JCB Purchasing are looking for Category Buyers to join the team

As we speak, JCB is continuing to innovate and push the boundaries in research and development; in particular within the area of sustainability, where energy costs and emissions are becoming an increasingly important purchasing consideration. Many of our customers will need to reinvent their businesses to meet new building standards and emissions legislation, we will be there to support them every step of the way, as we have always been, pioneering innovations such as our electric & hydrogen machines.

Today, JCB has 22 plants on four continents and more than 750 dealers around the world. We are going through a period of unprecedented growth, our order book is at record levels, and we are continuing to develop and release exciting new products to grow even further. In order to ensure this is achievable, we are looking for Category Buyers to grow our Strategic Purchasing team. These roles will report to the Category Manager, based at our World Headquarters in Rocester, Staffordshire.

Overview of the role / day in the life of a Category Buyer

If the past few years have taught us anything, it’s that no business can be successful without a robust and competitive supply chain. This is where our purchasing team step in, with our category teams being responsible for over £1bn annual spend across a number of category areas; they are key to ensuring JCB are sourcing the latest technology, at the right price, all from a supply base who are willing and able to grow with JCB.

Being part of these teams means thriving within a fast-paced environment where confident problem-solving and quick decision-making counts. We want our buyers to be the Category leads, and for you to propose the future direction of our sourcing. You will work within guidelines and processes, to ensure we understand the business needs for each category area, evaluate our current supply base and understand what we need to change to support the future of JCB, considering Cost, Quality, Capacity and Technology. In order to achieve this, you’ll need to work closely with all aspects of the business including, Sales, Engineering, Research, Quality, Operations and can create a great level of exposure across JCB.

You’ll be the global lead buyer for your categories, and we expect you to manage the supplier relationships in order to add value to JCB, ensuring we are a priority customer. You’ll work closely with our global purchasing teams to support and manage supply escalations, as well as taking the lead in our commercial negotiations.

Whilst this role is focused on the strategic aspects of purchasing, the buyers need to have a close relationship with the operational purchasing teams who are managing the day-to-day activities. These teams are crucial to implementing the strategies created by the category teams, and managing the day-to-day escalations from Materials, Quality, New Product teams. These buyers are key in communicating what is working and what isn’t within the operational aspects of each category.

Responsibilities:

As a Category Buyer you will be responsible for developing category strategies to ensure we have a robust and competitive supply chain.

• Develop Category Strategies for each area of responsibility, working with the wider business to ensure strategies are implemented in a timely manner
• Ensure early engagement with engineering and suppliers to ensure we are sourcing the best products from the beginning of our projects
• Manage multiple resource / capacity projects with suppliers to ensure JCB can achieve our 5-year plan
• Identify and drive cost reduction activities across JCB
• Responsible for leading contractual negotiations for your suppliers (Long Term / Development / Warranty Agreements etc)
• Develop and lead global supplier relationships to deliver tangible mutual benefits
• Work with suppliers and engineering to identify new technologies to reduce cost and or add additional value to our machines
• Build strong relationships across JCB and the supply base, be responsible and accountable to make and influence key decisions that are in the best interest of JCB.

About you:

We’re looking for candidates with experience in the following areas:

• Significant procurement experience – preferably within a manufacturing business
• Experience developing and implementing successful long-term category strategies
• Understanding of key cost drivers within a supply base
• Confident negotiator with a proven record of creating cost ideas and delivering significant reductions
• Experience managing multiple projects and co-ordinating cross functional teams to ensure on-time delivery
• Experience working with a global supply base – ability to travel globally is a requirement for this role
• Experience managing high level supplier relationships & delivering tangible benefits – preferably within global organisations
• Ability to build strong internal relationships – preferably experience working closely with technical engineers

Personality Traits we’re looking for:

• Has a sense of urgency and determination to succeed
• Can operate in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities  
• Is resilient, adaptable and open to change
• Presents solutions rather than reasons why things cannot be done
• Strong communicator who can vary their approach depending on the audience
• Works well within a team, supports and drives others where needed

What’s in it for you?

To say thank you for your hard work, we will work with you to support your career progression and development. We will also provide a competitive salary, company pension scheme, medical insurance and dental care schemes, access to the company’s on-site gym, 33 days annual leave and flexibility around daily start and finish times. As a JCB employee, you will also be able to access the incredible JCB Golf & Country Club.

You will also have access to JCB’s Reward Hub – giving you fantastic savings across a huge range of high street retailers, as well as access to exclusive company perks such as our Cycle to Work Scheme.

JCB: Building a Brighter Future

JCB is an equal opportunities employer. We value diversity and welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds.

Recruitment Agencies: JCB does not accept any speculative approaches to present candidates for advertised vacancies.