Buyer

Building Careers UK; Liverpool; On-site; GBP 37,376 - 45,681; Full time

Job summary

Building Careers UK is seeking a skilled Buyer to join the North West Supply Chain team. The role supports procurement activities across multiple spend categories and works with stakeholders, suppliers and contractors to drive value for money.

You will lead market testing, RFQ/RFI/ITT processes and contract negotiations, while ensuring compliant procurement practices, governance and continuous improvement across sites in Liverpool, St Helens and Warrington.

Qualifications

• Significant experience within a procurement, purchasing or supply chain environment.
• Experience in construction or housebuilding compliance, ideally within a maintenance function, with a strong understanding of industry standards and regulatory requirements.
• Strong knowledge of the full procurement lifecycle and a range of sourcing methodologies.
• Experience managing tendering activities and supporting contract negotiations.
• Experience managing supplier relationships and contract performance.
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to identify opportunities for savings, efficiencies and service improvements.
• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to interpret and evaluate data to support decision making.
• Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Office applications and procurement systems.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence and build positive working relationships at all levels.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, work to deadlines and maintain a high level of accuracy.
• A proactive, customer-focused approach with a passion for continuous improvement and innovation.
• Degree-level qualification and professional procurement qualifications like CIPS will be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Supporting the Head of Supply Chain and Category Managers with procurement activities across a variety of spend categories.
• Leading and supporting procurement exercises including market testing, RFIs, RFQs, ITTs and mini-competitions.
• Providing procurement guidance, advice and support to internal stakeholders across the business.
• Working with operational teams to develop specifications, evaluate supplier responses and support contract award processes.
• Managing supplier relationships and supporting contract performance reviews to ensure effective service delivery and continuous improvement.
• Identifying opportunities to achieve commercial savings, improve efficiency and deliver value for money.
• Maintaining procurement workplans, project trackers and savings reports with accurate reporting.
• Supporting procurement initiatives across materials, maintenance, warehousing and waste management.
• Assisting with benchmarking, market analysis and value engineering opportunities.
• Driving process improvements and implementing innovative procurement solutions and systems.
• Supporting supplier onboarding and ensuring governance and compliance.

Skills

Procurement

Sourcing

Contract negotiations

Supplier relationships

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

IT skills

Communication

Attention to detail

Education

Degree-level qualification

Tools

Procurement systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

Overview

Buyer

Salary - 41,529

Permanent

We\'re looking for a Buyer to join our Supply Chain team, supporting the delivery of procurement and sourcing activities across a diverse range of goods, works and services. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced procurement professional to play a key role in delivering value for money, driving commercial improvements and supporting strategic procurement initiatives across the business. You\'ll work closely with internal stakeholders, suppliers and contractors to ensure procurement activities are compliant, efficient and aligned to organisational objectives.

This role covers the North West region, with working across Liverpool, St Helens and Warrington. Travel between locations and supplier sites will be required as part of the role.

Responsibilities

• Supporting the Head of Supply Chain and Category Managers with procurement activities across a variety of spend categories.
• Leading and supporting procurement exercises including market testing, Requests for Information (RFI), Requests for Quotation (RFQ), Invitations to Tender (ITT) and mini-competitions.
• Providing procurement guidance, advice and support to internal stakeholders across the business.
• Working collaboratively with operational teams to develop specifications, evaluate supplier responses and support contract award processes.
• Managing supplier relationships and supporting contract performance reviews to ensure effective service delivery and continuous improvement.
• Identifying opportunities to achieve commercial savings, improve efficiency and deliver value for money.
• Maintaining procurement workplans, project trackers and savings reports, ensuring accurate and timely reporting.
• Supporting the implementation of procurement initiatives across areas including construction materials, repairs and maintenance materials, warehouse services and waste management.
• Assisting with procurement benchmarking, market analysis and value engineering opportunities.
• Driving process improvements and supporting the implementation of innovative procurement solutions and systems.
• Supporting supplier onboarding processes and ensuring robust procurement compliance and governance.
• Acting as an ambassador for the procurement function, building strong relationships across the business and external supply chain partners.

What\'s required

• Significant experience within a procurement, purchasing or supply chain environment.
• Previous experience in construction or housebuilding compliance, ideally within a maintenance function, with a strong understanding of industry standards and regulatory requirements.
• Strong knowledge of the full procurement lifecycle and a range of sourcing methodologies.
• Experience managing tendering activities and supporting contract negotiations.
• Experience managing supplier relationships and contract performance.
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to identify opportunities for savings, efficiencies and service improvements.
• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to interpret and evaluate data to support decision making.
• Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Office applications and procurement systems.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence and build positive working relationships at all levels.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, work to deadlines and maintain a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• A proactive, customer-focused approach with a passion for continuous improvement and innovation.
• Degree-level qualification.
• CIPS membership or working towards a professional procurement qualification.
• Experience of procurement projects across multiple spend categories and locations.
• Knowledge of contract management, governance and financial compliance processes.