Senior Category Buyer

Leonardo; Basildon; On-site; GBP 53,000 - 58,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexi-days

Pension scheme

Mental health support

Bonus scheme

Online courses

Job summary

Leonardo UK is seeking a Senior Category Buyer to join the Electronics Division. You will report to the UK Category Procurement Manager, help develop category strategies, manage supplier relationships, and ensure frameworks and SAP reflect agreed terms.

This role requires extensive procurement experience, knowledge of contract terms, and strong negotiation skills in a highly regulated environment. The position offers hybrid working from Edinburgh with additional locations Basildon and Luton, and

Qualifications

• Extensive procurement experience, including category management.
• Knowledge of Contract Terms & Conditions.
• Relevant business or engineering degree.
• Significant experience in managing complex tenders.
• Experience in a highly regulated environment.
• MS Office proficiency.
• CIPS qualification preferred.
• SAP user experience.

Responsibilities

• Support Category Manager in developing and implementing category strategies.
• Represent category team across projects to satisfy production and NPD needs.
• Establish and maintain contractual frameworks with multiple vendors.
• Manage relationships with strategic suppliers; conduct regular business reviews.
• Collaborate with procurement capability team to ensure scalable supply base.
• Identify cost savings opportunities and present to leadership.
• Conduct complex price analyses and benchmarking before negotiations.
• Support bids by validating vendor quotations and sourcing new suppliers.
• Coach and mentor team members to ensure timely, accurate work.
• Ensure compliance with governance and audits; reflect agreements in SAP.

Skills

Category management

Vendor management

Price analysis

Negotiation

MS Office

Interconnect market

Education

Business/Engineering degree

CIPS qualification preferred

Tools

SAP

Job description

Job Description:

Salary: £53,000 - £58,000

Leonardo UK operates a grade-based salary framework with broad bands. The salary range shown reflects the approved grade band for this role, or a narrower hiring range published within that band, and is benchmarked against the external market. Exceptions above the standard range are managed through governance controls to protect internal equity.

Your impact

Leonardo is a global leader in defence electronics and delivers mission critical systems for situational awareness, electronic warfare and surveillance across land, sea and air. We have an excellent opportunity for a Senior Category Buyer to join Category Organisation within the Procurement & Commercial Function of the Electronics Division. The successful candidate will report to the UK Category Procurement Manager for Electronics.

What you’ll bring:

• Support the Category Manager in developing and implementing the category strategies aligned to business objectives
• Represent your category team across a number of projects to ensure that both production and new product development requirements are satisfied
• Establish and maintain appropriate contractual frameworks with multiple vendors
• Manage relationships with strategic suppliers who may serve multiple sites including responsibility for conducting some regular business reviews
• Work with the procurement capability team to ensure that we have a supply base which can meet the evolving needs of the business
• Identify cost savings opportunities using various methods which you can confidently present to business leaders
• Conduct complex price analysis and benchmarking activities prior to leading negotiations
• Support customer bids by ensuring that vendor quotations are valid, managing new supplier sourcing and selection
• Coach and mentor team members within the function to assist with their development and ensure work is timely and accurate.
• Ensure compliance with internal governance and customer flowdown requirements, supporting internal and external audits as required
• Ensure that SAP is aligned to reflect the agreements that you will implement

The right candidate will bring knowledge of the Interconnect market, as well as strategic thinking and procurement skills, to support the Category Manger in developing UK strategy and commercial relationships with the supply chain.

• Extensive Procurement experience, preferably including category management

• Demonstrable working knowledge and understanding of Contract Terms & Conditions

• A relevant business/ engineering degree and/or working experience in a similar role

• Significant experience in managing complex tenders

• Experience working in a highly regulated business environment

• Proficient level of MS Office based IT skills

• CIPS qualification preferred

• SAP user experience

This is not an exhaustive list, and we are keen to hear from you even if you might not have experience in all the above. The most important skill is a good attitude and willingness to learn.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit: https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work–life balance. Whether you’re looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• Time to Recharge: Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future: Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters: Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance : All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning : Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend: Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks : Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role.

Primary Location:

GB - Edinburgh

Additional Locations:

GB - Basildon, GB - Luton - Cap. Green 300

Contract Type:

Permanent

Hybrid Working:

Hybrid