Senior Buyer/Procurement Professional

BAE Systems; England; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defense company is seeking a Senior Buyer/Procurement Professional in Rochester, Kent. Responsibilities include negotiating terms with suppliers, managing purchase orders, and supporting corporate procurement processes. Applicants should have proven experience in procurement and negotiation. Benefits include a competitive pension scheme and flexible health benefits.

Benefits

Competitive pension scheme

Employee share plans

Flexible health benefits

Qualifications

• Proven experience in buying, procurement and purchasing.
• Experience in leading negotiations and managing supplier relationships.

Responsibilities

• Negotiate terms, conditions, pricing, and contracts with suppliers.
• Act as the main contact between suppliers and the business.
• Monitor budgets for purchase orders and identify cost savings.

Skills

Buying experience

Supplier relationship management

Negotiation skills

Education

HNC/HND in Business Studies or equivalent

CIPS qualified

Job description

Job Title

Senior Buyer/Procurement Professional

Location

Rochester; Kent

Salary

£35,000 - £45,000 - This role is open to candidates at different experience levels, with a salary reflecting responsibility and seniority

What you'll be doing

• Negotiate terms, conditions, pricing, and contracts with suppliers
• Act as the main point of contact between suppliers and the business, building effective relationships
• Monitor budgets for purchase orders and identify opportunities for cost savings through effective negotiation
• Track supplier performance, communicate key KPIs, and address issues at a senior level
• Maintain accurate supplier order books and data in the Oracle ERP system
• Support the implementation of corporate procurement processes, including strategic supplier, sub-contract, and commodity management
• Coach and train junior staff on procurement processes and procedures, assist with audits and improvement plans

Your skills and experiences

Essential:

• Proven experience in buying, procurement and purchasing
• Experience in leading negotiations and managing supplier relationships

Desirable:

• HNC/HND in Business Studies or equivalent
• CIPS qualified

Benefits

As well as a competitive pension scheme, BAE Systems also offers employee share plans, an extensive range of flexible discounted health, wellbeing and lifestyle benefits, including a green car scheme, private health plans and shopping discounts - you may also be eligible for an annual incentive.

The Procurement Team

Rochester is a diverse organisation with a global customer base producing commercial and defence electronics for high integrity controls, active inceptor systems, head-up displays, head-mounted displays, power and propulsion systems as well as an avionics market service centre.

We operate across the entire product lifecycle from cutting edge research to aftermarket support and have suppliers in Europe, USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Japan, Sri Lanka as well as across the UK.

We are experiencing significant growth with the work we are winning either critical to our national interest and security or essential to our business performance. As a result, the company is investing in our business with an extensive refurbishment of the whole site.

Why BAE Systems?

This is a place where you'll be able to make a real difference. You'll be part of an inclusive culture that values diversity of thought, rewards integrity, and merit, and where you'll be empowered to fulfil your potential. We welcome people from all backgrounds and want to make sure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. If you have a disability or health condition (for example dyslexia, autism, an anxiety disorder etc.) that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks.

Closing Date

29th September 2025

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.