Senior Category Buyer

At National Grid, our commitment to a cleaner, greener energy future is powered by the dedication and ingenuity of our people. Join our team as a Senior Category Buyer and be a part of something bigger-where your unique skills and passions can make a real difference. Together, we are superpowered.

As a Senior Category Buyer, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering high impact procurement strategies for major capital projects across our business. This is an opportunity to lead complex, business critical work while influencing decisions at the highest level.

Reporting directly to our Procurement Manager, you’ll collaborate with a wide network of stakeholders-across the organisation, within the procurement function, and throughout our supply chain and joint venture partners. Your ability to build strong, trusted relationships will be key to driving successful outcomes.

You’ll take the lead in understanding business priorities, translating them into a robust and aligned procurement strategy, and designing clear go-to-market plans for a variety of work packages. You’ll also shape commercial and contract models that deliver real value and are fully aligned to the business outcomes we’re aiming to achieve.

This is an exciting role for someone who wants to make a visible impact, influence strategic direction, and help define the future of procurement within a fast moving environment.

This role is based out of our Warwick office, with hybrid working. We’re happy to discuss any additional flexibility in working patterns or requirements that you feel could help to make this job work for you!

• Deliver a multibillion-pound HVDC works package in line with regulated procurement requirements.
• Drive collaboration with stakeholders across the JV to define the procurement strategy, including delivery model, commercial construct, and go-to-market approach, ensuring the supply chain and internal teams are fully prepared.
• Translate business requirements into clear, actionable supply chain requirements by collaborating closely with stakeholders to develop and maintain a forward-looking procurement pipeline.
• Lead the regulated end-to-end procurement process, including ownership of the procurement programme, matrix-team coordination, critical-path management, and risk mitigation to ensure on‑time contract award.
• Engage with cross-functional teams to understand market capacity, supplier capability, and other insights, enabling robust supply chain planning for capital programmes.
• Support the identification, assessment, and mitigation of key procurement‑related risks (L2/L3), creating the right environment for effective risk management across relevant stakeholders.
• Consolidate and report procurement performance across teams to support Business Unit (BU) reporting and governance.
• Develop and present project updates and governance packs to senior stakeholders, ensuring clear communication of progress, risks, and key recommendations.

• Strategy experience in construction capital procurement on large‑scale infrastructure or construction programmes.
• Ability to operate within cross‑functional teams and experience of programme management.
• Experience of managing capital procurement programmes within a supply chain / commercial context.
• Demonstrable ability to forge strong relationships with key stakeholders and supply chain.
• Experience of commercial / contract development, particularly construction contracts and building commercial strategies (FIDIC / NEC4 desirable).
• Proven leadership skills, with the ability to support, guide, and develop junior team members.
• An understanding of regulatory environment and regulated procurement is desirable.
• Proficient in procurement and sourcing systems, including Ariba and Coupa.
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to make sound business decisions.
• Excellent document management and organisational skills.
• CIPS qualification (or progression towards CIPS) is preferred, though not essential.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At National…