Senior Buyer

Pontoon; England; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading employment consultancy in the UK is seeking a Senior Buyer on a part-time contract to manage end-to-end procurement for IT categories. You will lead regulated procurement activities, deliver procurement value, and engage with stakeholders. Successful candidates will have strong supply chain management experience and negotiation skills. Hybrid working available, focusing on strategic procurement tasks.

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience in delivering value across multiple spend categories.
• Strong background in supply chain management within complex environments.
• Proven ability to drive value beyond cost savings using lean techniques.

Responsibilities

• Lead regulated procurement events from start to finish.
• Support the Procurement Manager in strategic sourcing.
• Conduct market research and supply chain analysis.

Skills

Procurement management

Negotiation skills

Stakeholder management

Market research

Data analysis

Tools

Ariba

Ivalua

Job description

Overview

Job Title: Senior Buyer (part time Contract)
Location: Warwick or Wokingham (Hybrid)
Contract Length: 6 month Contract
Day Rate: £600 per day (Inside IR35 via Umbrella)
Working Pattern: 2.5 days/week (flexible, staggered across the week)

The Role

As Senior Buyer, you'll lead end-to-end procurement activities across IT categories including hardware, software, cloud hosting, and digital security. You'll work independently on assigned projects, scaled to your availability, and collaborate closely with stakeholders across the business.

This is a strategic delivery role, not a support or job-share position. You'll be expected to manage your own procurement life cycle - from requirement gathering to contract award and handover.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead regulated procurement events from start to finish, including drafting RFTs, RFQs, and tender notices, evaluating supplier responses, and awarding contracts.
• Deliver value across the procured spend base through volume leverage, supplier innovation, forecasting efficiency, and optioneering.
• Support the Procurement Manager in identifying sourcing strategies and executing a portfolio of strategic sourcing events.
• Conduct market research and supply chain analysis to inform category planning and stay ahead of emerging trends.
• Collate and analyse spend data and procurement metrics, providing actionable insights and reporting to the Procurement Manager.
• Identify procurement risks and support mitigation planning to ensure timely delivery.
• Ensure a systematic and compliant approach to spend management, aligned with internal procurement frameworks and policies.
• Collaborate with vendor management and technical teams to ensure smooth contract handovers.
• Use procurement platforms such as Ariba (essential) and ideally Ivalua (preferred, but not yet live).

Key Skills & Experience

• Demonstrable experience in identifying and delivering value across multiple spend categories.
• Strong background in supply chain management within complex environments.
• Proven ability to drive value beyond cost savings, using lean techniques to eliminate waste and uncover income opportunities.
• Excellent influencing and negotiation skills, with a track record of securing commercially sound contracts.
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to engage effectively at all levels, including senior supplier contacts.
• Solid contract management capabilities and understanding of public sector procurement regulations.
• Experience in IT procurement (hardware, software, cloud, infrastructure) is highly desirable

Please note: Due to the high volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. If you do not hear from us within 48 hours, your application has not been successful on this occasion. However, we may retain your details for future suitable opportunities.

Pontoon is an employment consultancy. We put expertise, energy, and enthusiasm into improving everyone's chance of being part of the workplace. We respect and appreciate people of all ethnicities, generations, religious beliefs, sexual orientations, gender identities, and more. We do this by showcasing their talents, skills, and unique experience in an inclusive environment that helps them thrive. If you require reasonable adjustments at any stage, please let us know and we will be happy to support you.