Senior Buyer

The Senior Buyer is a specialist with accountability for procurement sourcing strategy and commercial performance across major programmes portfolios and highrisk commercial environments.

Operating above the Lead Buyer the Senior Buyer provides direction governance and assurance for complex commercial activity and supports the shaping of organisational commercial strategy and policy. The role has a high degree autonomy and decisionmaking authority balancing value for money commercial risk regulatory compliance (including PA23) market resilience and longterm supplier outcomes.

The Senior Buyer plays a critical role in enabling delivery at scale driving commercial maturity and building sustainable capability across the commercial function.

Accountability 1:

Strategic Procurement & Commercial Leadership

• Play a key role in setting commercial and sourcing strategies for major programmes highvalue portfolios or businesscritical categories.
• Provide direction on procurement routes commercial models risk allocation and contracting approaches for novel complex or nationally significant procurements.
• Enable the shaping of longterm category supplier and market development strategies including resilience innovation and social value.
• Act as a delegated senior commercial authority for approvals assurance and challenge across procurement lifecycle stages.
• Ensure full compliance with PA23 delegated authorities internal controls and external regulatory expectations.

Accountability 2:

Portfolio Contract Ownership & Commercial Risk

• Support and implement negotiation of highvalue and precedentsetting contracts including:
  • Major infrastructure and construction arrangements
  • Strategic supplier alliances and longterm frameworks
  • Complex professional services and integrated delivery models
• Provide oversight of:
  • Cost control forecasting and financial risk exposure
  • Change management compensation events and claims strategy
  • Performance regimes incentives and commercial remedies
• Participate in the organisations approach to commercial risk management dispute avoidance and escalation including support to formal dispute resolution when required.

Accountability 3:

Senior Stakeholder & Supplier Engagement

• Act as the organisations senior commercial representative with key delivery partners strategic suppliers and external stakeholders.
• Build and sustain executivelevel supplier relationships driving performance collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Provide trusted commercial counsel to:
  • Executive leadership and programme sponsors
  • Project and engineering leadership
  • Finance Legal and Assurance functions
• Represent the organisation in external commercial forums negotiations and assurance engagements.

Accountability 4:

Governance Assurance & Organisational Control

• Set and maintain commercial governance standards across programmes and portfolios.
• Provide independent challenge and assurance on commercial strategies business cases procurement outcomes and contract changes.
• Own and oversee the quality of commercial submissions to senior governance boards and executive decision forums.
• Lead responses to audit assurance regulatory scrutiny and external reviews ensuring consistent defensible commercial practice.
• Drive improvements to commercial frameworks tools controls and reporting across the function.

Accountability 5:

Leadership Functional Management & Capability Building

• Provide strategic guidance to Lead Buyers Buyers and wider commercial professionals across multiple teams or programmes.
• Set functional priorities allocate resources and manage capability to meet delivery demands.
• Champion professional standards ethical procurement and continuous improvement.

Accountability 6:

Embody a Leadership Mindset

• Regardless of your formal position you embody a leadership mindset and a set of leadership behaviours. You embrace and embody our organisations culture values and mission in all aspects of your work.
• Foster a positive and inclusive team environment that aligns with our cultural values.
• Contribute to maintaining a respectful and collaborative workplace valuing diversity and promoting teamwork.
• Act as a cultural ambassador representing our organisations values and professionalism in interactions with colleagues clients and stakeholders.
• Lead by example demonstrating integrity professionalism and ethical behaviour.
• Make informed decisions and solve problems effectively considering diverse perspectives and organisational goals.

Qualifications :

Essential:

• Extensive experience in senior commercial procurement and contract leadership roles within large complex or regulated environments.
• Proven track record of leading major programmes or portfolios with high commercial risk and material financial impact.
• Deep applied expertise in public sector procurement legislation (PA23) governance and assurance.
• Demonstrated ability to operate as a senior commercial decisionmaker influencing outcomes at executive level.
• Exceptional leadership judgement negotiation and stakeholder management capability.
• Studying towards or willing to work towards membership of:
  • Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (MCIPS) or
  • Alternative recognised Commercial accreditation

Beneficial:

• MCIPS Chartered (or equivalent senior commercial accreditation)
• Experience shaping organisational commercial policy and operating models
• Advanced expertise in NEC and other complex contracting forms
• Experience working with or advising executive boards and senior governance bodies

Additional Information :

We welcome applications from under-represented groups particularly women in STEM and individuals from British black and other ethnic minority backgrounds and people with disabilities. Our Executive team supported by our Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Partner and Inclusion Ambassadors actively promotes EDI and takes steps to increase diversity within our organisation. We reinforce best practices in recruitment and selection and evaluate approaches to remove barriers to success. 

UKIFS is committed to being accessible. Please email  if you have any questions or require help or adjustments to compete on a fair basis for example changes to the way we interview or share information.  

This role requires employees to complete an online Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) including the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks for criminal convictions.  Whilst not required at this time there is a possibility of an SC Clearance being required in the future.  If a candidate already holds an SC clearance that clearance can be transferred to UKIFS.

For applicants applying from outside the United Kingdom or those who have spent time outside the UK in the last five years please visit the following link for information on criminal records checks: your country of residence or previous residence is not listed on the website or if the UK Government does not have information on obtaining a criminal records check from that state we regret to inform you that we cannot process your application.  

Please note that vacancies are generally advertised for 4 weeks but may close earlier if we receive a large number of applications.  We may consider your application for future positions or similar positions within the organisation.

We have a number of exceptional opportunities available at the moment to view them all please visit Careers - STEP.

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time