Senior Category Buyer

About us

At National Grid, we keep people connected and society moving. But it’s so much more than that. National Grid provides the environment for our teams to thrive and make a real impact. As we drive momentum in the energy transition for all, we are committed to ensuring that every employee feels empowered and engaged. Join us as a Senior Category Buyer and discover your superpower.

National Grid is hiring a Senior Category Buyer for our Electricity Distribution Team. This position can be located in Warwick , Castle Donnington or Bristol.

 
NGED Procurement team spends £1bn per year (excluding indirects and IT) with significant cost efficiency targets. It’s an exciting time to join National Grid, we are going through a period of significant network investment growth driven by electricity demand doubling by 2050.  
 
NGED Procurement develop end-to-end category strategies spanning  multiple regulatory periods, which requires sophisticated procurement category strategies to maximise cost efficiency opportunities, ultimately translating into more affordable solutions for our customers and increased returns to NG shareholders.  NGED is 2 years into the ED2 price control and is already developing longer term and more strategic supply chain plans for ED3 (2029-2033). 

About The Role

Reporting into the Category Manager (Equipment), the Senior Buyer is responsible for strategic procurement operations. The role will partner the Category Manager in delivery of Category strategies.  This will involve engaging and building strong working relationships with stakeholders across the business, within procurement, and externally, to identify business needs and then ensuring we understand the supply chains so we can offer the best solutions for National Grid.

What You'll Do

• Deliver multiple strategic sourcing events within portfolio, working with stakeholders to understand and challenge demand and ensure the best possible solutions for National Grid.
• Input into the development and execution of sourcing strategy for allocated category and execute standardised strategic sourcing processes from market engagement through to award, ensuring goods / services are procured in a best-in-class manner that drives value. 
• Work with Contract Managers or Procurement Programme Managers to ensure the successful delivery of contracted activities, identifying continuous improvement opportunities through engagement with suppliers and stakeholders, and maximizing value for money from contracts awarded.  
• Support the overall development and delivery of assigned category strategy and share best practice across other category teams. 
• Role model excellence in procurement standards, taking a proactive role in mentoring / providing guidance to Buyers and Associate Buyers to ensure best-in-class methodologies are adopted and utilized across National Grid Procurement.  
• Profile category characteristics and research supply markets, suppliers and assess trends, opportunities and risks feeding insights into the Global teams and Market and Supplier Development teams.
• Delivering value by effectively managing tender events for key products required by the business.
• Contribute to an effective forward planning process by identifying future requirements of supported areas and ensure robust forecasting is put in place that maximises value of goods / services procured. 
• Scope and develops regional contractual agreements that meet the customer stakeholder requirements and expectations. 

About You

• Significant experience of strategic sourcing and category management.
• Strong experience within a parts/component/material environment building cost breakdowns; joint technical development roadmaps and innovative supply chain solutions.
• Strong influencer, able to manage the cross functional team, affecting change to business design standards and constructing coherent arguments around specification rationalisation.
• An understanding of project management principles and ideally evidence of managing multiple projects and consistently delivering outstanding results. 
• Ability to prepare for and to lead negotiations. 
• Ability to build and manage complex commercial assessment models. 
• Experience of contract development, including the ability to make recommendations and amendments to existing contracts as well as drafting new ones. 

What You'll Get

A competitive salary between £46,415 – £54,703 – dependent on capability

As well as your base salary, you will receive a bonus based on personal and company performance and a competitive contributory pension scheme where we will double match your contribution to a maximum company contribution of 12%. You will also have access to a number of flexible benefits such as a share incentive plan, salary sacrifice car and technology schemes, support via employee assistance lines and matched charity giving to name a few.
 

More Information

• This role is offered on a Full-Time, Permanent basis
• We are also offering hybrid /flexible working where travel to the office will be as per business need.
• Base location for this role will be Warwick, Castle Donnington or Bristol. 
• This role closes on 4th June however we strongly encourage candidates to submit their application as early as possible.
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DE & I statement

National Grid is an equal opportunity employer that values a broad diversity of talent, knowledge, experience and expertise. We foster a culture of inclusion that drives employee engagement to deliver superior performance to the communities we serve. National Grid is proud to be an affirmative action employer. We encourage minorities, women, individuals with disabilities and protected veterans to join the National Grid team.