NPI Buyer

Safran Group; Pitstone; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Excellent Pension and bonus scheme

33 Days Holiday

Dental and BUPA cover

Workplace nursery scheme

Midday finish on Fridays

Enhanced family friendly policies

Wellbeing programme

Employee assistance programme

Onsite subsidised canteen

Training and career development

Job summary

Safran – Here, we craft excellence together. Safran Electrical & Power is a leading aerospace supplier, and the NPI Buyer will drive purchasing for new programmes from concept through to production.

The role covers coordinating a cross-functional team, engaging with suppliers, and ensuring DFM and design evolution are integrated into NPI phases across multiple projects with significant budgets. Permanent, full-time position in the UK with a competitive package.

Qualifications

• Purchasing/sourcing experience within a manufacturing environment.
• Astute commercial awareness.
• Proven experience liaising with customers or suppliers; with a background of negotiation.
• Demonstrates healthy and productive influencing ability which can be applied within an engineering /design /manufacturing environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills – ability to work with individuals across a range of functions and varying seniority.
• Motivation to learn, develop and perform in a fast-paced rapid prototype environment.
• Experience with metric creations and data presentations, with strong written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage multiple vendors & projects simultaneously.
• Work within cross functional project teams, reporting to internal stakeholders of all levels, liaising with other sites on multi-site programs.
• Manage and facilitate all sourcing activity, aligning the core commodity strategies with supplier selection and the future product roadmap for new products and technology being developed.
• Ensure deployment of Design for Manufacture (DFM) processes with early supplier engagement, to manage and report design evolution from concept/baseline throughout the NPI phases of prototype and qualification.
• Follow a robust methodology, challenging design requirements, potential over engineering and scope creep.
• Create, conduct and close RFQ / RFP Packages with Selected Supplier Choice panels.
• Risk Analysis – Identification and resolution of supply issues in order to meet business commitments.
• Challenge, negotiate, secure and report fulfilment of program targets in terms of Quality, Cost, Delivery (QCD).
• Ensure that the suppliers are able to meet the Safran Quality requirements and where needed, facilitate negotiations between Engineering and Suppliers.

Skills

Purchasing experience

Commercial awareness

Negotiation

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Fast-paced environment

Data presentation

Job description

NPI Buyer

Vacancy details

General information

Entity

Safran is an international high-technology group operating in the fields of aerospace (propulsion, equipment and interiors), space and defense. Its mission is to contribute sustainably to a safer world, where air transport becomes ever more environmentally friendly, comfortable and accessible. Present on every continent, the Group employs 110,000 people and generated €31.3 billion in revenue in 2025. Safran holds, either independently or through partnerships, leading global or European positions in its markets.

Safran was ranked second in the Aerospace & Defense sector in TIME magazine's "World's Best Companies 2025" ranking.

As the world leader in aeronautical electrical systems, Safran Electrical & Power is a key player in the electrification of aircraft equipment and electric and hybrid propulsion. With expertise across the onboard energy chain, the company designs and delivers innovative, optimized and modular architectures and solutions.

Reference

2026-186711

Position description

Domain

Research, design and development

Job field / Job profile

Purchasing - Purchasing administration

Job title

NPI Buyer

Employment type

Permanent

Professional category

Professional, Engineer & Manager

Part time / Full time

Full-time

Job description

Safran – Here, we craft excellence together.

At Safran, excellence is a journey – and we'd love you to be a part of it. As a trusted global leader in aerospace, defence, and space, we are proud to be a company where diversity, innovation, and opportunity come together to shape a sustainable future where we can all succeed together through a shared vision.

Safran Electrical & Power is one of the world's leaders in aircraft electrical systems. It is a key player in the equipment electrification & in the electric and hybrid propulsion sector. Mastering the on-board energy system, the company designs and provides modular, innovative and optimised architectures and solutions.

Your role:

The NPI Buyer plays a lead role in a multi discipline project team, providing the interface with the external Supply Chain pre-production to manage the parts acquisition process for NPI programmes from initial concept, through the design life cycle, industrialization, then to handover of a stable supply chain into production and the Procurement team.

You'll manage and coordinate the Purchasing function for new programmes, managing multiple vendors (approx. 20 per typical project) across 2-4 projects simultaneously. You'll navigate different levels of complexity, with budgets £1Million+ per program.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage multiple vendors & projects simultaneously
• Work within cross functional project teams, reporting to internal stakeholders of all levels, liaising with other sites on multi-site programs
• Manage and facilitate all sourcing activity, aligning the core commodity strategies with supplier selection and the future product roadmap for new products and technology being developed
• Ensure deployment of Design for Manufacture (DFM) processes with early supplier engagement, to manage and report design evolution from concept/baseline throughout the NPI phases of prototype and qualification
• Follow a robust methodology, challenging design requirements, potential over engineering and scope creep
• Create, conduct and close RFQ / RFP Packages with Selected Supplier Choice panels
• Risk Analysis – Identification and resolution of supply issues in order to meet business commitments
• Challenge, negotiate, secure and report fulfilment of program targets in terms of Quality, Cost, Delivery (QCD)
• Ensure that the suppliers are able to meet the Safran Quality requirements and where needed, facilitate negotiations between Engineering and Suppliers

But what else? (benefits, specificities, etc.)

Looking after the people who make Safran great is our priority. We offer a range of flexible benefits designed to support you, both in and out of work, including:

• Competitive salary
• Excellent Pension and bonus scheme
• 33 Days Holiday (including bank holidays)
• Dental and BUPA cover
• Workplace nursery scheme
• Midday finish on Fridays
• Enhanced family friendly policies
• Wellbeing programme
• Employee assistance programme including health and finance
• Onsite subsidised canteen
• We support your ambitions with training, development, a personalised career plan and mobility opportunities

Candidate skills & requirements

What You'll Bring:

• Purchasing/sourcing experience within a manufacturing environment
• Astute commercial awareness
• Proven experience in liaising with customers or suppliers; with a background of negotiation
• Demonstrates healthy and productive influencing ability which can be applied within an engineering /design /manufacturing environment
• Strong interpersonal skills – ability to work with individuals across a range of functions and varying seniority
• motivation to learn, develop and perform in a fast-paced rapid prototype environment
• Experience with metric creations and data presentations, with strong written and verbal communication skills

We know that some candidates may be put off applying for jobs where they don't meet 100% of the criteria outlined in the advert. We encourage anybody to apply if you can demonstrate a variety of skills and experience relevant to the requirements of this role. Please let us know if you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments to the hiring process that may better facilitate your participation.

We celebrate our differences and believe they make us stronger. We know that a fulfilling work environment is a key driver for innovative ideas and team success.

Position location

Job location

Europe, UK, England, London

City (-ies)

Pitstone, Buckinghamshire