Lead Buyer: Direct Procurement

About the job

Bolton

MBDA is a leading defence organisation.  We are proud of the role we play in supporting the Armed Forces who protect our nations. We partner with governments to work together towards a common goal, defending our freedom.

Salary: Circa £45,000 depending on experience 

What we can offer you:

• Company bonus of up to £2,500 (based on company performance and will vary year to year)
• Pension of maximum total (employer and employee) contribution of up to 14%
• Paid overtime
• Up to 15 additional days flexi leave
• Parental benefits including up to 26 weeks full pay for maternity, paternity, adoption, neonatal and shared parental leave
• Fantastic site facilities, including subsidised meals, free car parking and more
• Excellent career progression and development opportunities
• We may be able to offer a relocation package for this role

Dynamic (hybrid) working: We trust our people to agree, within their teams, where and when they can be most effective. Our Dynamic Working policy allows individuals flexibility around the hours they work and where they work. Typically for this role you will work 2/3 days per week on-site.  

The opportunity:

Do you thrive on having a direct influence on business strategy within a procurement environment?

The Industrial Policy, Supply Chain and Procurement (ISP) organisation procures and manages supply chain for direct and indirect products and services for both projects and the business, with a total spend of approximately €500M per year across UK, France and Italy.

As a Lead Buyer, you will steer procurement activities in a given category, working with the Category Manager, Supply Chain Manager and other key partners to drive procurement excellence and improvement. You will support the creation and implementation of category strategy throughout the business, both nationally and internationally, with the purpose of improving operational efficiency.

Reporting to the Procurement Manager, you will create tenders and negotiate terms and conditions to implement contracts and flexible trading agreements, risk identification and management, understand budget requirements, identifying and implementing opportunities for cost reduction/avoidance, receive demand plans & forecasts for processing to purchase orders and ensuring topicality of order books, implement, monitor and maintain Key Performance Indicators and actively support functional excellence programmes - identifying and developing areas for improvement.

MBDA offers personal development through on the job learning and mentoring, purpose-built training via our Procurement Academy, E-Learning resources and enrolment with Chartered Institutes.

What we're looking for from you:

• Excellent knowledge of strategic and operational procurement processes
• Excellent team player, willing to take lead in your category
• Well-developed communication, negotiation and analytical skills with a strong ability to influence
• Passionate about developing strategy and driving innovation with a continuous improvement approach
• HNC/HND in Business Studies or equivalent qualification or experience, with (achieved or working towards) CIPS level 4 (not essential)

Our Business:

We respect new perspectives and experiences, and we value our collaborative ways of working. We are committed to growing and supporting diversity in our workforce and ensuring everyone has an equal opportunity to reach their potential.   MBDA is proud of our employee-led networks, examples include: Gender Equality, Pride, Menopause Matters, Parents and Carers, Armed Forces, Ethnic Diversity, Neurodiversity and more…

We recognise that everyone is unique, and we encourage you to speak to us should you require any advice, support or adjustments throughout our recruitment process. We also welcome applicants who are looking for flexible working arrangements.

Follow us on LinkedIn (MBDA), Twitter (@MBDAcareers), Instagram (lifeatMBDA_UK) and Glassdoor or visit our MBDA Careers website for more information. 

Please Note: MBDA UK Limited requires all employees to achieve the required medical and national security clearance for their role. Further restrictions and/or limitations relating to nationality and/or rights to work may also apply. As a minimum and after offer stage, all successful candidates will need to undergo HMG Basic Personnel Security Standard checks (BPSS), which are managed by the MBDA Personnel Security Team.

Due to the nature of our business, this particular vacancy requires the applicant as a minimum to be a British Citizen or a Dual UK national with British citizenship and capable of achieving the clearance levels mentioned above.