Senior Buyer

Lancaster University is among the best in the UK. A Top 15 university in UK league tables, we’re also highly ranked in international league tables such as the QS World Rankings. This vacancy is a rare opportunity to join a dynamic team in a unique sector and to help shape and deliver our strategy. Procurement at Lancaster has undergone significant transformation in recent years. The team continues to expand its reach and is forward-thinking in its approach to managing the full range of Purchase to Pay and Source to Contract activity for the University’s non-pay expenditure of around £100m per year.

The Higher Education (HE) sector purchases an unparalleled range of goods and services. The Procurement team at Lancaster work with world-leading academics and colleagues from other Professional Services areas such as Facilities and Information Systems. A wide variety of categories are managed including Laboratory Supplies & Equipment, Travel, IT, Construction, Maintenance, and Business Support Services. Procurement at Lancaster is a well-established and mature function. We score highly on the sector-wide best practice procurement indicators and set stretch goals to continuously improve. This is a large and ambitious team within a people-focused organisation providing opportunities to progress and develop.

The Senior Buyer role requires experience in all parts of the procurement process from sourcing and tendering through to supplier management and purchase to pay. Prior experience in a relevant category is an advantage, however, you will work with technical Subject Matter Experts to deliver compliant and commercial procurement processes. You will lead a supplier management programme that delivers savings and soft benefits in line with the University’s strategy including our ambitious aim of achieving Carbon neutrality by 2035. You will have a proven track record of implementing successful process improvement, gaining buy-in from colleagues, and training others.

We offer a comprehensive set of benefits in addition to competitive salaries: final salary pension schemes, work-life balance, training & promotion opportunities, and staff recognition schemes.