Strategic Buyer – Soft Facilities

Helping others improve and turn their lives around – there’s no better feeling. It’s what we do for thousands of people at more than 150 sites across the UK. Be a part of it.

We are looking for a confident Strategic Buyer (Soft Facilities) with a passion for delivering outstanding care. You'll be working 37.5 hours a week, making a positive difference to the lives of the people in our care at Cygnet.

Joining us on a full time 37.5 hour per week basis, you will work in a remote capacity, but will need to attend London or Kings Hill (Kent) offices 1-2 days per week.

As a Strategic Buyer you'll play a pivotal role in our dynamic procurement team, leading and deliver procurement activities within the Soft facilities category, ensuring value for money, improved supplier performance and stakeholder satisfaction across healthcare and social care sites. The role is essential to ensuring that procurement in this category actively contributes to the wellbeing of patients and residents, whilst supporting colleagues in their ability to deliver outstanding care.

Cygnet Health Care have been providing a national network of high quality specialist mental health services for more than 35 years. We are proud to support individuals with mental health needs, learning disabilities and autism in a variety of residential, hospital and community based settings.

With us, you'll work in a vibrant, supportive culture tailored to help you thrive.

You’ll join a professional and supportive team with a clear focus on delivering excellence and value across the business. With Cygnet, your procurement expertise will directly support better outcomes for vulnerable people.

So, if you're an organised and inquisitive we want to hear from you!

• Lead procurement activity across the Soft facilities Category, including:
  Food, Waste Management, Outsourced Laundry Services, Vending and Outsourced Transport.
• Analyse monthly and quarterly supplier performance reports to identify trends, risks and opportunities, translate data into actionable insights that drive service improvement and cost efficiency.
• Develop and present business cases that support strategic sourcing initiatives, supplier selection and value optimisation.
• Support internal stakeholders across clinical and operational teams through supplier negotiations, contract reviews and service level agreements.
• Drive supplier performance, manage risks, monitor KPIs and lead cost reduction and value creation activities.
• Maintain accurate records of procurement activity, budgets and supplier information, reporting regularly to senior management on successes, challenges and strategic recommendations.
• Ensure all procurement activity aligns with Group policies and procedures, regulatory requirements and ethical standards.

• An experienced Procurement professional, ideally with a background of indirect procurement.
• A strategic thinker with strong commercial acumen and a proven ability to deliver value and innovation through procurement.
• Able to drive strategic change, prepare business cases and improve supplier performance
• Skilled in contract negotiation, supplier management and sourcing strategy, with a clear understanding of the full procurement lifecycle.
• Highly analytical, able to interpret data to drive procurement decisions, influence stakeholders and monitor supplier performance.
• An excellent communicator, confident in engaging with senior stakeholders. Operational colleagues and external suppliers.
• A self-starter, comfortable working independently and collaboratively in a fast paced, purpose driven organisation.
• Highly detail-oriented & an expert on sourcing & buying indirect on a large-scale
• Solution-minded, flexible in thinking & a very good communicator.

Salary – £43,000 – £46,000 per annum (depending on relevant experience)

• A great opportunity to learn and develop your skills
• Regular expert supervision & support
• Employee referral scheme
• Employee discount savings
• Pension scheme
• “Cycle to work” scheme

Please note, all successful candidates will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS check.

Join us and help us build a better future for mental health care.

If you care about making a difference – we want to talk to you.