Senior Category Buyer

Leonardo UK Ltd; Easter Howgate; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Time to Recharge

Excellent pension scheme

Mental health support

Learning & development

Job summary

Leonardo UK Ltd is seeking a Senior Category Buyer to join the Category Organisation within the Procurement & Commercial Function of the Electronics Division in the UK. You will report to the UK Category Procurement Manager for Electronics and work on developing and delivering category strategies, managing supplier relationships, and driving value across projects.

The ideal candidate will have extensive procurement experience with category management, complex tenders, and SAP familiarity, along

Qualifications

• Extensive procurement experience with category management.
• Experience negotiating complex contracts and tenders.
• Knowledge of interconnect market and supply chain dynamics.

Responsibilities

• Support Category Manager in developing and implementing category strategies.
• Represent category across projects to align production and development needs.
• Establish contractual frameworks with multiple vendors and manage supplier relationships.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities and conduct price benchmarking.
• Lead supplier sourcing and bid support, ensuring valid quotations.

Skills

Category management

Vendor relationships

Contract terms

Price analysis

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

MS Office

Education

Business/engineering degree

Tools

SAP

Job description

Job Description:

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