A-SAFE
Senior Buyer - Purchasing
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Location: Elland, Halifax, HX5 9JP
Hours: 37.5 hours
Working Pattern: Full-time, On-site 5 days per week
careers.asafe.com
Are you a commercially minded buyer who thrives at pace, loves getting things done and wants to bring your thinking to a team that will actually listen - then back you to make it happen?
As a Senior Buyer at A-SAFE, you will join a purchasing function that is being rebuilt from the ground up. The team has recently moved under Finance and is at the start of an exciting transformation - from a standalone UK operation to a commercially focused, globally aligned purchasing function. This is not a role where the job description will look the same in 12 months. It is a role where you help write it.
You will work closely with the Group Purchasing Manager and the wider Finance team, managing key supplier relationships, supporting the drive for cost savings and process improvement, and playing an active role in building the systems, controls and ways of working that a world-class purchasing function needs. You will also work directly with senior stakeholders - including board-level contacts - so confidence, resilience and strong communication skills matter as much as your technical buying knowledge.
How you will make an impact:
- You'll manage key supplier relationships, ensuring pricing, service levels, lead times and quality expectations are clearly agreed, monitored and improved.
- You'll support the Group Purchasing Manager in developing the purchasing function - moving it from a transactional process to a proactive, commercially driven operation.
- You'll identify and deliver cost-saving opportunities through negotiation, benchmarking, tendering and supplier rationalisation.
- You'll build and maintain vendor scorecards, using the outputs to drive supplier improvement plans and escalate underperformance where required.
- You'll collaborate across Finance, Operations, Engineering, Logistics and NPD to understand purchasing needs and challenge spend where appropriate.
- You'll get involved in system improvement work - including NetSuite and the rollout of our new procurement platform, Medius - and help embed better ways of working.
- You'll review purchasing data to identify trends, supplier issues, cost increases and opportunities for improvement.
- You'll bring fresh thinking from your previous experience and actively contribute ideas on what can be done differently, better and smarter.
- You'll communicate clearly with stakeholders at all levels - from the shop floor to the boardroom - building relationships that make the purchasing function trusted and valued across the business.
- You'll support and mentor junior members of the purchasing team as the function grows.
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What we are looking for:
- Previous experience in a buying, senior buyer or procurement role - we are open to sector. FMCG, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, distribution and engineering backgrounds are all relevant and welcome.
- A proactive, 'get it done' mindset - someone who finds a way rather than lists the obstacles, even when deadlines feel impossible.
- Strong commercial awareness: you understand cost, supplier performance, risk and how to create value through smart procurement decisions.
- Confident communicator - able to build effective relationships with suppliers, internal stakeholders and senior leaders, including at board level.
- Strong negotiation skills with experience agreeing pricing, payment terms, lead times and service levels.
- IT literate with the ability to pick up new systems quickly. NetSuite or similar ERP experience is a bonus, not a requirement.
- Comfortable with change and genuinely energised by it - this function is evolving fast and we need someone who is too.
- Fully office-based in Elland 5 days per week, ideally within around 30 minutes' commute.
- Willing to work towards CIPS Level 4 (or already holding it) - we provide full study support and treat CIPS as a requirement of this role, not an option.
You'll also bring:
- Resilience and a positive outlook when the pressure is on - this team moves fast and needs people who move with it.
- A continuous improvement mindset - always asking how something could be done better, faster or smarter, no matter what level you are at.
- Confidence to engage with senior stakeholders and board-level contacts without losing your composure.
- A team-player mentality - this is a close-knit, collaborative group and cultural fit is as important to us as experience.
- Ambition to grow - we want someone who is looking at the Group Purchasing Manager role and thinking, one day.
- The drive to own your space - this is not a role where someone else will tell you what to do. You will define your week, shape your priorities and be accountable for your outcomes.
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Why you'll love working with us:
At A-SAFE, we genuinely invest in our people. The hiring manager has a strong track record of developing team members - from apprentice level through to senior leadership. Some have been promoted internally; others have gone on to highly senior roles at other organisations because of what they built here. If you are the right person, your career will move - and we will back you to make it happen.
You will have real autonomy from day one. We want you to bring your ideas, your experience and your ways of working from previous roles - and we will listen. We try things, we do lessons learned when they do not work, and we try again. CIPS study support is built in: up to five days of study leave per exam, a comprehensive study package, and a team around you where eight colleagues are currently studying too. You will not be doing it alone.
A-SAFE is a global business with a presence across the USA, Japan, Australia, Europe and the UAE, and our purchasing function is at the very beginning of its journey to match that scale. If you want to be part of building something - not just running something - this is the role for you.
Why A-SAFE?
Since 1984, A-SAFE has been a pioneer in industrial safety, inventing the world’s first industrial-strength polymer safety barrier. Today, we continue to lead the industry with cutting-edge solutions like our award-winning IoT system, RackEye™️. With 17 international subsidiaries, we partner with global giants such as Amazon, Coca-Cola, and BMW to enhance workplace safety. Learn more about our Customer Success Stories here.
At A-SAFE we put our values at the heart of the business.
- We Are Pioneers
- We Are in it Together
- We Do the Right Thing
Our Commitment to Diversity
We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels they belong. At A-SAFE, we believe our differences fuel innovation and enrich our work environment.
Ready to help us set new standards in workplace safety?
Apply today and start your journey with A-SAFE Group. Explore our Careers Page for more opportunities.
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