Placement Student - New Product Purchasing

Cummins Inc; Tees Valley; On-site; GBP 12,000 - 18,000; Full time

Job summary

Cummins Inc. in Darlington is seeking a placement student for New Product Purchasing to learn how a global organization operates within the Corporate Segment. You will support purchasing activities for new product introduction and gain exposure to negotiation and supplier management.

This 12-month placement starts Summer 2027, offering hands-on experience across cross-functional teams and exposure to cost analysis and supplier selection while developing project management and procurement skills.

Qualifications

• Currently studying for a bachelor’s degree, ideally in Business, Management, Procurement, Supply Chain or related field.
• Interest in procurement, project management, supply chain and global business exposure.
• Confidence using Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
• Strong organisation and time-management skills with ability to manage multiple deadlines.
• Analytical and commercially minded problem-solver with good communication across teams.

Responsibilities

• Support purchasing activities across new product introduction and projects; track deliverables to meet milestones.
• Build relationships with suppliers globally and assist with supplier selection.
• Track risks, actions, and issues; drive resolution with internal teams and suppliers.
• Support commercial analysis to achieve competitive pricing and value from suppliers.
• Maintain purchasing and project information and provide clear status updates.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Commercial awareness

Time management

Strong communication

Education

Bachelor's degree candidate

Tools

Microsoft Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

PLACEMENT STUDENT – New Product Purchasing

We are looking for an enthusiastic New Product Purchasing Student to join our team specializing in Purchasing for our Corporate Segment in Darlington. During your placement with us, you will learn how a major global organization operates, gaining the tools and exposure you will need to become an expert in the industry.

This role is available to candidates who qualify for a placement year and will commence Summer of 2027.

In this role, you will make an impact in the following ways:

• Support purchasing activities across new product introduction and business projects; coordinate and track procurement deliverables to help ensure projects meet key milestones and deadlines.
• Build relationships with suppliers across the globe and support regular commercial and project discussions; support supplier sourcing activities, including inviting suppliers to bid, reviewing quotations and assisting with supplier selection.
• Track project risks, actions and issues, working with internal stakeholders and suppliers to drive them to resolution; work cross-functionally with teams including Purchasing, Engineering, Quality, Finance and Project Management.
• Support commercial analysis to help ensure Cummins receives competitive pricing, quality and value from its supply base.
• Maintain purchasing and project information within internal systems and provide clear status updates to stakeholders.
• Gain exposure to negotiation, cost management, supplier performance and strategic sourcing within a global business.

To be successful in this role you will need the following:

• Currently studying for a bachelor’s degree, ideally in Business, Business Management, Procurement, Supply Chain Management, Project Management, Economics, Finance, International Business or a related commercial discipline (and not graduating this academic year).
• An interest in procurement, project management, supply chain and working within a global business environment; confidence using Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
• Strong organisation and time-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple activities and deadlines; a proactive attitude and willingness to take ownership of actions and follow them through to completion
• An analytical and commercially minded approach to problem-solving; good communication and interpersonal skills, with confidence working with different teams, stakeholders and suppliers.

CLOSING DATE: (Thursday, 12 th November 2026 11:59pm)

Job Purchasing

Organization Cummins Inc.

Role Category On-site with Flexibility

Job Type Student - Cooperative/12 Month Placement