Category Buyer

Virgin Media; Reading; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading telecommunications company is seeking a Category Buyer to join their Procurement team. You will manage purchasing processes, negotiate with suppliers, and work closely with various departments to deliver best value while maintaining compliance. The ideal candidate will have excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills, strong time management, and be studying towards CIPS accreditation.

Qualifications

• Good interpersonal skills to influence suppliers and stakeholders.
• Strong negotiating skills for competitive sourcing.
• Experience managing high-volume purchasing activity against tight targets.

Responsibilities

• Manage low-value purchasing processes using GEP tool.
• Negotiate with suppliers and support contract activities.
• Ensure compliant and value-focused procurement.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Negotiation skills

Time management

Organizational skills

Education

Studying towards CIPS accreditation

Tools

GEP spend management tool

ERP systems

Purchasing systems

Job description

Overview

We\'re looking for a Category Buyer to join our Procurement team, helping us deliver best value for money while keeping things simple, sustainable, and fully compliant. In this role, you\'ll manage a high volume of low-value purchasing processes using our GEP spend management tool, negotiating with suppliers, supporting contract activity, and working closely with colleagues across Finance, Legal, and Procurement. It\'s a hands-on role where you\'ll balance cost savings, risk management, and customer satisfaction every day.

Responsibilities

• Manage a high volume of low-value purchasing processes using the GEP spend management tool.
• Negotiate with suppliers and support contract activity.
• Work closely with colleagues across Finance, Legal, and Procurement to ensure compliant and value-focused procurement.
• Balance cost savings, risk management, and customer satisfaction in day-to-day procurement activities.

Requirements

• Good interpersonal skills and an ability to work with and influence suppliers and internal stakeholders at all levels.
• Strong negotiating skills and the ability to lead competitive sourcing processes.
• Ability to manage high volumes of purchasing activity against tight SLA targets.
• Strong time management and organisational skills.
• The ability to work within cross-functional and/or virtual teams.
• Experience of using management information from ERP and Purchasing systems.
• Basic contract knowledge.
• Studying towards CIPS accreditation.

About Virgin Media O2

Accessible, inclusive and equitable for all Virgin Media O2 is an equal opportunities employer and we\'re working hard to remove bias and barriers for our people and candidates. So, we build equity and inclusion into everything we do, from the policies we craft to the relationships we shape.

Next steps

If we feel like a place where you can belong, we\'d love to learn more about you as a person and your experience to date. Once you\'ve submitted an application, the next steps of the process, if successful, are likely to include an interview either on Teams or in person. When you apply, you\'ll be asked about any adjustments you might need to support the recruitment process. Let us know, and we\'ll be sure to discuss it with you.