Assistant Buyer

Severn Trent Water; Coventry; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday + bank holidays

Annual bonus scheme (up to £1,500)

Leading pension scheme

Sharesave

Support for your CIPS studies

Dedicated training and development

Electric vehicle scheme

Family friendly policies

Two paid volunteering days per year

Job summary

Severn Trent Water in Coventry is looking for an Assistant Buyer to join our award-winning Procurement & Contract Management team. You’ll support Category Managers to deliver tenders, new contracts and savings, handling smaller, lower-risk purchases (usually between £5k and £450k).

You’ll research suppliers, gather quotes, compare options and help decide who we buy from, working with colleagues across the business to create value and progress.

Qualifications

• The ability to manage internal and external stakeholders in order to build effective relationships
• An awareness of procurement governance, compliance and responsible sourcing, with the ability to follow clear processes, maintain accurate records and support fair, transparent purchasing decisions
• A customer-focused mindset, with the ability to balance cost, quality, risk and service outcomes when supporting buying decisions
• Strong attention to detail, with the ability to work accurately with supplier information, quotations, documentation and contract records.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and make sound recommendations
• A willingness to learn, develop and the confidence to ask questions, and influence people
• Knowledge of purchasing processes (e.g. tenders and contracts)
• Proficient IT skills, including the ability to develop and maintain spreadsheets
• Minimum A Level qualifications, or equal, including GCSE Maths and English

Responsibilities

• As an Assistant Buyer, you’ll support Category Managers to deliver tenders, new contracts and savings
• You’ll be responsible for smaller, lower‑risk purchases (usually between £5k and £450k)
• You’ll research suppliers, gather quotes, compare options, and help choose who we buy from
• You’ll also work closely with colleagues across the business to ensure we’re creating value and progress
• This is a development opportunity to kick-start your career in Procurement

Skills

Stakeholder management

Procurement governance

Customer-focused mindset

Attention to detail

Analytical skills

Willingness to learn

Purchasing processes knowledge

Proficient IT skills

Education

Minimum A Level qualifications including GCSE Maths and English

Tools

Spreadsheets

Job description

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Our people are what makes Severn Trent a truly exciting and inclusive place to work. We’re a team of over 10,000 people, united by a shared purpose to deliver one of life’s essentials – water – while thriving in a unique and supportive culture.

We’re a growing, Midlands based FTSE 100 organisation and we welcome people from all walks of life. We celebrate individuality, because we know that diverse minds, experiences and backgrounds help us learn, innovate and better serve the customers and communities we represent.

It’s an exciting time to join us. As we continue through our next five year regulatory period (AMP8), we have ambitious plans to deliver bigger and better than ever before. If you’re looking for a challenging, rewarding career where you can make a genuine impact, Severn Trent is the place to be.

We’re looking for an Assistant Buyer to join our award winning Procurement & Contract Management team. The role will be based at our head office in Coventry.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

The Procurement and Contract Management Team is circa. 100 commercial, systems and sustainability professionals based across the region. Operating across the whole commercial lifecycle we ensure that every pound of customers’ money is spent wisely, responsibly and transparently whilst protecting the organisation from risk and helping to achieve business objectives. As an Assistant Buyer, you’ll support Category Managers to deliver tenders, new contracts and savings. You’ll be responsible for smaller, lower ‑ risk purchases (usually between £5k and £450k).

You’ll research suppliers, gather quotes, compare options, and help choose who we buy from. You’ll also work closely with colleagues across the business to ensure we’re creating value and progress.

This is a development opportunity to kick-start your career in Procurement. If you have confidence, drive and excellent communication skills then we’d love to hear from you.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING TO THE ROLE

We’re looking for someone who combines strong commercial capability with the confidence to influence stakeholders and deliver value in a complex environment.

To be successful in this role, it’s expected that you’ll have the following skills and experience:

• The ability to manage internal and external stakeholders in order to build effective relationships
• An awareness of procurement governance, compliance and responsible sourcing, with the ability to follow clear processes, maintain accurate records and support fair, transparent purchasing decisions
• A customer-focused mindset, with the ability to balance cost, quality, risk and service outcomes when supporting buying decisions
• Strong attention to detail, with the ability to work accurately with supplier information, quotations, documentation and contract records.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and make sound recommendations
• A willingness to learn, develop and the confidence to ask questions, and influence people
• Knowledge of purchasing processes (e.g. tenders and contracts)
• Proficient IT skills, including the ability to develop and maintain spreadsheets
• Minimum A Level qualifications, or equal, including GCSE Maths and English

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU

Working here isn’t just a job. You can build a career at Severn Trent. We’ll reward you for it, too. We have a range of benefits that recognise great work, and award-winning training to help you reach your potential. And we’ll also help you play your part in looking after the environment and the communities where we live.

With that in mind, here are just some of our favourite perks that you’ll get being part of the Severn Trent family:

• 25 days holiday + bank holidays (and the ability to buy/ sell up to 5 days per year)
• Annual bonus scheme (of up to £1,500, subject to eligibility)
• Leading pension scheme – we will double your contribution (up to 15% when you contribute 7.5%)
• Sharesave – the chance to buy Severn Trent Plc shares at a discounted rate
• Support for your CIPS studies
• Dedicated training and development with our Academy
• Electric vehicle scheme and retail offers
• Family friendly policies
• Two paid volunteering days per year

WHAT’S NEXT?

Wecan’twait to hear from you.