Buyer, Category Management

About us

At National Grid we are committed to delivering safe and reliable energy to the customers and communities we serve. We are one of the largest investor‑owned energy companies in the world. We are proud of the contributions our work and our people make to the prosperity and wellbeing of our customers, communities and investors.

National Grid has embarked on ambitious capital projects and construction program designed to build the infrastructure to enable our renewable electric future. Projects include upgrades to transmission lines, substations and distribution network infrastructure that will support renewable energy and reliability initiatives and other programs.

National Grid has a focus on providing electricity and gas to millions of its existing customers, by continuously updating its infrastructure to provide the most safe and reliable system.

The Buyer role at National Grid works with suppliers, stakeholders and procurement colleagues to run bids, negotiate agreements and participate in category strategy development, further assisting senior and lead buyers on the team.

Participate in and develop supplier and stakeholder relationships and evaluate supplier risks and develop mitigation plans.

Through business partnering the procurement group enhances the relationship and through collaborative efforts bridges the gap of applying critical thinking, helping drive the goals of the company forward, providing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and risk mitigation efforts, while further evaluating our supplier base.

• Have the ability to work collaboratively amongst peers while also think independently, bringing viable solutions to the forefront that are actionable
• Supplier Engagement – Engage with suppliers to seek feedback, discuss improvement opportunities, resolve issues (while understanding when it is necessary to elevate these issues to the next tier of management to aid in resolving), be abreast of supplier performance and alignment with National Grid's objectives
• Analytics – Utilize varied data sets to identify gaps and new opportunities to drive benefits through the contracts End to End lifecycle, while implementing analytics as part of the Category Plan
• Market Research – Conduct industry analysis and evaluate supplier performance, incorporating the research into the Category Strategy and associated contract initiatives/bidding events

• Source Events (RFx, Sole Source, direct negotiate) – Leads the execution of multiple sourcing initiatives using tailored procurement strategies to optimize value, mitigate risk and support business objectives
• Stakeholder Coordination – Develops and maintains relationships with business units and suppliers, while furth understanding the needs and issues that each side faces. At times acting as the interface/bridge between both parties
• Bid Analysis – Analyzes responses to bid requests, points out commercial differences and makes recommendations in selecting appropriate suppliers for contract awards
• Total Cost of Ownership – Evaluate and apply the concept of total cost of ownership (TCO) and supplier/contract switching costs to support decision making options
• Commercial Negotiation – Capable of preparing negotiation strategies with clarity of desired outcomes and conducting complex negotiations successfully under aggressive time demands
• Understanding Counter party – Has comprehensive understanding of supplier's position, desired outcomes and leverage points with the ability to maximize the benefits to the company while maintaining a good working relationship with suppliers
• Build KPI – Work with senior buyers and contract management to evaluate and build appropriate supplier performance measurements (KPls) into contractual frameworks

• The Buyer will regularly engage with category suppliers to seek feedback, discuss improvement opportunities and resolve issues, ensuring continuous enhancement of supplier performance and alignment with National Grid's objectives

• Prepare and maintain weekly/monthly category dashboards tracking spend,…