Senior Buyer – Software & Customer Experience

Overview

In this Senior Buyer role, you will lead end-to-end software and related services procurement, shaping strategic direction and commercial management. You will serve as the subject matter expert for the technologies you manage, partnering with stakeholders to drive value and risk mitigation. The position focuses on optimizing cost, supplier performance, and contract quality within a dynamic, cross-functional environment. You will present business cases to senior leadership and help develop the operating model for a best-in-class software procurement function.

Pay / Benefits

• Structured career development framework
• 25 days’ holiday + bank holidays
• Enhanced company pension scheme
• Discretionary annual bonus
• Private medical insurance and health cash plan
• Life assurance benefit

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end commodity management from concept to performance review
• Develop and execute global procurement strategies for complex software-related needs
• Negotiate and manage contracts with software providers and drive supplier performance
• Own lifecycle cost, risk, and cost-optimisation opportunities for software and related services
• Maintain and expand supplier relationships, seek innovative partners and favourable terms
• Collaborate with stakeholders to optimise supplier outcomes and support team capability building
• Contribute to operating model development and cross-functional alignment of software procurement processes
• Present high-level business cases to senior leadership for critical decisions

Key requirements

• Significant procurement experience, preferably in product development, ideally automotive/aerospace/consumer electronics or indirect IT procurement
• Contract drafting and negotiation across software supply agreements
• Proven end-to-end supplier management including strategy, sourcing, delivery, cost, value and risk
• Experience managing large software enterprises and smaller SW vendors
• Solid knowledge of software technologies and supply base, with an industry network
• Collaborative mindset with strong influencing skills and ability to build networks across the business
• Ability to analyse software development costs, licensing, maintenance, and support to optimise value
• Ability to assess business requirements and propose commercial models that may generate revenue for the business
• Knowledge of software risks (Open Source, quality, cyber threats, AI) and mitigation strategies
• Innovative, curious, and open to challenging status quo to improve processes

• collaborative
• influencing
• open-minded
• software procurement strategy
• contract drafting and negotiation
• supplier relationship management

…