Operational Buyer

Copello; Marlow; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering and manufacturing organisation in Marlow is seeking an experienced Operational Buyer to join their procurement team. The successful candidate will oversee suppliers, negotiate purchase orders, and implement cost-saving initiatives. They will need a minimum of 5 years' experience in procurement, strong negotiation skills, and proficiency in Microsoft Office. This role is essential for ensuring the effective procurement of materials and supporting overall business operations.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years' experience within a supply chain or procurement environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven experience in negotiation and supplier relationship management.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end supply chain relationships with a defined group of suppliers.
• Negotiate and issue purchase orders.
• Monitor delivery performance to ensure on-time delivery.

Skills

Negotiation

Supplier relationship management

Analytical skills

Organisational skills

Time management

Microsoft Office proficiency

Education

Level 4 or Level 5 NVQ

Degree in business, operations, supply chain or related discipline

Job description

OperationalCopello is supporting a leading engineering and manufacturing organisation based in Marlow in the recruitment of an Operational Buyer to join their procurement team in Marlow.

Purpose of the Role

The Buyer will be responsible for ensuring the effective procurement of materials, components, major work packages and services to support business operations. The role will manage the end-to-end supply of parts across nominated commodities, ensuring appropriate commodity strategies are deployed in line with business unit requirements and internal stakeholder needs.

The successful candidate will play a key role in supplier management, driving strong performance against SOTIF and SDPPM metrics, and ensuring competitive sourcing to deliver year‑on‑year cost savings against standard cost. The role will also contribute to identifying and implementing cost‑saving initiatives and process improvements across the procurement function.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end supply chain relationships with a defined group of suppliers to ensure optimal quality, cost, delivery and reliability
• Negotiate and issue purchase orders in line with purchase requisitions, MRP actions and inventory strategies
• Review MRP requirements to ensure component deliveries align with production needs, adjusting schedules, quantities and pricing where required
• Analyse and process supplier notifications
• Manage the communication and expediting of engineering and schedule changes
• Monitor delivery performance to ensure on-time delivery to production requirements
• Apply SOF principles to build robust supplier management processes and long‑term supplier partnerships
• Create and maintain commodity market profiles and detailed supplier profiles
• Manage non‑conforming material processes, ensuring timely return and rapid replenishment
• Support day-to-day procurement activities, including internal and supplier communications, price negotiations and revised commercial terms
• Deploy responsible supply chain management practices in line with company policy, including risk heat mapping and corrective actions
• Support the Procurement Manager with expediting priorities to ensure purchase orders are delivered on time

Outline of Competencies

• Continuous and business improvement
• Production finance control
• Production lifecycle management
• Cost and contract management
• Supply chain definition and MRP
• Strategic sourcing
• Supplier relationship management

Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum of 5 years' experience within a supply chain or procurement environment
• Previous experience as a Buyer within a manufacturing or engineering organisation is advantageous
• Level 4 or Level 5 NVQ or a degree in business, operations, supply chain or a related discipline
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder management skills
• Proven experience in negotiation and supplier relationship management
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, organisational and time‑management skills
• Experience working within an MRP‑driven environment
• Exposure to a manufacturing environment is desirable
• Ability to operate within financial and time‑sensitive constraints
• CIPS qualification or working towards certification is desirable