Buyer

Company Description

SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 95,000 employees, we operate a network of more than 2,400 offices and laboratories around the world.

We aim to be the most competitive and the most productive service organization in the world. Our core competencies in inspection, verification, testing and certification are being continuously improved to be best-in-class. They are at the heart of what we are.

**Job Description**:

- ** Job Title**: Buyer**:

- ** Job Type**:Permanent
- ** Hours**: 37.5 per week
- ** Job Location**:Ellesmere Port
- ** Salary**: Negotiable

**Benefits / perks**:

- Private Medical Cover
- 4-8% matching company pension contributions,
- 4x Life Assurance,
- 24 days Annual Leave (increasing with service) plus bank holidays, Birthday Leave Scheme
- Enhanced maternity/paternity and adoption pay,
- Length of Service Awards, Health & Wellbeing initiatives, Christmas Vouchers.

SGS has an exciting new job opportunity for a Procurement Officer to join their established and friendly team at the Head Office in Ellesmere Port.

**Main purpose of the role**

You will provide active participation in the SGS procurement strategy, liaising with the UK stakeholders, global category managers, wider procurement organisation and external suppliers. Provide support and adherence compliance to all existing policies and processes to the highest levels of effectiveness in the UK procurement function as well as the identification and development of new policies and procedures that will assist in delivering the SGS Finance and Procurement strategies and targets. Delivering performance against agreed strategic objectives and ultimately ensuring that value for money is maximised and cost savings are generated.

**Key accountabilities**
- To proactively work with managers to rapidly identify and implement major procurement opportunities within the UK businesses and promote procurement aims.
- Manage spend visibility pipeline and promote the culture of recording savings made within the UK.
- To work with managers and negotiate contracts with suppliers to ensure that value for money and excellent service levels are maintained and optimised across all categories of expenditure.
- Support the buyer role in Oracle, including new supplier requests and validation versus SGS preferred suppliers
- To support continuous improvement in the procure to pay process, ensuring that costs can be monitored, reviewed and controlled in line with Finance procedures.
- Support the identification and creation of supplier catalogues on Oracle for the majority of spend.
- To design appropriate reporting and monitoring mechanisms that identify cost savings by category, business and branch.
- Identify supplier synergies between Group suppliers, UK branches and the recent UK company acquisitions.
- To produce other procurement and supplier information and analysis which supports the SGS in achieving continued value, creativity, quality, operational efficiency and sustainability in the entire supply chain and highlights areas where the performance can be improved.
- Support the UK Financial Services Department in the completion relevant tasks associated with the efficient and timely delivery of the department.
- To develop productive relationships with operational managers and circulate regular procurement updates with a view to further developing and raising the procurement culture and awareness across the business.

**Qualifications**:
Essential
- Excellent communication, listening and strong negotiating skills.
- Able to work on own initiative or part of a team.
- Able to demonstrate a commitment to customer services for external in internal customers.

Desirable
- Appreciation of standard supplier contracts and the Oracle P2P modules.

**Experience**

Essential
- Experience in liaising with many stakeholders.
- Extensive experience working in a similar senior buyer role.
- Proven experience of working in a Procurement function.
- Educated to A Level standard or equivalent
- Full driving licence for use in the UK.

Desirable
- Experience of leading and delivering projects requiring change management with senior stakeholders
- Educated to degree level or equivalent.
- Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (L4)

Additional Information