Senior Buyer - Indirect

Cambridge Aerospace; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Private Medical & Dental

Cycle to work scheme

Lunchtime catering on site

Job summary

Cambridge Aerospace is seeking a Senior Buyer - Indirect to oversee end-to-end sourcing for a broad portfolio of non-production goods and services. You will work with stakeholders across the business to generate well-controlled supplier arrangements and support Product Development with timely, accurate purchasing.

The role covers multiple sites with occasional travel and involves managing supplier onboarding, due diligence, and contract terms while driving cost savings and supplier performance

Qualifications

• Strong experience managing indirect goods and services in a commercial environment.
• Experience running competitive RFQs or tenders with evaluation of supplier proposals and negotiation of terms.
• Knowledge of purchase orders, Statements of Work, subscriptions and service agreements.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end sourcing for indirect categories, from market research through RFQ/tender, evaluation and contract placement.
• Support operational purchasing for Product Development by progressing approved orders and resolving issues.
• Collaborate with IT, software, SaaS, professional services, facilities and other categories with procurement needs.
• Define scope, service levels, budgets and evaluation criteria with stakeholders before engaging suppliers.
• Obtain competitive quotations, perform supplier comparisons and negotiate terms including price and lead times.
• Coordinate supplier onboarding, due diligence and internal approvals to ensure proper controls.
• Monitor supplier performance and drive improvements and cost-saving opportunities.
• Identify opportunities to consolidate suppliers and standardise requirements.

Skills

Indirect buying

RFQ/Tendering

Supplier negotiations

POs/SOW

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

Clear communication

Education

CIPS qualification

Tools

ERP systems

Spend analytics tools

Contract management tools

Job description

Overview

As Senior Buyer - Indirect at Cambridge Aerospace, you will report to the Category Manager - Indirect and manage day-to-day sourcing and supplier activity for a broad portfolio of non-production goods and services. 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 assigned indirect 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.
• Support categories including IT, software, SaaS, cloud, cybersecurity, professional services, contractors, recruitment, facilities, marketing, training, travel, legal, finance, utilities, capital equipment, leases, logistics and other business services.
• 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 indirect goods and services in a commercial 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.
• 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.

Our Commitment to Inclusion

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. If you are excited about this role but do not meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply.