Buyer

Cobalt Recruitment; Swanley; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A residential housebuilder seeks an experienced Buyer to manage materials procurement for their housing sites in Swanley, UK. The role involves preparing material schedules, analyzing supplier returns, and ensuring budget adherence. The ideal candidate will have a strong construction background and experience in materials buying. You will work closely with site teams and office functions, utilizing systems like COINS to facilitate procurement processes. Competitive terms and collaboration are essential elements of this position.

Qualifications

• Sound construction background with residential housebuilding experience.
• Working knowledge of materials buying and supplier tendering.
• Strong negotiation and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and issue material schedules to suppliers for tender.
• Analyze supplier returns and recommend preferred options.
• Monitor budget cost documents through to completion.
• Source local suppliers and negotiate competitive terms.

Skills

Negotiation

Communication

Collaboration

Construction background

Materials buying

Supplier tendering

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Tools

COINS

Job description

Cobalt is working with a well-established residential housebuilder to appoint a Buyer to support live sites and head office operations, managing materials procurement from tender through to final delivery.

The organisation

This business is a recognised name in residential development, known for delivering high-quality housing schemes and maintaining strong relationships across its supply chain. The culture is collaborative, professional and detail-focused, with close alignment between commercial, technical and site teams.

The role

Reporting into senior commercial leadership, the Buyer will play a key role in the procurement and cost control of materials across multiple housing sites.

Key responsibilities

• Preparing and issuing material schedules to suppliers for tender.
• Analysing supplier returns and recommending preferred options to management.
• Preparing and monitoring budget cost documents through to completion.
• Sourcing local suppliers and negotiating competitive commercial terms.
• Liaising with site teams to manage shortages, delivery issues and material losses.
• Attending site meetings and working closely with head office functions.
• Ensuring national supply agreements are utilised where appropriate.
• Checking invoices against delivery tickets and purchase orders.
• Using COINS for order placement and supplier payments.
• Maintaining accurate records for plant, equipment and health & safety materials.
• Assisting with subcontractor procurement and surveying support when required.

Skills and experience required

• A sound construction background with residential housebuilding experience.
• Working knowledge of materials buying and supplier tendering.
• Strong negotiation and communication skills.
• Experience using COINS or a similar construction finance system.
• Confident using Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Ability to work collaboratively with site and office-based teams.
• A professional, reliable and organised approach to work.

Interviews are expected to take place shortly, so early applications are encouraged. Apply now to avoid missing out.

Due to the volume of applications received, if you do not hear back from us, please assume your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

If you require any reasonable adjustments or additional support during the recruitment process, please let your Cobalt consultant know.