Senior Buyer

CDW Corporation; Manchester; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000

Job description

Description

Bring your IT career and talents to CDW, where you can have a greater impact, be inspired by our mission and excited about your career and future. A Fortune 200 leader, we’re the driven professionals and technology experts companies turn to most to solve their IT challenges.

About CDW

CDW is a leading multi-brand provider of information technology solutions to business, government, education and healthcare customers around the Globe. A Fortune 500 company and member of the S&P 500 Index, CDW was founded in 1984 and employs over 15,000 coworkers, with headquarters across the United States, United Kingdom and Canada.

CDW prides itself on “making amazing happen”. Our relationships are fueled by our deep expertise and are grounded in the CDW Way. Our empowering leadership makes things happen and inspires their teams to do the same. From the teammates beside us to the leaders who guide us, we move forward together.

Job Summary

The Senior Buyer will support the Category Manager within the Purchasing team to deliver CDW’s procurement strategy and priorities. Provides strategic support relevant to their category, positioned as a SME in relation to vendor processes & ensures procurement priorities are delivered. Supports category team performance to ensure best in class service is delivered to internal and external customers by maintaining all Purchasing SLAs and KPIs. Provides day to day support to Purchasing leadership, keeping leadership updated on team performance and assists with successful delivery of tasks set by the Category Manager or Head of Purchasing.

Key Responsibilities

• Actively builds the reputation of the Purchasing department within the business by being seen as an engaged expert, delivering business needs through procurement capabilities.
• Clear and concise communication & coordination with all company departments; notably sales, distribution centre, inventory and accounts payable.
• Key process owner for purchasing workflows within their category.
• Possess expert level of knowledge of manufacturers and their commercial structure within their category, as well as being aware of market trends & conditions.
• Conduct regular analysis of supplier spend and volume data as required.
• Build and leverage supplier and partner relationships to both maximise profitability and assist with managing their operational performance.
• Provide support in the delivery of key purchasing performance metrics within their category.
• Work with the Category Manager to ensure successful delivery of market share targets in relation to CDW’s supplier tender.
• Be the first contact as escalation point and first level of leadership within Purchasing, and be able to resolve queries and supplier issues quickly and effectively.
• Assist with delivery of new policies, purchasing processes and system changes and developments as required.
• Conduct team meetings to update members on best practices and continuing expectations.
• Provide encouragement/support to team members, including communicating team goals and identifying areas for new training or skill checks.
• Assist leadership with hiring processes and new team member onboarding & training.
• Answer team member questions, help with team member problems, and oversee team member work for quality and policy compliance.
• Promote a team attitude and encourage communication and sharing of information within the wider Purchasing team.
• Attend CDW offices to collaborate with purchasing coworkers in order to assist with team member development & progression, as well as assist with the development of relationships with key departments whom interact with Purchasing.

Qualifications, Skills & Experience

• Experience of working in a procurement role, ideally within IT (Understanding of core CDW vendors beneficial).
• Experienced in dealing with suppliers and contractors, and negotiations to ensure best cost achievement.
• Commercially astute analyst, a natural problem solver with an understanding of leveraging operating efficiencies, & opportunities to gain added value from suppliers and partners.
• Concise and influential communicator, able to discuss complex issues with clarity and credibility to a cross functional audience of varied experience.
• Excellent numeracy skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work well under pressure.
• Ability to add value, reduce costs and make business improvements.
• Highly motivated with ability to work under own initiative, making decisions to benefit the business.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, time management and organizational skills.
• Microsoft Office skills, preferably including: Excel and Word but not essential.

Essential Attributes

• Professionalism.
• Honest and hardworking.
• Self-Motivated and proactive.
• Creative mindset.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Proven record of reliability, responsibility and work ethic.
• Excellent organisational skills.
• Good interpersonal skills – ability to liaise with personnel at all levels and adapt style accordingly.
• Capable of multi-tasking, efficiently managing time and resources.
• Ability to work to challenging deadlines, cope with pressure and adapt to situations.
• Have a desire for continuous development and improvement.
• A receptive, approachable individual who can provide and receive feedback in an effective, impartial manner.
• Willing to go the extra mile to ensure requirements are met and practices are followed.
• Able to identify, communicate and resolve issues that may cause risk to others or the company.
• Flexibility with working hours.
• Passionate about making positive changes and improving efficiencies.
• Must have an excellent command of the English language with strong written and verbal communication skills.