Buyer - Broadlands Business Campus Near Horsham

Role Overview: We are building a brand new Purchasing and Payment capability in our Broadlands Business Centre which will provide client focussed, best in class support to stakeholders globally across the full cost lifecycle. This is an exciting opportunityto join and to help build from the ground up.
You will be responsible for leveraging appropriate transactional buying channels by maintaining supplier lists and panels, rate cards and contract renewals. You will support Group Procurement to develop and embed our transactional buying framework and policies.This includes taking ownership of the review and challenge of supplier on-boarding and new category requests and supporting the business through the transactional buying process. This will involve ensuring compliance with policies, and regular engagement withGroup Procurement colleagues and stakeholders around the organisation.
Who we're looking for
They will be articulate when engaging stakeholders with a willingness to provide a service whilst recognising the key control role they play in mitigating supply chain risk.
They will be enthusiastic, curious, keen to learn and understand the Schroders supply chain to best leverage our incumbent suppliers whilst constantly seeking to improve process and service offering.
They will have experience of negotiating and buying services from suppliers, considering the appropriate buying channels.
About Schroders
We're a global investment manager. We help institutions, intermediaries and individuals around the world invest money to meet their goals, fulfil their ambitions, and prepare for the future.
We have around 5,000 people on six continents. And we've been around for over 200 years, but keep adapting as society and technology changes. What doesn't change is our commitment to helping our clients, and society, prosper.
The base
You'll be based at our Broadlands Business Campus near Horsham in West Sussex. It's home to our EMEA Operations and Technology Operations hub.
The team
You will be based in Broadlands Purchasing and Payables Service Centre, responsible for ensuring that Schroders leverages appropriate transactional buying channels and effectively manages the supply chain. This will involve working closely with Procurement,Third Party Supplier Risk and Finance Operations colleagues.
What you'll do
- Act as a gate-keeper, reviewing and challenging supplier on-boarding and new category requests.
- Work closely with internal business colleagues to understand their requirements and guide them through the transactional buying process ensuring that the appropriate buying channels are leveraged.
- Provide buying advice and purchasing support to internal business stakeholders.
- Liaise with Group Procurement managers to support the set-up and maintenance of Preferred Supplier Lists (PSLs), framework agreements, rate cards and product / service catalogues.
- Validate category set-ups and new supplier requests against existing supplier list.
- Undertake transactional Request for Quotation (RFQ) activity on behalf of business stakeholders.
- Support Group Procurement Managers to implement a Purchasing/Virtual card for low spend activity.
- Advise business stakeholders on whether to expense via corporate card or set up a new supplier.
- Manage contract renewal cycles, engaging with Group Procurement managers as required.
- Proactively review the supply chain tail, liaising with Group Procurement Managers and the supplier oversight team to periodically delist suppliers.
- Act as first point of contact for transactional buying queries, developing stakeholder relationships, challenging and influencing to ensure the best outcome for Schroders.
- Undertake ServiceNow & Oracle Fusion maintenance as required.
- Provide regular feedback to Group Procurement Managers highlighting trends, challenges, issues and opportunities that may become evident through business stakeholder engagement.
- Champion continual improvement and procurement best practice within the global business.
- Contributing to the strategic goals of Procurement, Finance and Schroders.
The knowledge, experience and qualifications you need
- Experience of transactional Buying and buying channel management, utilising PSLs, framework agreements, rate cards and catalogues.
- Experience of preparing, issuing and analysing a Request for Quotation (RFQ).
- Experience of building and maintaining strong Stakeholder Relationships providing both support and challenge.
- Strong negotiation and supplier engagement skills.
- Excellent IT and numeracy skills, especially Microsoft Office.
- Experience of process implementation, management and improvement.
- Demonstrable experience operating in a commercially focussed / strategic procurement team.
- Track record of global / regional delivery across complex environments.
- Demonstrable experience of utilising and managing procurement systems and tools.
- Strong analytics experience in order to understand and interpret information, bringing insight.
The knowledge, experience and qualifications that will help
- Experience of using P2P and procurement systems.
- Experience of ServiceNow (TechLink) and Oracle Fusion systems.
- Experience of using Power BI reporting suite.
- Data focus, commitment to ensuring integrity of all data held.
- Experience of coordinating a transactional procurement implementation project and transitioning to a business as usual operating model.
- Additional language(s) an advantage.
What you'll be like
- Capable of remaining positive when under pressure.
- Flexible approach to work with an ability to adapt to change.
- Friendly, approachable, enjoys working and contributing to the team.
- Ability to work with mínimal supervision in a dynamic and time critical environment.
- Attention to detail with a 'right first time' mind-set.
- Continuous improvement mind-set, challenges the status quo and seeks self improvement.
- Analytical, capable of taking data and presenting findings to inform colleagues and stakeholders.
- Excellent organisation, communication, project management, presentation and problem solving skills.
- Able to influence and persuade others, whilst building strong working relationships.
- Earn respect from colleagues and willing to complete tasks at either end of the complex