Strategic & Operational Buyer

I am recruiting on behalf of my client for a Strategic & Operational Buyer to join a well-established engineering and manufacturing organisation. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced procurement professional who can balance both strategic sourcing and day-to-day purchasing activities while ensuring continuity of supply, strong supplier performance, and long-term commercial value across the business. The Strategic & Operational Buyer will play a key role in developing sourcing strategies, managing supplier relationships, and ensuring materials and components are available to support production requirements. The successful Strategic & Operational Buyer will work closely with engineering, production, quality, and logistics teams to maintain efficient procurement processes while delivering measurable cost savings and operational improvements. This Strategic & Operational Buyer position would suit someone with strong commercial awareness, negotiation skills, and a background in manufacturing or engineering environments who is comfortable managing both strategic procurement initiatives and operational purchasing responsibilities. In this Strategic & Operational Buyer role you will be responsible for: • Developing and implementing sourcing strategies for key procurement categories to optimise cost, quality, and delivery • Conducting supplier benchmarking, market analysis, and category spend reviews • Leading value engineering and continuous improvement initiatives with suppliers and internal stakeholders • Creating, issuing, and managing purchase orders in line with approved requisitions • Tracking order status daily and resolving delivery delays, discrepancies, and invoice queries • Coordinating closely with engineering, production, quality, and logistics teams to ensure material availability • Building and maintaining strong supplier relationships across strategic and operational suppliers • Conducting supplier performance reviews and implementing improvement plans where required • Driving supplier development activities including quality improvements and lead-time reductions • Identifying supply chain risks and developing mitigation strategies to ensure continuity of supply • Supporting supplier approvals, audits, and corrective actions alongside quality teams • Delivering cost savings through negotiation, tendering, and commercial improvements • Monitoring stock levels and supporting effective inventory management and replenishment planning • Supporting contract drafting, negotiation, and long-term supplier agreements • Maintaining accurate procurement records and preparing reports on spend, savings, and supplier performance To be successful as a Strategic & Operational Buyer, my client is looking for someone with the following skills and experience: • Strong negotiation skills and commercial awareness • Excellent organisational, communication, and stakeholder management abilities • Experience working within both strategic and operational procurement functions • Ability to read and interpret technical drawings • Strong analytical skills with a high level of attention to detail • Proficiency with ERP systems and Microsoft Office • Experience managing supplier relationships and negotiating agreements • Background within manufacturing, engineering, or technical environments preferred This Strategic & Operational Buyer role offers the opportunity to become a key part of the procurement function within a fast-paced manufacturing environment, where the Strategic & Operational Buyer will have real influence over supplier performance, supply chain stability, and cost optimisation across the organisation. If you are an experienced Strategic & Operational Buyer looking to take the next step in your procurement career, I would be very interested in speaking with you. Ian Broadhurst 07734406996 ian.broadhurst@holtengineering.co.uk