Senior Buyer

Senior Buyer

Salary: £48,000 - £55,000

Location: Coventry

Due to rapid growth, the Recruitment Bunker is recruiting exclusively for Senior Buyers for a leading group of companies based in Coventry.

Our client, the DRVN group, is looking for two experienced Senior Buyers with a deep understanding of the Automotive Engineering industry to join our procurement team. The Senior Buyer will play a critical role in sourcing, negotiating, and managing the supply chain for exciting automotive projects. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in procurement across various commodities, excellent negotiation and communication skills, and a passion for delivering high-quality products to our customers.

Overview of the Role

Salary: £48,000 – £55,000

Holidays: 25 days plus 8 Bank Holidays

Benefits: Pension, Healthcare, Life Insurance, Employee Referral Scheme

Company Overview

The DRVN Automotive Group is a sector-leading automotive group, specialising in the design, manufacture, and distribution of luxury automotive brands, recognised globally for our commitment to innovation, quality, and engineering, centred around a world-class customer experience.

The DRVN group has made major recent announcements to launch some of Ford Motor Company’s most historically significant icons, starting with the RS200 and MK1 Escort, providing engineers an amazing platform to showcase their engineering and design skills across various disciplines.

Responsibilities

1. Purchase goods, materials, components, or services in line with specified cost, quality, and delivery targets.
2. Responsible for commercial dealings with suppliers and supporting the Commercial Director in making key commercial decisions.
3. Support in managing the procurement and expediting of established production and prototype parts.
4. Ensure continuous supply of required goods and materials and communicate any supply problems.
5. Monitor market trends, competitor strategies, and market suppliers.
6. Negotiate short-term transactional relationships and long-term strategic contracts with suppliers.
7. Prepare, define, and execute innovative purchasing strategies to deliver the required value.
8. Manage supplier relationships and evaluate suppliers, undertaking performance reviews.
9. Support the ECRs process (Engineering Change Requests in relation to purchasing).
10. Responsible for planning, supply management, and inventory analysis.
11. Work on new initiatives to improve supplier relationships and identify best value for money practices.
12. Develop current and future new product strategies with Engineering and Manufacturing to optimise costs.
13. Meet the Quality standards as required under ISO9001.

Essential Skills

1. Proven experience as a Senior Buyer within an Automotive or Manufacturing purchasing function.
2. Strong sense of business acumen and analytical skills.
3. Experience in supplier relationship management, negotiations, and cost-down activities.
4. Project management skills.
5. Strong leadership and influencing skills, along with excellent stakeholder management.
6. A proven track record of successful commercial negotiations.
7. Ability to manage and execute complex negotiations.
8. High organisational skills and attention to detail.
9. Strong interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written.
10. Decisive, dynamic, proactive, and assertive qualities.
11. IT literate – Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
12. Knowledge of NPI.
13. MRP/ERP system experience.
14. Must have IDLR/Full right to work in the UK - Sponsorship will not be provided.

Desirable Skills

1. CIPS Degree Qualified.
2. Category knowledge within a commodity such as Interiors/Exteriors, Engine and Powertrain, Body in White, or Electrical commodities.

Please note we do not provide sponsorships and will only accept applications from those who have full rights to work in the UK. Please provide your status in applications.

Our inclusive workplace welcomes and values all candidates from all backgrounds. We believe diversity enhances our ability to innovate and serve our customers effectively. We are an equal opportunity employer and strive to create an environment where everyone feels respected and supported. If you require any reasonable adjustments to participate in the recruitment process, please let us know, and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.