Senior Commodity Buyer

Job Description Senior Commodity Buyer 55-70K DOE + 10% BonusMarlow based Monday-Thursday, Fridays can be from home if preferred.Copello are working with a leading engineering and manufacturing organisation based in Marlow to recruit a Senior Commodity Buyer to support strategic procurement activity within one of their business units.This role will play a key part in managing strategic sourcing initiatives, leading supplier engagement and delivering cost, quality and delivery improvements across critical commodities. The successful candidate will take ownership of high-value or high-risk categories and work closely with internal stakeholders to ensure procurement strategies support wider business objectives.Role OverviewThe Senior Commodity Buyer will be responsible for developing and executing category strategies that drive value, mitigate risk and optimise supplier performance. You will manage the end-to-end supply of parts for assigned commodities, ensuring strategies are effectively deployed and aligned with operational and programme requirements.The role requires close collaboration with engineering, programmes, and supply chain teams to support new product introduction, bid activities and continuous improvement initiatives across the supply base.Key ResponsibilitiesDevelop and implement long-term category strategies to achieve cost savings, improve quality, enhance delivery performance and reduce supply risk.Conduct market analysis, benchmarking and supplier assessments to identify sourcing opportunities and potential supplier rationalisation.Lead RFx processes (RFI, RFP, RFQ), supplier negotiations, cross-functional supplier selection and contract negotiations for strategic spend categories.Manage the ordering and delivery of items within assigned commodities within an MRP environment.Establish and manage long-term supply agreements with key suppliers to regulate supply terms and drive performance improvements.Identify and implement productivity initiatives and cost-reduction opportunities.Work closely with commodity teams to support prototype sourcing and supplier involvement during design phases to optimise manufacturability.Ensure supplier performance is monitored and managed on an ongoing basis.Coordinate with buyers to ensure effective negotiation of delivery schedules and pricing for key commodities and components.Support bid and New Product Introduction (NPI) activities by ensuring supplier engagement and quotation support.Drive improvements in Purchase Price Variance (PPV) across the assigned scope.Key CompetenciesStrategic sourcing and category managementMarket and industry analysisSupplier relationship management and negotiationContract management and commercial negotiationStrong analytical capability including cost modelling and total cost of ownership analysisCross-functional collaboration and stakeholder engagementProject management and problem solvingTime and priority managementContinuous improvement and cost optimisationSupply chain strategy and definitionStrong understanding of MRP environmentsExperience and Qualifications57 years experience working as a Senior Buyer or Category Buyer with commodity ownership.Demonstrable experience contributing to procurement strategy and delivering measurable improvements.Strong analytical, negotiation and stakeholder engagement skills.Bachelors degree in Supply Chain, Business, Engineering or a related field.Professional procurement qualifications (e.g., CIPS or similar) would be advantageous.Experience within a complex engineering or manufacturing supply chain environment.Proven experience leading supplier negotiations and managing commercial agreements.Experience supporting supply chain development and performance improvement.Excellent written and verbal communication skills.Desirable experienceExposure to the aerospace or defence sector.Knowledge of manufacturing processes such as:PCB AssemblyCNC MachiningInjection or compression mouldingElectronics or electro-mechanical assemblyKey Performance IndicatorsCost savings and value creation (productivity and PPV improvements).Effective execution of category strategies.Supplier performance improvements including delivery, quality and risk management.Innovation and continuous improvement within the supply base.Cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder engagement.Supplier compliance with regulatory and ethical sourcing requirements.Delivery against productivity, SDPPM, SOTIF and OTD targets.Reports to: Head of ProcurementThe successful candidate will need to be able to commute to Marlow Monday-Thursday, Fridays can be worked from home if preferred.

Created: 2026-03-12