Balfour Beatty plc
Group Buyer
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About The Role
Reporting to the Group Senior Buyer, the Buyer will play an important role in shaping and developing a defined portfolio of indirect procurement categories across the business. This is a hands-on, commercially focused role with the opportunity to strengthen category strategy, improve supplier performance, increase contract coverage, build effective stakeholder relationships and deliver measurable value.
The Buyer will take ownership of a varied and important category portfolio, including:
- Cleaning
- Pest Control
- Catering
- Water Coolers
- Materials Testing
- Office Moves & Furniture
- Scaffolding
- Fleet HGV Tenders
- Fleet HGV Framework Agreements
The strategic objective is to develop these categories from reactive purchasing activity into structured, proactive category management. The role will use insight into demand, suppliers, markets, contracts, cost drivers, service performance, and risk to support better sourcing decisions, stronger supplier governance, improved compliance, sustainability outcomes, and value for money.
Key Areas Of Focus Include
- Reducing cost through tendering, negotiation, aggregation, and improved contract coverage.
- Improving supplier performance through KPI review, governance meetings, and performance improvement plans.
- Increasing compliance by directing spend through agreed suppliers, contracts, and procurement routes.
- Managing category risk, including service continuity, supplier resilience, legal compliance, and operational impact.
- Supporting sustainability and responsible procurement through supplier engagement and category planning.
The Buyer will also provide the first level of category-led support for Tier 1 escalations across their portfolio. These are serious or recurring supplier issues that create operational disruption, high stakeholder concern, or repeated service failure, and require active procurement ownership to drive resolution and restore performance.
What you'll be doing
- Demonstrate and deliver commercial value, insight, and cost savings through category planning and strategic sourcing.
- Implement a robust category plan and deliver in line with the business strategy, stakeholder requirements, and sustainability objectives.
- Manage end-to-end sourcing activities via our E Procurement system in line with category strategy and stakeholder requirements.
- Develop strong relationships with key stakeholders to drive the category plan and ensure suitable involvement and support from Procurement in all sourcing activities undertaken across the business.
- Negotiate contracts and agreements with suppliers in accordance with Group procedures and collaboration with stakeholders.
- Implement robust Supplier Relationship Management processes, with robust metrics and governance to ensure continuous improvement is driven. This includes running performance improvement plans with suppliers where required.
- Ensure that supply chain complies with all legal and regulatory requirements and that their services meet appropriate standards for quality and performance.
- Deliver clear communications and updates of relevant activities to all necessary stakeholders.
- Collaborate with the Procurement Sustainability team to develop initiatives and drive our sustainability agenda.
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Who we're looking for
- Preferred CIPS qualified, or willingness to study towards or equivalent studies.
- Demonstrable experience in procurement and supply chain management.
- Experience in procurement and category management, in particular running end-to-end tenders and sourcing activities.
- Experience reviewing and negotiating legal agreements, including Terms and Conditions.
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
- Strong negotiation skills.
- Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
- Ability to develop and maintain positive relationships with all stakeholders and apply supplier relationship management skills.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite.
- Natural and articulate around senior management. Good listening skills and able to focus on issues critical to senior leaders.
- Strong facilitation skills, to be able to steer discussions towards decisions needed.
- Strong time management skills and ability to set deadlines and meet them accordingly.
- Strong work ethic, enthusiastic, and self-driven.
- Ability to be self-motivated and take ownership of the category and have a positive impact on the procurement function and wider business.
- The ability to think strategically, seek out opportunities for effective change, and suggest innovative ideas for improvement.
- Effective decision-making based on empirical data and evidenced experience.
- Ability to communicate purpose and rationale with clarity and enthusiasm while respecting the opinions and needs of others and maintaining strong relationships.
- Autonomous with a high degree of professionalism and integrity.
- Collaborates within a positive team environment by sharing knowledge, valuing diverse perspectives, supporting colleagues, and contributing to collective success.
Why work for us
Day in, day out, our teams deliver some of the UK’s most ambitious, exciting, and meaningful projects; developing, building, and maintaining the vital infrastructure that supports national economies and strengthens communities.
Why join us?
Benefits
As if contributing to and supporting work that makes life better for millions wasn’t rewarding enough, we offer a full range of benefits too. You’ll have the freedom to shape the package that’s right for you and your life. Here are some of our key benefits:
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- Smart working, giving you more flexibility, such as staggered start and finish times, with up to 40% remote working, where roles allow.
- 25 days paid annual leave (pro rata).
- Family-friendly policies which include 28 weeks full pay for maternity/adoption leave and four weeks full pay for paternity/partners leave.
- Pension, share incentive plan, volunteering leave, recognition schemes, and much more…
About Us
Balfour Beatty Group Enabling Functions are Legal, Finance, IT and Procurement, Communications, Health Safety and Environment, HR, and Sustainability. Together, they support delivery of our Build to Last strategy while improving efficiencies and standardizing our approach, systems, and processes.
Diversity and inclusion
At Balfour Beatty, we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential components of any successful, happy workplace. Through our Value Everyone Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan, we are growing our diverse workforce and developing our inclusive culture where everyone is able to thrive and reach their full potential, regardless of their identity or background. To find out how we are making this a reality, visit www.balfourbeatty.com/diversityandinclusion.
To help and support us with our desired commitment to create an inclusive culture, we are members of WISE, enei, Business Disability Forum, and the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE). In 2020, we signed the Audeliss and Involve Open Letter to demonstrate our commitment to taking key long-term and sustainable actions on Black Inclusion. Balfour Beatty is also a Gold Award holder in the Ministry of Defence 'Employer Recognition Scheme' and actively encourages applications from Armed Forces personnel, veterans, and reservists.
As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to working with people who have disabilities and long-term health conditions to remove barriers for them in obtaining employment. We are also committed to offering applicants with a disability an interview if they meet the minimum requirements for the role. For more info, visit: https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/
We are looking to continually improve our resourcing process and ensure that it is fair and inclusive for all. If you have any feedback on the process, please share this with us at: candidaterecruitmentqueries@balfourbeatty.com.
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