Senior Category Buyer

Role Overview

Senior Category Buyer
Permanent
Liverpool (Hybrid Working)
Competitive Salary + Great Benefits + Car Allowance

Overview

Here at Yodel, we deliver more than just parcels we deliver a great experience when it comes to your career too. Yodel is a leading provider of delivery services, handling third-party supplier spend of approximately £270m per annum. We rely on a network of around 540 active suppliers across various categories, including Professional Services, Utilities, Logistics, Fleet, IT, Facilities Management, Engineering, Marketing, and HR. As a company, we are committed to achieving our business objectives and delivering value to our customers.

As a Senior Category Buyer at Yodel, you will be an integral part of our Procurement function, responsible for delivering contractual and project initiatives. Your objective will be to align category strategies with senior business stakeholders, ensuring compliance with governance procedures, driving value for money commercial decisions, and mitigating supply chain risks. With a proactive approach, you will manage third-party contracts and suppliers, making procurement recommendations and implementing changes to achieve cost control, savings targets, and operational efficiencies.

What you'll be doing

As a Senior Buyer, you will play a crucial role within Yodel's Procurement team, providing guidance and support to team members. Together, we aim to create an inclusive and diverse culture and implement procurement industry best practices that deliver sustainable and innovative solutions for the company. In addition to these duties, you will be responsible for the following:

Develop, manage, and implement category strategies aligned with organisational objectives, maximising business benefits.
Conduct sub-category reviews, ensuring operational efficiencies, risk mitigation, and development of supplier relationship management (SRM) with preferred/critical suppliers.
Project manage multiple high-value and complex projects, engaging with key stakeholders and ensuring timely delivery.
Write and execute procurement sourcing strategies, RFx's, ITN's, and other procurement-related documents, ensuring compliance with internal policies and regulations.
Draft supply agreements and amendments, collaborating with Yodel's Legal team to protect business interests.
Build strong working relationships with suppliers and internal stakeholders, promoting continuous performance improvement.
Provide guidance and support to team members, ensuring accurate recording of project initiatives, savings, and contract re-lettings.
Support the implementation of Procurement policies, processes, and governance frameworks.
Lead and develop cross-functional project teams, driving change within the organisation.
Support the execution of the Procurement Functional Strategy, aligning with People, Performance, Value, Sustainability, and Governance.
Contribute to procurement business planning, opportunity analysis, and contract re-letting.
Manage internal relationships across all levels of the business, ensuring stakeholder satisfaction with Procurement activities.
Act as a Procurement Business Partner, adding value to stakeholders, attending key meetings, and obtaining business buy-in to procurement business plans.
Engage with external customers as required based on specific customer requirements.
Ensure data accuracy in procurement supply contracts database and communicate re-letting plans to stakeholders.
Provide key Procurement Management Information to the Director of Procurement, highlighting risks, issues, opportunities for improvement, and tracking procurement benefits and re-lettings.What you need to show us

Degree qualification preferred.
MCIPS or working towards it.
Procurement experience in category and contract management.
Proficiency in supplier evaluation methodologies and negotiation.
Strong project management skills.
Experience in contract management and monitoring supplier performance.
Excellent networking, stakeholder management, and supplier relationship skills.
Commercial and contractual awareness.
Ability to write RFx's, ITN's, and procurement strategies.
Excellent communication and facilitation skills.
Knowledge of the procurement lifecycle would be desirable.
Ability to influence and form partnerships with stakeholders.
Presentation skills for engaging with stakeholders and suppliers.
Proficiency in procurement policies, processes, and governance frameworks.
Energetic and self-motivated with excellent communication skills.
Fluent in business English.
Proficient in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
Strong project management and analytical skills.Why work with us

If you are an enthusiastic and self-motivated Senior Buyer, then come and join Yodel's Commercial team with genuine career progression and development. The successful candidate will receive the following great benefits:

Competitive remuneration package
Car Allowance
Mixture of office and home working
Private Medical Insurance
Business casual dress code
Free personal & professional development courses
Pension Scheme
Up to 25% discount on (url removed)
33 days holiday including bank holidays.
Free parking
On-site modern gym facilities (includes many classes per week including HIIT and yoga)
In the office you will have access to Costa, Juice bar, Starbucks* and restaurant.
Dedicated wellness initiatives that support your wellbeing, ranging from our 24-hour employee assistance programme to subsidised gym membership.What happens next?

After reviewing your application, our recruitment team will contact you if you are successful. We will arrange a brief call to further explore your background and qualifications, as well as address any questions you may have. If it appears that there is a good fit, we will share your application with the hiring manager for their review.

For this position, our interview process consists of two stages:

First stage: You will participate in a 30-minute video call with the hiring manager. This discussion will focus on your skills and relevant experience.

Second stage: If you progress beyond the initial stage, you will be invited to a formal interview lasting approximately one hour. During this interview, you can anticipate a combination of competency-based and technical questions.

Yodel recognises that its people are fundamental to its success. We are committed to equal opportunities, we value differences between people, and we aim to build teams that represent a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills.

If you would like to discuss any accessibility requirements for the recruitment process or the role, please contact the recruitment team who will be happy to discuss