Buyer

Looking to develop your career in procurement, passionate about pets and want to be part of a team that can really make a difference and drive positive change? Then this may be the job for you.

**This is a hybrid position, where you will be based at our head office in Diss a minimum of 2 days a week.**

CVS Group plc is an AIM listed, international integrated veterinary services provider which delivers to clients through four business areas; our veterinary practices, diagnostic laboratories, pet crematoria and e-commerce division. Our success is derived from the passion our people have for animals and for making pets a priority, it's what is at the heart of our work, every day.

The Group generates revenue of more than £500m from over 500 practices across 3 countries, with more than 8,000 employees across vets, nurses, other clinical employees and within our support office. In a growing pet market, we are well positioned for both organic and acquisitive growth, and significant investment projects are in progress to enhance our infrastructure and central support for the Group.

In this role you will be accountable for driving best practice through supporting the rollout and governance of the company procurement policy. Being a point of contact for our business to lead or consult on in-direct procurement project and the management of group supplier relationships.

**Key Responsibilities & Tasks**:

- Support the rollout of and maintenance of the procurement policy, ensuring it is up to date and meets the needs of the business.
- Support sourcing initiatives/negotiations across the business, providing advice and guidance.
- Proactively engage with business stakeholders to understand business need and opportunities.
- Identify opportunities to drive compliance through our preferred suppliers and group companies.
- Drive best “procurement” practice across the Group.
- Manage the end-to-end procurement process (including SRM) for business-critical contracts in collaboration with key business areas.
- Work closely with the sustainability team to manage supply chain in line with sustainability strategy.
- Deliver competitive advantage through cost savings, lifecycle value generation, demand management.
- Support the team to maintain the contract management database and respond to requests for support via the procurement inbox.

**Key Skills Required**:

- Member of or studying for the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS)
- A minimum of 4 years' experience in procurement.
- A proven track record in managing contracts, risk mitigation and flexibility within supply chain including, supplier sourcing and leverage to deliver improvement, sustainability, quality, performance, innovation and cost reduction.
- Experience in managing the end-to-end procurement process and supplier relationship management.
- The ability to manage complex stakeholder, and partnership relationships in a fast moving and changing environment.
- Experience of communicating and presenting highly complex information to internal and external stakeholders
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with strong attention to detail.
- High Level of negotiation skills
- Flexible with the ability to work effectively under pressure and manage conflicting priorities.
- Must be highly motivated/a self-starter and organised, be able to work as part of a team or independently, be a problem solver and have a collaborative mindset.

**Alongside **the basic salary **we are offering benefits including;** 6.6 weeks holiday, buy/sell holiday scheme, 1 day extra holiday per year up to 5 years, enhanced, maternity/paternity/adoption leave, generous staff discount on pet care and products.