-to-date material status visibility and alignment with project requirements.

External Communications; (who, how)

• Vendors
  • Communication via email, system updates, supplier calls, and review meetings to confirm delivery commitments and manage expediting requirements

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

This role may require a satisfactory criminal background check (e.g., Standard or Enhanced DBS check).

This role may require compliance with confidentiality agreements or other legal requirements.

We look forward to hearing from you