Senior Buyer - Subcontracts (Heavy Civil Engineering)
Location: South West - Plymouth
Sector: Infrastructure / Heavy Civils
About the role
A leading Tier 1 civil engineering contractor, part of a major UK construction group, is seeking a Senior Buyer (Subcontracts) to join its procurement team in the South West. The business delivers complex, high-profile infrastructure projects across sectors including maritime, flood risk management, defence, energy, water and regeneration, providing innovative engineering solutions through an integrated, multidisciplinary approach.
Key accountabilities
* Develop tender lists and undertake full due diligence of proposed subcontractors for approval by the project and procurement leadership teams
* Develop project-specific procurement strategies in collaboration with project teams, identifying and managing risk and opportunity to achieve best value
* Develop and manage procurement schedules aligned with project programmes
* Prepare and issue subcontract and materials enquiries for tender and project delivery
* Manage timely return of quotations, complete detailed commercial and best-value analysis, and present recommendations for approval
* Lead commercial negotiations with subcontractors and suppliers
* Arrange and chair mid-tender, post-tender, final negotiation and pre-let meetings
* Ensure compliance with internal governance and correct use of procurement documentation and approval processes
* Chair regular project procurement reviews, tracking programme dates, tender allowances, order values, risks and actions
* Support project teams by monitoring subcontractor performance and acting as a commercial mediator where supply chain issues ariseManage new subcontractor onboarding, including all required due diligence
* Maintain strong knowledge of the local supply chain, including capacity, capability and market conditions
* Implement and manage supply chain agreements, including frameworks and preferred supplier arrangements
* Build strong relationships with the supply chain to gather market intelligence and drive innovation
About you
* Proven experience working in heavy civil engineering procurement, with a strong focus on subcontract buying
* Experience operating within regulated or secure environments is advantageous (e.g. defence, nuclear, critical infrastructure)
* Holding or working towards a CIPS professional qualification
* Strong understanding of civil engineering trades, subcontract packages and construction materials
* Good working knowledge of different forms of contract (e.g. NEC or similar)
* Strong commercial awareness with excellent analytical and negotiation skills
* Comfortable managing a varied workload with minimal supervision
* IT-literate, with experience using Excel, Word, Teams and procurement / document management systems
* Ability to obtain security clearance as required by project demands
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