Buyer - Advanced Manufacturing Scale-Up

Unipart Manufacturing; Coventry; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 43,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

33 days holiday including bank holiday

Pension

Life assurance

Employee assistance programme

Wellbeing support

Cycle to work scheme

Job summary

Unipart Manufacturing in Coventry is launching a fast-paced flagship procurement role for a commercially sharp Buyer tasked with strategic sourcing, NPI support, and ensuring material continuity for electrification assembly and injection moulding inputs.

Reporting to the Head of Purchasing, you will negotiate supplier terms, manage purchase orders and contracts in ERP/MRP, and drive KPI reporting and continuous improvement across the purchasing function.

Qualifications

• Experience working within a purchasing or procurement team, ideally in an automotive, electrification, or fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Numerically astute with strong contract negotiation skills, supplier cost analysis capability, and understanding of manufacturing impact.
• Track record of managing supplier relationships, supporting new project introductions, and raising purchase orders/contracts within ERP/MRP systems.
• Proactive self-starter with excellent problem-solving skills, high attention to detail, and ability to handle time-critical supply chain demands.

Responsibilities

• Sourcing and NPI Support - Execute strategic sourcing and NPI purchasing activities for goods, materials, electrification components, and services to meet cost, quality, and delivery targets.
• Supplier Negotiation and Cost Savings - Negotiate supplier contracts, improve terms, conduct spend analyses, and deliver tangible savings using procurement best-practice tools.
• Continuity of Supply and Risk Management - Monitor supply chain risks, facilitate communication between suppliers and internal teams, and ensure uninterrupted material flow.
• Systems and Performance Evaluation - Manage purchasing data (POs, contracts, supplier onboarding), compile KPI reports, and conduct supplier performance reviews.
• Culture and The Unipart Way - Embed Unipart Way principles, standardised workflows, and continuous improvement across procurement operations.

Skills

Purchasing Experience

Commercial and Analytical Acumen

NPI and Supplier Management

Work Ethic and Drive

Job description

Unipart Manufacturing is launching a flagship, fast-paced manufacturing project in Coventry, combining high-volume electrification assembly with complex injection moulding inputs. Fully aligned with Unipart's Sector and Growth Strategy and The Unipart Way Forward Plan, this exciting venture will scale rapidly from zero to over 200 team members within a four-month period, carrying potential to evolve into a standalone business. We are seeking a driven, commercially sharp Buyer to support strategic sourcing, New Product Introduction (NPI), and raw material/component procurement. Reporting to the Head of Purchasing, you will negotiate supplier terms, manage business system data, and secure continuity of supply across electrification assembly and injection moulding inputs.

As part of your key responsibilities you'll focus on:

• Sourcing and NPI Support - Execute strategic sourcing and NPI purchasing activities for goods, materials, electrification components, and services to meet cost, quality, and delivery (QCD) targets
• Supplier Negotiation and Cost Savings - Negotiate supplier contracts, improve commercial terms, conduct spend analyses, and deliver tangible business savings using procurement best-practice tools
• Continuity of Supply and Risk Management - Monitor supply chain risks, facilitate communication between suppliers and internal engineering/manufacturing teams, and ensure uninterrupted material flow
• Systems and Performance Evaluation - Manage purchasing data (purchase orders, contracts, supplier onboarding), compile departmental KPI reports, and conduct supplier performance reviews
• Culture and The Unipart Way - Embed Unipart Way principles, standardised workflows, and continuous improvement practices across all procurement operations

We'd love you to have the following skills and experience, but please apply if you think you'd be able to perform well in this role!

• Purchasing Experience - Experience working within a purchasing or procurement team, ideally in an automotive, electrification, or fast-paced manufacturing environment
• Commercial and Analytical Acumen - Numerically astute with strong contract negotiation skills, supplier cost analysis capability, and understanding of manufacturing impact
• NPI and Supplier Management - Track record of managing supplier relationships, supporting new project introductions, and raising purchase orders/contracts within ERP/MRP systems
• Work Ethic and Drive - Proactive self-starter with excellent problem-solving skills, high attention to detail, and the ability to handle time-critical supply chain demands

About Unipart

We are a supply chain performance improvement partner. We Design, Make, Move, and Improve components in our customers' supply chains, keeping their operations and assets moving and working better, for longer. Through our commitment to continuously driving operational efficiencies, we improve performance - saving time, cost, and carbon. Our ambition is to be the driving force behind efficient, resilient, and sustainable supply chains.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

We believe that a great workplace is one where you can bring your whole self to work. Our recruitment process is designed to be accessible, inclusive, and based entirely on merit. We define merit through a combination of technical skills and the core behaviours that help our people thrive at Unipart. We welcome applications from everyone, regardless of background or circumstances. We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity that exceeds our statutory obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and subsequent legislation. Whether it's your age, disability, neurodiversity, gender identity, family status, or any other characteristic that makes you 'you' - it is your talent and potential that we value most. Adjustments for you: We want you to perform at your best. If you require any reasonable adjustments or have specific accessibility needs at any stage of the application or interview process, please let us know. We are here to support you.

Up to £43,000 plus 33 days holiday (including bank holidays), pension, life assurance, employee assistance programme, wellbeing support, and flexible benefits including cycle to work scheme