Category Buyer

Are you a data driven, high energy professional who thrives on turning insight into action? We're looking for an enthusiastic and diligent Category Buyer to join our Procurement Team in Walsall. You'll play a key role in driving efficiency and governance across our procurement function. This role is perfect for someone who enjoys working with data at scale - with a strong focus on analytics, reporting, and governance - while also gaining hands on exposure to the commercial side of buying. You'll be at the heart of improving processes, optimising performance, and supporting smarter decision making across the business. If you're passionate about data, curious about procurement, and motivated to deliver high output results in a fast paced environment, this is a fantastic opportunity to build your career in purchasing and commercial operations. We work in a hybrid way, with a requirement to travel into our Walsall office 2-3 times a week to work with the team. The Procurement function delivers measurable and sustainable value through a structured, data-led approach to sourcing, cost management, and supplier performance. This role supports the Category Management team across the full procurement lifecycle. Core Responsibilities 1. Procurement Analytics & Reporting

• Produce and continuously improve monthly procurement reporting, including:
• Spend analysis
• Purchase order (PO) reporting
• Savings tracking and validation
Develop and maintain dashboards and reports to provide actionable insights to stakeholders Support identification of cost reduction and efficiency opportunities through data analysis Undertake supply market analysis 2. Procurement - Low-Risk/Low-Value
• Be responsible for low-value, low-risk purchasing:
• Produce tender documentation when needed and support evaluation processes where required
3. Process Administration & Governance
• Administer the supplier onboarding process, ensuring appropriate approvals and compliance controls are in place
• Support the administration of the supplier management framework, including performance reporting
• Claim supplier rebates to ensure full value realisation
• Review requisitions for compliance with procurement policies and identify opportunities for optimisation
• Conduct sample audit checks on supplier pricing and invoices to ensure contractual compliance
• Undertake credit checks on suppliers and report findings
4. Stakeholder & Supplier Engagement
• Build effective working relationships with internal stakeholders to:
• Understand requirements
• Support specification development
• Promote procurement best practice
Provide guidance on sourcing routes and ensure efficient purchasing processes Support supplier rationalisation and consolidation initiatives,
• Accuracy, quality and timeliness of procurement reporting
• Effective administration of procurement processes and controls
• Delivery of measurable savings through analytics and low-value sourcing activity
• Compliance with procurement policy and governance requirements
• Positive engagement with stakeholders and suppliers
  
  A sound understanding of the procurement lifecycle
• IT literate with experience of Microsoft Office applications (must be a competent user of MS Excel)
• Experience in procurement, purchasing, or a commercial/analytical role
• Experience of compiling tender documents and contributing commercial terms
• Commercial acumen
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy
• Effective communication and stakeholder engagement skills
• Commercial awareness and problem-solving capability
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines
• Self-starter with the ability to work independently and proactively identify improvements
Desirable:
• MCIPS or progress towards qualification
• Experience in a data-driven or analytical role
• Experience supporting tendering and contract development processes
• Experience using procurement or finance systems
• Excellent communication skills, with a strong customer service focus