Job Title: Senior Category Buyer
Location: Gaydon, Warwickshire (hybrid and in the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays)
Rate: £40.72ph via an Umbrella Company (Inside IR35) or £30.30ph on a PAYE basis
Employment Type: Contract (6 months)
Hours: Standard 40 Hours Per Week
Reference: J37149415
This role leads the strategic sourcing, development, and ongoing optimisation of a diverse portfolio of Professional Services categories, supporting BAU and Reimagine transformation.
Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities
Category Strategy
- Lead the development and delivery of Strategic Category Plans (SCPs), ensuring creation, alignment, and compliance.
- Conduct detailed spend analytics, demand modelling, and market intelligence assessments.
- Translate business needs into actionable category strategies.
- Define long‑term category roadmaps including supplier segmentation and maturity progression.
- Identify, assess, and rationalise the supplier base.
- Lead cross‑functional category governance, including Consultancy Category Boards.
- Promote early stakeholder engagement and strategic procurement planning.
- Identify and drive continuous improvements in category management maturity.
Sourcing
- Lead end‑to‑end sourcing events for all Professional Services categories.
- Apply Total Cost of Ownership principles and value‑based procurement.
- Lead complex negotiations including contractual, commercial, and delivery‑based elements.
- Develop bespoke sourcing strategies for complex or urgent business demands
- Partner with Legal (OGC) for commercial terms, IP, and risk considerations.
- Coach and support junior buyers on procurement excellence.
- Ensure high‑quality sourcing documentation (eGSP, SBR, SCP alignment, SAP Ariba).
- Align with global and regional buying teams.
Contract Management & Supplier Relationship Management (SRM)
- Lead the end‑to‑end Contract Management lifecycle across Professional Services.
- Develop performance frameworks including KPIs, SLAs, and governance structures.
- Conduct regular SRM reviews with senior supplier executives.
- Identify in‑contract value including rate optimisation and scope refinement.
- Own supplier‑related risk management activities.
- Ensure clear contractual deliverables and milestone tracking.
- Drive supplier innovation, digitalisation, and productivity improvements.
- Ensure commercial governance and auditing compliance.
Stakeholder Leadership & Business Partnering
- Build strong, trusting, and influential relationships with stakeholders.
- Act as a commercial advisor to senior leadership.
- Support business case development with commercial insights.
- Challenge and manage demand to ensure cost efficiency.
- Partner with Transformation Leads, Finance, and more.
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
Essential:
- Self-motivated, uses initiative and problem solver – focussed on delivering results, with a proven track record of demonstrating logic and analytical thinking.
- Able to deliver quality and consistency in a complex, highly demanding environment
- Professionally qualified with a proven track record in a purchasing environment
- Strong leadership and influencing skills (experience in managing senior stakeholders is vital)
- Excellent stakeholder management and relationship management skills and experience
- An excellent negotiator with a proven track record of successful commercial negotiations
- Able to manage and execute complex projects on time and in budget.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to converse at all levels of the organisation and with external suppliers/customers
- Valid Driving license required
Desirable:
- Previous experience as a Buyer in an Indirect Procurement function.
- Shared Service/Business Process Outsourcing background desirable but not mandatory.
- Ability to be highly organised and continually focus on attention to detail
- A commercial understanding of terms and conditions and ability to negotiate them (with the support of OGC).
** THIS POSITION IS CONFIRMED INSIDE IR35**
Do not miss out on your chance of interview – APPLY NOW!
Our Clients are unable to provide sponsorship for Visas; therefore, only candidates eligible to work in the UK need apply!
Caresoft Global Talent Solutions operates as an Employment Business and Employment Agency.
We are an independent highly-experienced recruitment consultancy dedicated to specialist markets within the Automotive, Aerospace, Agricultural & Construction Industries.
No terminology within this advert is intended to unlawfully discriminate on the grounds of age, sex, race or disability and we welcome all applications.