Senior Buyer - IT

Holland America Line Inc; Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Discounted Cruising

Annual bonus

25 days leave plus bank holidays

Health Cash Plan

Access to digital GP

Life Assurance

Employee Shares Plan

Electric Car and Cycle to Work schemes

Discounted retail and leisure

Job summary

Holland America Line Inc is looking for an Information Technology Senior Buyer in Southampton. This role involves leading the procurement strategy for IT, managing supplier relationships, and executing contract negotiations. Ideal candidates will possess strong negotiation skills and the ability to work independently, collaborating with teams across the organization.

The position is full-time with a hybrid work model and offers a range of employee benefits including an annual bonus, health cash plan, and discounted cruising options.

Qualifications

• Experience in managing complex procurement activities.
• Ability to work independently with minimal guidance.
• Strong communication skills with cross-functional stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead IT category sourcing strategy with a focus on risk management.
• Manage tendering, negotiation, and contract management areas.
• Act as a Procurement Business Partner, driving strategic initiatives.

Skills

Negotiation skills

Supplier Management

Contract drafting

Purchasing systems knowledge

MS Office & Excel

Job description

As part of our continuing journey of growth and innovation at Carnival UK, we are seeking an Information Technology Senior Buyer to bring fresh perspective, strong expertise and commercial leadership to our Procurement function.

In this pivotal role, you will take full ownership of end‑to‑end procurement activity across the IT category. With project management at the heart of the sourcing process, you will operate with a high degree of autonomy, partnering closely with senior stakeholders across the business to deliver meaningful, value‑driven outcomes.

Key responsibilities

• Develop, implement and lead the IT category sourcing strategy, managing ongoing commercial, operational, quality and risk requirements across the portfolio.
• Lead and execute tendering, negotiation, contracting and contract management activities across significant spend areas, while driving strong Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) to ensure optimum service, value and performance.

Act as a trusted Procurement Business Partner for both projects and operational teams, embedding procurement as a strategic enabler and leading change initiatives across Carnival UK.

This role is positioned at CUK08 level within our organization and is available on a full‑time, fixed‑term basis until February 2027. We offer hybrid work, including up to two days from home.

What you’ll bring

• Excellent negotiation skills, including experience drafting and managing contracts of varying values and complexity.
• Strong supplier management and Service Level Agreement management capability.
• Knowledge of purchasing systems, procurement processes, and contractual frameworks.

Up‑to‑date MS Office skills, with strong Excel capability.

About you: the ideal candidate

• The ability to work independently with minimal guidance while managing complex procurement activity.
• Confidence and credibility when communicating complex issues to cross‑functional stakeholders.
• A collaborative, business‑partnering mindset.

A proactive approach, bringing fresh ideas and different perspectives to drive value and change.

Benefits

• Employee Discounted Cruising plus Friends and Family offers
• Annual bonus
• Minimum 25 days leave, bank holiday allowance and holiday trading scheme
• Company paid Health Cash Plan and health assessment
• In‑house Occupational Health help and access to digital GP
• Life Assurance
• Employee Shares Plan
• Electric Car and Cycle to Work schemes
• Discounted retail and leisure via discounts portal

Job Info

• Job Identification 12916
• Job Category Procurement & Supply Chain
• Job Schedule Full time
• Locations Carnival House, Southampton, SO15 1ST, GB