Senior Strategic Buyer Hybrid in Tonbridge

Job Description

Senior Strategic Buyer – Technical Engineering & Procurement

Location: Marden, Kent

Department: Purchasing

Salary ; £50k

Hybrid – 35 hour week – flexible working hours

Reporting to: Supply Chain Manager

Employment Type: Permanent

The Opportunity

We are looking for an experienced Senior Strategic Buyer to join a busy engineering and manufacturing environment in Marden, Kent. This is a key procurement position for someone who combines strong technical engineering purchasing experience with proven leadership and strategic sourcing capability .

You will take ownership of strategic procurement activities, lead commodity sourcing initiatives and work closely with Engineering, Production, Industrialisation, Materials and Accounts to ensure the business has the right materials, components and suppliers in place to support operational and commercial objectives.

This is an excellent opportunity for a procurement professional who enjoys working in a technical environment and is ready to take a greater leadership role within the purchasing function.

The Role

You will be responsible for developing and implementing strategic sourcing strategies, identifying cost-saving opportunities and ensuring suppliers consistently deliver against quality, cost, delivery and service expectations.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Lead at least one key commodity at a strategic level.
• Develop and implement sourcing strategies to deliver cost reduction, improved quality and supply chain efficiency .
• Analyse spend, procurement data and market trends to identify commercial opportunities.
• Source, assess and onboard new suppliers, considering quality, cost, capability, reliability and sustainability.
• Negotiate pricing, contracts, long-term agreements and commercial terms.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key strategic suppliers.
• Manage supplier performance and address issues relating to quality, cost and delivery.
• Undertake supplier visits and audits where required.
• Identify and mitigate supply chain risks to ensure continuity of supply.
• Work closely with Engineering, Production, Industrialisation and Materials teams to understand technical and material requirements.
• Oversee the Materials Requirement Planning process and ensure accurate and timely analysis of requirements.
• Maintain accurate SAP purchasing and MRP data.
• Monitor material shortages and work proactively with Production and Materials teams to minimise disruption.
• Review purchasing and supply agreements to ensure continued cost effectiveness, efficiency and quality.
• Support the development and monitoring of purchasing KPIs.
• Assist with annual departmental budgets, including capital expenditure and training requirements.
• Help drive continuous improvement initiatives, including A3 Lean process management projects .
• Support and mentor members of the Purchasing Team, providing guidance on strategic procurement activities.
• Take responsibility for purchasing operations and provide leadership and support to the team during the Supply Chain Manager's absence.

Technical & Engineering Purchasing

The successful candidate will ideally have experience purchasing technical, engineered or manufactured components and will be comfortable working alongside Engineering and Production teams.

You will be able to understand technical requirements, assess supplier capability and negotiate commercially while maintaining the quality and specification requirements expected within an engineering environment.

Experience of working with manufacturing drawings, engineered components, materials, assemblies or technically complex supply chains would be highly advantageous.

Leadership & Strategic Responsibility

This role is not purely transactional purchasing. You will play an important part in shaping procurement strategy, driving improvements and supporting the development of the wider purchasing team.

We are therefore looking for someone who can demonstrate strong leadership, mentoring and stakeholder-management skills , with the confidence to take ownership of strategic projects and make commercially sound decisions.

About You

You will ideally bring:

• Proven experience within strategic purchasing/procurement in an engineering or manufacturing environment.
• Strong knowledge of technical and engineered purchasing.
• Experience leading commodities, sourcing projects or strategic procurement initiatives.
• Proven supplier negotiation and contract management experience.
• Strong commercial awareness and an ability to identify cost-saving opportunities.
• Experience managing and developing supplier relationships.
• Previous leadership, mentoring or supervisory experience.
• Excellent understanding of purchasing compliance and relevant legislation.
• CIPS qualification or equivalent professional purchasing experience.
• Experience with SAP and MRP systems .
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability.
• Excellent organisation, accuracy and attention to detail.
• The ability to prioritise and manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• A proactive approach to continuous improvement and Lean methodologies.
• The flexibility to travel to suppliers when required.

Why Join?

This is a high-impact role offering the opportunity to influence strategic procurement, supplier performance, cost reduction and supply chain development within a technical engineering environment.

If you are an experienced Buyer or Procurement professional looking to combine your technical purchasing expertise with greater strategic and leadership responsibility , we would be very interested in hearing from you.

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