Strategic Automotive Buyer – Direct Materials

SF Partners; England; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Annual bonus (where applicable)

Employee wellbeing programmes

Job summary

SF Partners, on behalf of an automotive manufacturer, is recruiting an experienced Buyer to manage direct procurement categories across raw materials, components, and services, aligning sourcing with production needs and business objectives.

You will lead supplier negotiations, develop strategies, monitor KPIs, work with Engineering and Quality teams, and drive cost reduction through value engineering and supplier consolidation.

Qualifications

• Previous experience as a Buyer within an automotive manufacturing environment.
• Experience managing RFQs, supplier selection, and contract negotiations.
• Strong commercial negotiation and supplier relationship management skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of direct procurement categories, including raw materials, components, assemblies, castings, forgings, plastics, electronics, fasteners, fabricated parts, and subcontract services.
• Develop and implement sourcing strategies aligned with business and operational objectives.
• Identify, evaluate, and onboard new suppliers while maintaining strong relationships with existing strategic suppliers.
• Lead supplier negotiations covering pricing, contracts, payment terms, and long-term supply agreements.
• Deliver annual cost reduction initiatives through commercial negotiations, value engineering, supplier consolidation, and process improvements.
• Monitor supplier performance against agreed KPIs, including quality, cost, delivery, responsiveness, and continuous improvement.
• Work closely with Engineering, Quality, Production, Logistics, and Supply Chain teams to support production requirements and New Product Introduction (NPI) programmes.
• Manage RFQs, supplier quotations, commercial evaluations, and sourcing decisions.
• Support supplier audits, supplier development activities, and corrective action programmes where required.
• Analyse market trends, commodity pricing, and supply chain risks to develop mitigation strategies.
• Ensure continuity of supply while proactively managing supplier capacity and potential risks.
• Maintain accurate purchasing data, supplier records, and contracts within the ERP system.
• Support inventory optimisation and working capital improvement initiatives.
• Ensure procurement activities comply with company policies, quality standards, and customer requirements.

Skills

Strategic Sourcing

Direct Procurement

Supplier Relationship Management

Commercial Negotiation

Category Management

Cost Reduction & Value Engineering

Supplier Performance Management

Risk Management

Data Analysis & Reporting

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Project Management

Continuous Improvement

Excel

SAP

Oracle/IFS/Microsoft Dynamics

Tools

SAP

Oracle

IFS

Microsoft Dynamics

Excel

Job description

SF Partners, on behalf of an automotive manufacturer, is recruiting an experienced Buyer to manage direct procurement categories across raw materials, components, and services, aligning sourcing with production needs and business objectives.

You will lead supplier negotiations, develop strategies, monitor KPIs, work with Engineering and Quality teams, and drive cost reduction through value engineering and supplier consolidation.