Senior Strategic Buyer

Renishaw; Stroud; Hybrid; GBP 52,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

Renishaw is seeking a strategic buyer to lead a portfolio of commodities, driving sourcing strategies and supplier performance from our Woodchester or Miskin sites. The role blends on-site collaboration with two days remote work, supporting procurement excellence across global suppliers.

You will manage complex negotiations, develop risk strategies and engage with engineering, manufacturing and NPD teams to sustain production and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Significant procurement/category management experience in manufacturing.
• Experience developing and implementing sourcing or commodity strategies.
• Proven ability to lead commercial negotiations and manage strategic supplier relationships.
• Experience improving supplier performance across cost, quality and delivery.
• Strong data analysis and stakeholder communication skills.
• Experience leading cross-functional projects in manufacturing/engineering.

Responsibilities

• Own and deliver sourcing strategies for assigned commodity groups aligned with technical, operational and commercial objectives.
• Develop and manage supply chains to maintain service levels and meet production timelines.
• Lead complex negotiations and contract management to deliver best value with risk and sustainability considerations.
• Develop risk mitigation to improve supply continuity and resilience.
• Monitor supplier performance and drive improvements in quality, cost, and delivery.
• Lead strategic improvement projects across commodities to boost performance.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Manufacturing, NPD, Supplier Quality and others for supplier development and NPI.
• Manage stock and planning parameters in ERP, optimise inventory levels.
• Build relationships with strategic suppliers and internal stakeholders as commercial lead.
• Identify opportunities to improve procurement processes and ways of working.

Skills

Procurement strategy

Supplier relationship management

Negotiations

Stakeholder engagement

Data analysis

Strategic thinking

Problem solving

Hybrid collaboration

Driving licence

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

MCIPS qualification

Procurement accreditation in progress

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

MS Excel

MS Office

Job description

3 days onsite, 2 days from home (4.5 day working week, half day Fridays)

Renishaw is a FTSE 250 engineering company with a proud history of delivering measurement, calibration and precision manufacturing solutions to some of the most complex engineering processes in the world. Since our inception over half a century ago, we have grown a global presence with over 70 offices in 39 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas and employ a workforce of over 5,000 people.

As part of the Group Manufacturing (GM), the Procurement Department identifies and manages the procurement of parts and services contributing to the full manufacturing service of our proprietary products. This is a growing global function with new and exciting requirements and challenges.

The successful candidate will join a fast-paced and dynamic team, primarily based at either our Woodchester or Miskin site, with opportunities to work across a wide range of complex products, commodities and global suppliers.

We are looking for a commercially astute, enthusiastic and driven Strategic Buyer to lead a portfolio of commodities, ensuring the delivery of quality, cost, availability and risk management objectives while supporting the long-term strategic goals of the business.

You will take pride in your personal development, be naturally curious, embrace change and take ownership of your work, delivering sustainable outcomes through effective stakeholder engagement and strategic thinking.

Responsibilities

• Own and deliver sourcing strategies for assigned commodity groups, ensuring alignment with the technical, operational and commercial objectives of the business.
• Effectively manage and develop supply chains to maintain excellent service levels and ensure production requirements and timescales are achieved.
• Lead complex commercial negotiations and contract management activities to deliver best value whilst balancing quality, delivery, risk, compliance and sustainability requirements.
• Develop and implement risk mitigation strategies to improve supply continuity, reduce supply chain vulnerabilities and strengthen long-term resilience.
• Monitor supplier performance and drive supplier improvement initiatives to achieve quality, cost and delivery objectives.
• Lead strategic improvement projects across assigned commodities, identifying opportunities to improve business performance, efficiency and competitiveness.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Manufacturing, New Product Development, Supplier Quality and other stakeholders to support new product introduction, supplier development and operational improvement activities.
• Manage stock and planning parameters within an ERP environment, ensuring inventory levels are optimised in line with business requirements and risk assessments.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with strategic suppliers and key internal stakeholders, acting as the commercial lead for assigned commodity areas.
• Proactively identify opportunities to improve procurement processes, ways of working and supply chain performance.
• Support the development of procurement best practice and share knowledge across the wider procurement function.

Key Requirements

• Significant experience within a procurement, category management or supply chain role in a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrable experience developing and implementing sourcing or commodity strategies.
• Proven ability to lead commercial negotiations and manage strategic supplier relationships.
• Experience delivering supplier performance improvements across cost, quality and delivery metrics.
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to analyse data, identify trends and make informed business decisions.
• Ability to influence and communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels, both internally and externally.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to challenge existing practices and drive continuous improvement.
• Skilled in ERP/MRP systems and proficient in Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft Office applications.
• Full driving licence.
• An understanding of supplier manufacturing processes would be an advantage.
• Experience leading cross-functional projects within a manufacturing or engineering environment.
• Experience supporting business resilience, sustainability or compliance initiatives.
• MCIPS qualification or working towards professional procurement accreditation.

Person Specification

As the successful applicant, you will be a strategic thinker with the confidence to challenge established ways of working and identify opportunities to improve business performance. You will be comfortable taking ownership of complex supply chain challenges and delivering practical, commercially sound solutions that support both short-term operational requirements and long-term business objectives.

You will build trusted relationships with colleagues, suppliers and stakeholders across the organisation and be able to influence decisions through strong communication, sound judgement and a data-driven approach. You will understand how procurement contributes to the wider success of the business and actively seek opportunities to create additional value through your work.

You will thrive in an environment of change, demonstrating resilience, adaptability and a positive outlook when faced with uncertainty. You will proactively look for ways to improve processes, develop new approaches and support the implementation of continuous improvement initiatives.

You will be motivated by personal growth and continuous learning and will willingly share knowledge and support colleagues across the procurement function. You will take pride in delivering high-quality work, maintaining excellent attention to detail and achieving results through effective planning, accountability and ownership.