Operational Buyer (Site)

Job Summary

Our Indirect Commodity Management & Procurement Excellence team is on the lookout for an Indirect Operational Buyer to join us at our Global Technology Centre (GTC) in Bristol—the place where brilliant engineers, cutting-edge innovation, and central head office functions (think HR, Finance, IT, and more) all come together. We’ve teamed up with the UK Government for a £32M investment through the Aerospace Technology Institute to create the GTC, and now we need YOU to make procurement excellence part of the magic happening here!

This role offers a hybrid working pattern, for an initiail 18 month fixed term contract.

How You'll Contribute

We’re building something new and exciting! We’ve got strong central indirect procurement in place—preferred suppliers, contracts, category buyers—all the essentials. But what we don’t have (yet!) is local dedicated operational buying support—someone to help stakeholders navigate the admin, from raising POs to finding the right supplier or choosing the correct contract or, if not yet existing, help to create that. In addition to supporting the GTC, you will also support the central functions of our UK global headquarter.

That’s where you come in.

 We’re on a mission to bring real operational buying support to all indirect categories—from real estate and maintenance to consultants, tooling, IT, transport, and beyond. We want indirect procurement to feel more personal, more collaborative, and way more efficient. Your job? Be right there where the transactions happen, making sure stakeholders feel supported and processes get smoother.

By adding this on-the-ground support, we’re making procurement more personal, more integrated, and more connected. Instead of stakeholders handling purchasing in isolation, you’ll be their trusted guide, ensuring smooth transactions and building closer relationships between procurement and the business.

And that’s not all—this role is our eyes and ears on the ground. You’ll gather feedback on how our suppliers are performing, what’s working, and where we can improve. Your insights will help category buyers and managers refine our procurement strategies, making sure we’re always raising the bar.

What are we expecting from you in 3 months, one year, and beyond?

First 3 months: You’ve become a familiar face across Indirect Procurement—category buyers and category managers will know you’re our Procurement Ops “go-to” for the GTC and the UK Centrals functions (a.o. IT, HR, Legal). Stakeholders alike will know you as their go-to person for purchase orders and procurement support. You’ll also dive into community groups and GTC and UK Centrals activities (because networking + fun = win-win). Most importantly, you’ll listen to engineers, to colleagues, to the system itself—to spot what works and what doesn’t. You’ll be introduced and trained by our current Operational Buyer that will go on maternity leave, at which point other team members will step in and continue to support you and help you grow.

One year in: This role will truly belong to you. You’ll own indirect procurement operations at GTC and UK Centrals, fine-tuning quick-win process improvements and making things run smoother.

~18 months in: You’ll have made several impactful improvements to processes and communication, feeding valuable insights to category buyers and managers to shape better procurement strategies. Your next career move could be on the horizon. GKN is a fast paced organization where regularly new positions open. This starting position could be a perfect steppingstone—whether it’s specializing in buying or transitioning into a category-focused role, we’ll support you in building a development path to get there.

What You'll Bring

To help us make a difference, you’ll bring your passion and expertise/ talent for what you do along with the following skills, experience, qualifications and attributes:

Two of your superpowers? Stakeholder & relationship management: People genuinely enjoy working with you—you make things easy, engaging, and fun! Process improvement: You love being organised, bringing structure to chaos, and ensuring things work as seamlessly as possible.

You’re a self-starter with ambition, ready to build relationships, solve problems, and refine solutions as needed.

Experience:

• You've worked as a buyer in a mature operation handling indirect procurement for a significant spend (£30M+ ideally).
• You’ve got 3+ years of professional experience (5–7 years is ideal).
• You're an analytics whiz—pivot tables, VLOOKUPs, and spend management tools and AI are second nature to you.
• You've got experience in large-scale manufacturing or heavily regulated industries (aerospace, automotive, pharma, nuclear, etc.).
• A degree in a commercial field or an APICS/MCIPS qualification would be great!

What We'll Offer

We’ll offer you challenges that excite and opportunities that inspire. This is your chance to be part of a forward-thinking, industry-leading organisation that’s pushing boundaries—and you’ll be right at the heart of it in Indirect Procurement, directly where our company’s future is being shaped: our UK GTC and our global headquarter!

With some of the best training and development available, who knows how far you’ll go? We’re here to support your journey and see your career fly!

Perks & Benefits:

• Competitive salary (dependent on experience)
• Hybrid working—a mix of office and home flexibility
• Industry-leading pension scheme (we match up to 8% at a 1:1.5 ratio)
• Life assurance (8x your salary)
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• Income protection
• Shopping discounts
• Cycle To Work Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• A collaborative, dynamic working environment