Assistant Buyer

Connect it Utility Services is a leading provider of multi-utility and infrastructure solutions, supporting major residential, commercial and renewable energy projects across the UK. Due to continued growth, we are looking for an organised and proactive Assistant Buyer to join our Procurement team and support the delivery of efficient purchasing services across the business.

Based at our head office in Hedge End, Southampton, with core hours between 8am and 4pm.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with purchasing, procurement or supply chain experience who enjoys working in a fast-paced environment, building supplier relationships and ensuring operational teams have the materials, equipment and services they need to deliver projects successfully.

Responsibilities

• Place day-to-day orders for materials, plant, equipment, PPE, civils materials and services, ensuring operational requirements are understood, approved and ordered accurately.
• Manage procurement email inboxes and telephone enquiries, providing prompt and professional responses to internal and external stakeholders.
• Obtain and review supplier quotations where required, checking pricing, availability, lead times and product suitability against operational requirements.
• Confirm agreed rates and select approved suppliers in accordance with company procedures, delegated authority levels and procurement controls.
• Raise, check and issue purchase orders for stock items, collections and direct-to-site deliveries, ensuring accuracy of quantities, descriptions, pricing, delivery locations and project codes.
• Issue purchase orders to suppliers and obtain acknowledgements confirming acceptance of pricing, specifications and required delivery dates.
• Monitor and progress open purchase orders, proactively chasing suppliers to ensure delivery commitments are achieved.
• Manage back orders, part deliveries and overdue purchase orders, escalating concerns where delivery issues could impact projects or operational activities.
• Maintain accurate procurement records including purchase order information, quotations, supplier details, goods receipts, pricing data and product information within Salesforce and other business systems.
• Support the administration of supplier rate cards and product catalogues, including recording validity dates and highlighting missing, expired or inconsistent information.
• Work closely with Operational, Project Management, Commercial, Warehouse, Transport, Estimating and Finance teams to coordinate requirements and maintain effective procurement handovers.
• Provide accurate reporting on open orders, overdue orders, supplier responses, expected delivery dates and outstanding procurement actions.
• Assist with resolving routine pricing, delivery, availability and invoice queries through effective communication with suppliers and internal departments.
• Ensure all purchasing activities comply with company procedures, delegated authority limits, budget controls, anti-bribery requirements, ISO management systems and procurement governance standards.

Skills Required

• Experience within purchasing administration, procurement support, buying, order processing or supply chain coordination roles.
• Experience within utilities, construction, infrastructure or a similar operational environment would be advantageous, including familiarity with utility materials, plant hire, PPE, consumables and civils products.
• Ability to take ownership of the purchasing process from receipt of an approved requirement through to order placement, supplier communication and delivery completion.
• Good understanding of procurement activities including quotations, purchase orders, supplier acknowledgements, delivery scheduling and goods receipt processes.
• Strong administrative skills with the ability to manage a high volume of purchasing activity while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.
• Experience checking quotations, pricing schedules, supplier rates and purchasing information to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Confident written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to develop positive working relationships with suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Ability to work effectively with operational teams and respond to changing project requirements in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to resolve routine order, pricing, availability, delivery and invoice discrepancies.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Outlook and Word.
• Experience using purchasing, accounting, ERP or CRM systems, with Salesforce experience considered advantageous.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines while maintaining a high level of service.

Educational Requirements

• GCSE (or equivalent) in Mathematics and English.
• A Levels, preferably in business-related subjects, desirable.
• Business Administration, Procurement or Supply Chain qualifications desirable, or relevant experience within a purchasing, procurement or buying support role.
• An interest in pursuing professional procurement or supply chain qualifications would be advantageous.

Connect it is an equal opportunities employer, and we value diversity and promote equality across our business. We welcome applications from all sections of society and are always happy to discuss reasonable adjustments and/or additional arrangements as required to support your application. The terminology used in this advert is not intended to discriminate against any of the protected characteristics that fall under the Equality Act 2010.

By submitting your application for this position, you are authorising for your personal information to be treated in accordance with GDPR. All information submitted to us in relation to your application will be stored confidentially and will only be used in accordance with the Connect it Privacy Policy.