Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
Employment Type: Permanent, Full-Time
Sector: Construction / Building / Civil Engineering
Salary - £50k-55k
The Role
We are looking to recruit an experienced Head of Group Purchasing to take responsibility for purchasing and procurement activities across a group of companies.
This is a senior role within the business, responsible for ensuring the effective procurement of goods, building materials and services while maintaining strong commercial control over cost, quality, delivery and continuity of supply.
Working closely with site teams, pre-construction and the Group Board, the successful candidate will play a key role in supplier management, tendering, value engineering and ensuring purchasing activity supports project programmes and wider business objectives.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and manage purchasing and procurement activities across the Group.
- Purchase goods, materials and services to meet operational and project requirements.
- Ensure purchasing decisions take account of price, quality, availability, delivery and continuity of supply.
- Manage the performance of the Buyer, including delegation of responsibilities, guidance, development and training.
- Provide the Group Board with updates on purchasing activity, supplier performance, market changes, risks and other key procurement matters.
- Work closely with the pre-construction team on tender information, procurement strategy and value engineering opportunities.
- Receive and manage requisitions from companies across the Group.
- Prepare and issue enquiry packages for building and civil engineering materials.
- Evaluate supplier quotations and identify the most commercially advantageous solutions.
- Build, maintain and develop strong relationships with suppliers.
- Negotiate with suppliers to achieve best value while maintaining appropriate quality and service standards.
- Assess and evaluate suppliers and undertake regular performance reviews.
- Monitor supplier and contract compliance and manage performance improvement where required.
- Support product and material change requests, assessing their potential impact on supply and capacity.
- Remain up to date with market and supply chain changes that may impact the cost or availability of products and materials.
- Identify and communicate procurement risks that could impact project programmes or operational delivery.
- Attend internal and project meetings, providing updates and highlighting potential purchasing or supply chain concerns.
- Maintain strong commercial control over Group expenditure and identify opportunities for cost savings and improved purchasing performance.
Essential Experience & Skills
- Previous experience in a Senior Buyer, Purchasing Manager, Procurement Manager or Head of Purchasing position.
- Strong knowledge of building, construction and/or civil engineering materials.
- Experience purchasing across multiple product categories.
- Strong supplier management and negotiation skills.
- Experience analysing and evaluating quotations and supplier proposals.
- Ability to work effectively with site teams to obtain accurate information and produce detailed enquiries.
- Strong commercial awareness and a practical approach to controlling expenditure.
- Good analytical and numerical skills.
- Excellent attention to detail.
- Ability to identify procurement risks and communicate these effectively to senior management.
- Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple purchasing requirements simultaneously.
- Good working knowledge of Microsoft Excel.
- Strong experience using Microsoft Outlook and MS Office, including managing high volumes of enquiries and correspondence.
- Confident communicator, comfortable dealing with suppliers, site teams, pre-construction teams and senior/Board-level stakeholders.
Desirable
- Previous purchasing experience within construction, housebuilding, civil engineering or a building materials environment.
- Experience managing or developing Buyers or procurement team members.
- Experience contributing to tenders and value engineering exercises.
- Degree-level education or a relevant qualification in procurement, construction, commercial management or business.
- CIPS qualification or relevant procurement accreditation would be advantageous.