Job profiles

Senior Buyer

What is in the Senior Buyer job description?

As a senior buyer, you’ll manage the procurement of materials, goods and services for the organisation, ensuring that you are optimising the cost, cash, quality and service. You’ll drive added value through sourcing strategically, value engineering, innovation delivery and risk management.

What will be your responsibilities?

A Senior Buyers responsibilities broadly consist of the following things:

Influence key internal stakeholder relationships to drive delivery of group purchasing objectives.
Procurement of a portfolio of materials, goods or services within a category.
Deliver KPI’s relating to cost, cash, quality, service and continuity of supply for the portfolio.
Work with suppliers and influence internal stakeholders to implement the innovation strategy, and to evolve the strategy as technology, markets and business needs change.
Continuously gather, analyse, interpret and act upon market intelligence.
Communicate to internal stakeholders as appropriate.
Feedstock and market assumptions translated into annual budget and quarterly reforecast of portfolio spend. Assumptions documented.
Minimise risk to continuity of supply by carrying out supplier risk assessments for the portfolio’s suppliers and implementing corrective actions as required.
Ensure supply agreements are based upon formal legal T&C’s.

The CIPS Digital Academy

The CIPS Digital Academy provides access to learning programmes in procurement and supply. It enables your organisation to develop consistency in knowledge and skills and helps to reduce supply chain risk throughout your organisation.

Find out more

What qualifications do you need?

If you’re looking to move into an Senior Buyer role, you'll need the following qualifications and skills:

IT literate
Internal business knowledge
Understanding of budget holder procurement needs
Highly numerate
Problem solver
Influencer
Good communicator

CIPS Qualifications

To start your journey to become an Operations Manager, the ideal starting point is the Level 4 Diploma in Procurement and Supply. Once complete, move on to Level 5 and Level 6 qualifications that will take you all the way to MCIPS.

Find out more about our qualifications

What does a Senior Buyer get paid?

In the UK, typically a Senior Buyer gets paid on average £44,010 based on the UK Salary Guide 2023.

A Senior Buyer sits in the Managerial level and the breakdown is as follows:

Managerial

UK: £44,010
Australia: $149,380
New Zealand: $125,729
MENA: $66,590
South Africa: ZAR 793k
Sub-Saharan Africa: $39,289
North America: $99,998
Europe: €67,157

Salaries may increase if you are studying with CIPS or change sector. To find out more about the salaries of procurement and supply professionals let our salary calculator do the hard work for you.

Visit the Salary Calculator