Senior Buyer - Electronics

Cambridge Aerospace; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation and stock in

Private Medical & Dental

Cycle to work scheme

Lunchtime catering on site

Job summary

Cambridge Aerospace is seeking a Senior Buyer for Electronics to procure electronic components and related materials across multiple sites. You will transform approved requirements into controlled supplier arrangements and support Product Development with timely orders.

You will engage stakeholders to define scope, deliverables, and evaluation criteria, negotiate terms, and monitor supplier performance while seeking cost reductions and improved terms.

Qualifications

• Buyer or Senior Buyer with high-volume electronics procurement experience.
• Experience running RFQs or tenders and negotiating terms.
• Knowledge of POs, Statements of Work, licences and services agreements.
• Ability to prioritise, decide and deliver results quickly.
• Strong numerical and analytical skills for commercial comparisons.
• Organised and accurate with stakeholder prioritisation.
• Confident communicator to challenge requirements and maintain relationships.
• Adaptable in a fast-growing environment with evolving processes.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end sourcing activity for all assigned electronic categories, including RFQ/tender stages.
• Support Product Development procurement, processing orders and coordinating with requestors and suppliers.
• Define scope, specifications, delivery expectations, budgets and evaluation criteria with suppliers.
• Obtain competitive quotations, conduct commercial comparisons and negotiate terms.
• Coordinate supplier onboarding, due diligence and internal approvals.
• Monitor supplier delivery and service performance and resolve issues.
• Identify opportunities to consolidate suppliers and standardise requirements.
• Support spend analysis and supplier updates for the Category Manager - Indirect.

Skills

Electronics procurement

RFQ/Tender management

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

Decision making

Prioritisation

Strong communication

Education

CIPS qualification / training

Tools

ERP systems

E-procurement tools

Spend analysis tools

Job description

As Senior Buyer for Electronics at Cambridge Aerospace, you will be responsible for the procurement of all electronic components and related materials to support production and business objectives. Working with stakeholders across the business, you will turn approved requirements into well-controlled, commercially sound and timely supplier arrangements. You will also support the operational purchasing needs of Product Development, helping ensure orders are placed accurately and on time. The role supports multiple company sites, and some business travel will be required.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end sourcing activity for all assigned electronic categories, from requirement clarification and market research through RFQ or tender, evaluation, negotiation, recommendation and purchase or contract placement.
• Support the operational needs of Product Development by processing and progressing approved orders, coordinating with requestors and suppliers, and helping resolve delivery, pricing or order-related issues.
• Work with stakeholders to define scope, specifications, service levels, delivery expectations, budgets and evaluation criteria before approaching suppliers.
• Obtain competitive quotations, conduct commercial comparisons and negotiate price, payment terms, service levels, lead times, renewal terms and other relevant conditions.
• Coordinate supplier onboarding, due diligence and internal approvals, ensuring no commitment is made before the required procurement and financial controls are complete.
• Monitor supplier delivery and service performance, resolve commercial issues and support structured reviews and improvement actions.
• Identify opportunities to consolidate suppliers, standardise requirements, reduce cost, improve terms and increase use of preferred suppliers.
• Support the Category Manager - Indirect with spend analysis, category plans, sourcing pipelines, market intelligence, supplier risk and stakeholder updates.

Requirements

• Strong experience as a Buyer or Senior Buyer managing electronic goods in a high-volume production environment.
• Demonstrable experience running competitive RFQs or tenders, evaluating supplier proposals and negotiating commercial terms.
• Good understanding of purchase orders, Statements of Work, subscriptions, licences, services agreements and recurring supplier commitments.
• Take ownership of all tasks, effectively prioritising workload, making informed decisions, and delivering results at pace.
• Strong numerical and analytical skills, with the ability to build clear commercial comparisons and recommendations.
• Organised and accurate, with effective prioritisation across multiple stakeholders and sourcing activities.
• Confident communicator who can challenge requirements constructively and maintain positive stakeholder relationships.
• Practical, proactive and comfortable working in a fast-growing environment where processes continue to evolve.

Preferred Experience

• Experience in defence, aerospace, manufacturing, engineering, technology or another regulated environment.
• Experience sourcing IT, SaaS, professional services, facilities, recruitment, travel or other corporate services.
• Working knowledge of supplier due diligence, data protection, information security and contract-risk considerations.
• CIPS qualification, progress toward CIPS, or equivalent procurement training.
• Experience using ERP, e-procurement, contract-management or spend-analysis tools.

What We Offer

• Competitive compensation and stock options
• Private Medical & Dental
• Cycle to work scheme
• Lunchtime catering on site

About Us

The mission of Cambridge Aerospace is to eliminate the risk of existential war in Europe. That risk comes from the air - low-cost drones and cruise missiles now manufactured in colossal volumes by our adversaries, ballistic missiles capable of ending the world as we know it, and a new generation of hypersonic weapons that evade every existing defence.

We are building low-cost interceptors that defeat these threats, and the surveillance systems to detect and target them - at a cost taxpayers can afford, at the pace the threat demands, and with sovereign supply chains that assure delivery.

We have immense backing from the world's best venture funds. We are one of the fastest growing defence technology companies in history. And we are hiring the best people to prosecute the mission.

If you are in the top 1%, willing to work harder than you ever have, build capability better than anyone else, and contribute to the defining challenge of our time, now is the time to join us.