Buyer - Engineering
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
Buyer
Job location:
Derby
Rate:
£20.50ph
Hours per week:
37.5
Duration:
3 month contract
Start date:
Immediate
Client Summary:
A leading name within the Rolling Stock / Rail repair and modifications sector.
Position Summary:
Buyer involved in both direct and indirect materials and service procurement. Special
focus on engineering based categories.
Roles can include:
* Process purchase requisitions and raise purchase orders in line with company procedures
* Support supplier negotiations to achieve best value, quality, and delivery performance
* Manage and maintain purchase orders, including amendments and updates
* Monitor order progress and proactively follow up with suppliers to ensure on-time delivery
* Resolve supply or delivery issues, escalating more complex matters where necessary
* Maintain accurate procurement data within internal systems.
* Assist with supplier performance monitoring and reporting
* Support cost control initiatives and identify opportunities for savings
* Collaborate with internal departments to ensure procurement needs are met efficiently
* Provide general administrative support to the procurement team as required
Person Profile/Experience:
* Strong literacy, numeracy, and IT skills
* Previous experience in a procurement, supply chain, or fast-paced administrative role (desirable)
* Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities
* Good analytical and problem-solving skills
* Basic understanding of procurement processes or supply chain principles (desirable)
Qualifications:
CIPS Level 3 (Desirable)
Experience in a similar role
Contact Information: James Bell
Email:
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Highlight your CIPS Level 3 qualification prominently as it's specifically mentioned as desirable for this role
📊 Quantify your procurement achievements: "Managed £2.4M annual spend across 45 suppliers, achieving 12% cost savings"
🚂 Emphasise any rail, rolling stock, or heavy engineering procurement experience as this is a specialised sector
🔧 Showcase your engineering materials procurement knowledge, particularly direct materials and technical components
🤝 Demonstrate supplier relationship management skills with specific examples of negotiation successes and delivery improvements
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Processed 180+ purchase requisitions monthly for engineering components, maintaining 98% on-time delivery across 25 technical suppliers
- •Negotiated supplier contracts achieving £85,000 annual savings on direct materials while improving quality standards by 15%
- •Managed CIPS Level 3 procurement processes for rolling stock components, reducing lead times from 8 to 5 weeks through proactive supplier engagement
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Letter preview — tailored to Shorterm Group
Dear Hiring Manager,
Shorterm Group's leadership in rolling stock procurement presents exactly the engineering-focused buying challenge I'm seeking, particularly given your emphasis on supplier negotiation and direct materials procurement in the rail sector.
My background in procurement and supply chain management has equipped me with strong analytical skills and experience managing purchase orders across technical categories. I understand the critical importance of on-time delivery in engineering environments and have successfully collaborated with internal departments to ensure procurement needs are met efficiently.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›How would you handle a critical engineering component that's delayed and affecting production schedules?
- ›What procurement systems have you used for managing purchase orders and supplier data?
- ›How do you evaluate supplier performance in engineering procurement?
- ›Describe your approach to negotiating with technical suppliers for specialised components
- ›What cost control methods have you implemented in previous procurement roles?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you had to resolve a complex supply chain issue under pressure
- ›Describe a situation where you had to manage multiple urgent procurement requests simultaneously
- ›Give an example of when you identified significant cost savings opportunities
- ›Tell me about a time you had to build a relationship with a difficult supplier
- ›Describe how you've collaborated with engineering teams to meet their procurement needs
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you had to resolve a complex supply chain issue under pressure
Describe a situation where you had to manage multiple urgent procurement requests simultaneously