Manufacturing Buyer

About the role

Join a forward‑thinking organisation based in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, where procurement is essential to delivering reliable products and services. As a Manufacturing Buyer you will build strong supplier relationships, drive cost and quality outcomes, and support long‑term supply assurance.

Key responsibilities

• Manage the end‑to‑end purchasing process for assigned commodities, ensuring timely and cost‑effective procurement.
• Develop and maintain supplier relationships to meet service levels, quality requirements and delivery performance.
• Source, evaluate and onboard suppliers, conduct comparisons and negotiate commercial agreements.
• Negotiate pricing, terms and contracts to achieve cost and value targets.
• Monitor supplier performance against KPIs and take corrective action when needed.
• Collaborate with engineering, operations, quality and finance to resolve supply issues.
• Support risk management by identifying supply risks and proposing mitigation plans.
• Maintain accurate procurement records, purchase documentation and reporting for audit readiness.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, including process and spend optimisation.

Required profile

• Proven experience in purchasing or procurement with commodity ownership responsibilities.
• Strong negotiation skills and ability to influence suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Commercial awareness and understanding of total cost of ownership and value‑based purchasing.
• Excellent communication skills for operational and strategic conversations.
• Analytical capability to review supplier data, identify trends and support decision‑making.
• Working knowledge of procurement processes such as RFQs, supplier evaluation and contract management.
• Competent in using procurement and ERP systems and managing purchase documentation accurately.
• Attention to detail and ability to prioritise workload in a fast‑moving environment.
• Relevant procurement qualification such as CIPS (or working towards) is desirable.

Required skills

• Procurement systems
• ERP systems
• RFQ processes

What we offer

• Competitive salary of £45,000 per year plus bonus
• 25 days holiday
• Private healthcare