Category Buyer

About the Role: Join the procurement team of one of Northern Ireland's leading companies. NI Water is expanding its successful procurement team and is looking for a Category Buyer. This is an excellent opportunity if you enjoy working with people, have an eye for detail and want to see the difference you can make at work. Procurement is all about buying the goods and services NI Water needs and is a varied, challenging and rewarding profession and a much sought after skill in all Northern Ireland's businesses. NI Water's procurement team has been recognised for its creativity and delivery, winning awards locally and nationally. You don't need to know much about procurement, NI Water will train you in all aspects of procurement and pay for you to study to become a member of the prestigious Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply. NI Water is looking for people who can become the procurement leaders of the future. Apply now to take your first step to becoming our future leader of procurement. Key Activities- Duties & Responsibilities: A. Tender and Contract Management • Manage tender and contract extension activities assigned by line manager so that NI Water achieves best value for money and has continuous contract coverage; • Support the Category Managers with tender management activities for tenders in their portfolios; • Ensure that procurement best practice is followed at all times, undertaking research to identify market trends, user needs and objectives, including data analysis; • Use eTendersNI, including e-Auctions, to manage tenders and contract extensions as required; • Liaise with colleagues in other teams to develop and communicate tender and contract documents. • Deal with day to day queries and issues on procurement matters. B. Category Management • Support Category Managers in their duties. • Participate in and support Category Councils (teams) to achieve their objectives. C. Stakeholders • Provide training, guidance, support and challenge to relevant key stakeholders in the preparation of tender documents against agreed timetables to ensure compliance with relevant standards; D. Compliance • Ensure that all tendering activity complies with EU Procurement Directives, the Utilities Contracts Regulations and NI Water's procurement policies and procedures, including NI Water's procurement quality management system; • Undertake ISO 9001 internal audits. E. Project Management • Use project management principles to manage tender and contract extension activities; • Manage a range of non-tender projects as required to deliver team objectives. This could include leading the implementation of a new system, designing training materials, researching new ways of working. F. Line management • Line manage the Assistant Buyer in compliance with NI Water's policies and procedures ensuring that Assistant Buyers are trained and developed in their role. G. Reporting • Produce reports for category councils, category managers and contract managers/owners and assist in compilation of reports for external stakeholders. • Accurately maintain NI Water's contracts monitoring database, eTendersNI and other data sources as required; H. Processing • Ensure Assistant Buyer converts purchase requisitions into purchase orders in compliance with NI Water's procurement procedures. • Approve purchase orders above the Assistant Buyer's delegated authority. I. General • Represent Operational Procurement in cross-functional meetings and external meetings; • Deputise for line manager or other colleagues as required; • Provide procurement support to major incidents; • Minute taking; • Other duties as required by management. NI Water is an Equal Opportunities Employer. CV's will not be accepted. Please see Job Description for further details and to apply.