Strategic Procurement Specialist - Automotive

Location: Gaydon

Strategic Procurement Specialist - Automotive - 35.80/hr (Inside IR35) - Warwickshire - 12 Months (potential for yearly renewal) - Full Time or Part Time Option

Overview
We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Strategic Procurement Specialist to join our team on a contract basis.

This role offers an exciting opportunity to lead and manage purchasing activities within assigned categories, ensuring the delivery of cost, quality, and strategic objectives. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in developing and deploying global category strategies, aligning stakeholders, and driving continuous improvement through best-practice procurement activities.

This position is open to both full-time and part-time candidates. Please ensure your preference is clearly stated at the top of your CV.

Responsibilities
As a Strategic Procurement Specialist, your key responsibilities will include:

Category Strategy:

• Developing, maintaining, and delivering Strategic Category Plans in line with annual targets.
• Utilizing supplier, market, and business analytics to inform category decisions.
• Ensuring stakeholder and regional alignment to support strategy deployment.

Sourcing:

• Leading sourcing projects in compliance with policy, Global Sourcing Process (GSP) requirements, and Total Cost of Ownership principles.
• Conducting complex commercial negotiations and securing necessary legal, financial, and governance approvals.
• Managing supply chain risks and ensuring adherence to category strategies.
• Acting as the primary point of contact for supplier engagement and commercial discussions.

Collaboration:

• Engaging with internal budget holders, suppliers, finance business partners, legal teams, and regional buying teams.
• Supporting Make vs Buy assessments and driving stakeholder engagement.

Continuous Improvement:

• Contributing to transformation and continuous improvement projects through the Category Centre of Excellence (COE).

Qualifications
To be successful in this role, you will need:

Essential:

• CIPS qualification/accreditation.
• Expertise in end-to-end procurement across the 8-step procurement cycle.
• Strong commercial acumen and negotiation skills.
• Proven ability to influence stakeholders and manage complex sourcing activities.
• Flexibility, agility, and adaptability to changing business priorities.
• Results-oriented mindset with resilience and a track record of delivery in demanding environments.
• Willingness to travel to supplier and company locations.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of construction procurement and contract forms such as JCT, NEC, and FIDIC.
• Understanding of construction industry markets and supply chains.
• Experience working closely with operational stakeholders within the category area.
• Previous supplier-side or category-specific industry experience.

Day-to-Day
On a typical day, you will:

• Develop and review Strategic Category Plans.
• Lead sourcing activities and manage supplier negotiations.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to align category strategies.
• Monitor supplier performance and ensure compliance with procurement policies.
• Identify and mitigate supply chain risks.
• Drive cost reduction initiatives and support decision-making processes.

Benefits

• Opportunity to work with a premium brand in the automotive sector.
• Exposure to global procurement strategies and best practices.
• Collaborative and dynamic work environment.
• Competitive contract terms.

Additional Information
This role is on a contract basis and is Inside IR35.
The services advertised by Premea Limited for this vacancy are those of an Employment Business.

Premea is a specialist engineering recruitment consultancy representing clients in the UK and internationally within the Automotive, Motorsport, and Motorcycle sectors.

If you are a results-driven professional with a passion for procurement and category management, we encourage you to apply. Please ensure your CV clearly states your preference for full-time or part-time work.