Join to apply for the Senior Buyer role at Balfour Beatty plc
About the Role
Our Balfour Beatty Highways business has a terrific opportunity for a Senior Buyer to join our £1.2 billion Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) project, consisting of 43 bridges, including viaducts, 17 km of complex highway construction, complex utility diversions, and a scheme‑wide, industry‑leading approach to carbon reduction.
Balfour Beatty Highways maintains, manages and operates major highway networks across the UK and supports local authorities in creating communities where people want to live, work and play.
The Senior Buyer, as part of the wider Procurement Function, will work with other members of the LTC Project team to ensure the delivery of the LTC Procurement Strategy as well as procurement activity conducted in line with the main contract requirements, business objectives, strategy and processes.
What you’ll be doing
* Supporting the procurement, estimating and commercial teams with tendering, market analysis, supplier selection, risk and opportunity assessments, forecasting requirements.
* Carrying out the procurement process for complex packages in accordance with LTC procurement & supply chain management strategy, including:
o Preparation of request for proposals and quotations.
o Preparation and issuance of ITT documentation.
o Evaluation and analysis of supplier responses (both quantitative and qualitative).
o Assessment of value using most economically advantageous tender or social value evaluation techniques.
o Commercial checks for suppliers and past performance.
o Negotiations to enable short‑listing of suppliers.
o Short‑list recommendations to the Procurement Manager and project team, highlighting distinguishing factors and rationale.
o Final negotiations with selected suppliers to prepare contracts/orders and ensure compliance with BBV procurement governance.
o Supervision of direct reports, including buyers and graduate buyers, on procurement process activities.
o Regular reporting on procurement and supplier performance.
o Market monitoring to identify potential new suppliers and products, and engagement with suppliers to understand their offerings.
o Keeping abreast of market developments, demand trends and risks.
Who we’re looking for
* Substantial experience of complex procurement processes within a construction‑related environment.
* Proven track record in managing supplier relationships, negotiation and process compliance.
* Pragmatic yet disciplined approach to process compliance.
* Stakeholder management skills.
* Customer focused.
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
* Knowledge of procurement ERP and e‑tendering systems (e.g. Oracle, Jaggaer or similar).
* Supply chain management experience.
* Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
* Desirable: Understanding of legal frameworks and contract law (NEC).
* Desirable: MCIPS qualification, degree or equivalent (or working towards it).
Benefits
* An attractive / negotiated salary.
* 42 core base hours per week.
* 25 days annual leave (pro rata).
* Pension savings schemes.
* Whole host of other BB staff employee benefits (discounts, exclusive offers etc).
* Refer a friend bonus scheme.
* Family‑friendly policies: 28 weeks full pay for maternity/adoption leave and four weeks full pay for paternity/partner leave.
* Pension, share incentive plan, volunteering leave, recognition schemes and more.
* Scores of other Balfour Beatty opportunities via the careers portal.
Still interested? Join a business with 26,000 staff, £8.6 bn revenue last year, industry‑leading customer satisfaction scores and unrivaled employee engagement.
Why work for us
Day in, day out, our teams deliver some of the UK’s most ambitious, exciting and meaningful projects; developing, building and maintaining vital infrastructure that supports national economies and strengthens communities.
About Us
Balfour Beatty Highways delivers major schemes including motorway upgrade programmes, complex national infrastructure projects and regional investment programme works for National Highways. We have a strong orderbook and a positive pipeline of opportunities, putting the road user at the heart of everything we do. We work safely, reduce carbon emissions and add social value to the communities we serve.
Diversity and inclusion
We believe diversity and inclusion are essential components of a successful, happy workplace. Through our Value Everyone Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan, we are growing our diverse workforce and developing an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive and reach their full potential, regardless of their identity or background. To learn more, visit www.balfourbeatty.com/diversityandinclusion.
We are a Gold Award holder in the Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme and actively encourage applications from Armed Forces personnel, veterans and reservists.
As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to working with people who have disabilities and long‑term health conditions to remove barriers for them. We also offer applicants with a disability an interview if they meet the minimum requirements. For more info, visit https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/.
We are continually improving our resourcing process to ensure fairness and inclusion. Feedback on the process can be sent to candidaterecruitmentqueries@balfourbeatty.com.
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