Senior Sub Contract Buyer

Leonardo UK Ltd; Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 53,000 - 58,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Time to Recharge

Generous pension scheme (up to 15%)

Mental health support

Free courses: Coursera/LinkedIn

Refer a friend bonus

Flexible benefits up to £500

Hybrid working

Job summary

Leonardo UK Ltd in the United Kingdom currently seeks a Senior Sub-Contract Buyer to drive procurement across bid, delivery and support phases. The role involves managing sub-contracts, steering contract strategy, and ensuring risks are controlled within a dynamic matrix organisation.

Reporting to the Senior Procurement Manager, you will shape procurement models, support cross-functional teams, and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in sub-contracts within complex projects.
• Ability to develop procurement strategies across the full lifecycle.
• Strong negotiation and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Govern sub-contract activities with minimal supervision.
• Lead procurement interfaces with Bid and Project Management.
• Draft and negotiate contract terms and risk controls.
• Ensure timely management of orders in line with SAP processes.
• Promote best practices and sharing of procurement knowledge.

Skills

Sub-contract management

Procurement strategies

Supplier relationship

Cross-functional collaboration

Negotiation

Risk management

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:

Step into a Senior Sub-Contract Buyer role where you’ll help drive Leonardo’s corporate vision for Bid and Contract Management, working at the heart of a dynamic matrix organisation and supporting complex, high-impact projects. Reporting to the Senior Procurement Manager, you’ll shape and implement procurement strategies across the full business lifecycle—working in teams through bid, delivery and support phases while managing sub-contracts and ensuring risks are controlled.

This is a standout opportunity for a high-calibre professional to thrive, influence key business decisions, and build strong relationships across Integrated Project Teams. The role comes with hybrid working opportunities, inter site travel and scope for wider UK and occasional overseas travel. If you’re a confident communicator with the ability to navigate procurement delivery challenges and collaborate cross-functionally, we’d love to hear from you.

What you’ll bring

• Provide management and governance in sub-contracts with minimum supervision
• Accountable for procurement activities within the Project area
• Lead the delivery of sub-contract activities for which you are responsible
• Timely and accurate management of your order book in line with business process (e.g. SAP)
• Support the procurement interface with Bid Management and Project Management to develop the procurement value proposition and approach, flow down requirements and negotiation strategy
• Support the development of procurement models presenting an acceptable balance between contract performance, risk and reward
• Focal point for project and suppliers regarding contract and supply base matters
• Promote good customer relationships in managing internal and external stakeholders
• Work with other functions and be a focal point for procurement and suppliers
• Draft and prepare contract documentation using standard and non-standard formats
• Negotiate arrangements, incl. planning and creating negotiation strategies, agreements, resolving any issues
• Ensure that the team is managing risks, liabilities and commitments of contractual agreements
• Provide specialist knowledge of domain specific contract forms and terms, together with industry norms and legal parameters, for contract drafting and negotiation and for safeguarding the interests of the company
• Promotes a culture of best practice and sharing of knowledge within the function and across the wider business

What you’ll bring

• The candidate is required to demonstrate a high level of knowledge and in depth understanding of the application of procurement competencies to underpin the responsibilities of the role. Specific to the nature of this role the candidate will be required to evidence;
• Demonstrated ability in working with Sub-Contracts that form part of the delivery of a project / programme.
• Demonstrated collaboration, communication, planning, problem solving, decision making and continuous improvement skills
• Ability to engage and influence cross-functional/cross site teams
• Managed challenging engagements with suppliers where commercial terms and problem solving are key to successful outcome
• Experience of issues in areas such as Trade Compliance, Purchase Order Management, Delivery etc.
• Experience of negotiating contractual terms
• A good working knowledge and understanding of Defence Industry procurement and ability to apply them with minimal supervision and direction
• Relationship building skills with cross-functional colleagues, customers and suppliers
• An ability to think ‘outside of the box’ offering solutions to enable the function to add value

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.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Primary Location: GB - Southampton

Contract Type: Employee-Permanent

Hybrid Working: Hybrid