Senior Buyer
What is in the Senior Buyer job description?
As a senior buyer, you’ll manage the procurement of materials, goods and services for the organisation, ensuring that you are optimising the cost, cash, quality and service. You’ll drive added value through sourcing strategically, value engineering, innovation delivery and risk management.
What will be your responsibilities?
A Senior Buyers responsibilities broadly consist of the following things:
- Influence key internal stakeholder relationships to drive delivery of group purchasing objectives.
- Procurement of a portfolio of materials, goods or services within a category.
- Deliver KPI’s relating to cost, cash, quality, service and continuity of supply for the portfolio.
- Work with suppliers and influence internal stakeholders to implement the innovation strategy, and to evolve the strategy as technology, markets and business needs change.
- Continuously gather, analyse, interpret and act upon market intelligence.
- Communicate to internal stakeholders as appropriate.
- Feedstock and market assumptions translated into annual budget and quarterly reforecast of portfolio spend. Assumptions documented.
- Minimise risk to continuity of supply by carrying out supplier risk assessments for the portfolio’s suppliers and implementing corrective actions as required.
- Ensure supply agreements are based upon formal legal T&C’s.
The CIPS Digital Academy
What qualifications do you need?
If you’re looking to move into an Senior Buyer role, you'll need the following qualifications and skills:
- IT literate
- Internal business knowledge
- Understanding of budget holder procurement needs
- Highly numerate
- Problem solver
- Influencer
- Good communicator
To start your journey to become a Procurement Consultant, the ideal starting point is the Level 4 Diploma in Procurement and Supply. Once complete, move on to Level 5 and Level 6 qualifications that will take you all the way to MCIPS.
What does a Senior Buyer get paid?
In the UK, typically a Senior Buyer gets paid on average £44,010 based on the UK Salary Guide 2023.
A Senior Buyer sits in the Managerial level and the breakdown is as follows:
Managerial
- UK: £44,010
- Australia: $149,380
- New Zealand: $125,729
- MENA: $66,590
- South Africa: ZAR 793k
- Sub-Saharan Africa: $39,289
- North America: $99,998
- Europe: €67,157
Salaries may increase if you are studying with CIPS or change sector. To find out more about the salaries of procurement and supply professionals let our salary calculator do the hard work for you.