Supply Chain Specialist

Supply Chain Specialist

Bristol
£45,000 – £60,000 per annum
12-Month Fixed-Term Contract

We are recruiting on behalf of an established, highly technical manufacturing business for an experienced Supply Chain Specialist to join their Procurement and Supply Chain function on a 12-month fixed-term contract.

This is a key role supporting New Product Introduction (NPI) and engineering projects, taking ownership of the supply chain elements of projects from the development and prototype stages through to product launch.

Working closely with Design Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Procurement, Strategic Sourcing and Project teams, you will ensure new products are supported by a capable, commercially viable and appropriately structured supply chain.

The position would suit an experienced procurement or supply chain professional who is comfortable operating autonomously within a complex engineering or manufacturing environment and who has experience managing sourcing activities as part of NPI or project-based programmes.

The Role

As Supply Chain Specialist, you will act as the procurement lead across a number of concurrent engineering and NPI projects.

You will take responsibility for ensuring prototype and production parts are sourced in line with project timescales, quality requirements and cost targets, while developing the longer-term supply chain required ahead of product launch.

The role requires a combination of procurement, supplier management, project management and technical manufacturing understanding, with the ability to coordinate multiple stakeholders and make commercially sound decisions.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Acting as the Supply Chain and Procurement representative within NPI and project teams.
• Programme managing supply chain activities across multiple concurrent projects.
• Working closely with Design Engineers, Manufacturing Engineers and project governance teams to ensure prototype components are sourced in line with project requirements.
• Establishing an appropriate and capable production supply chain ahead of new product launches.
• Ensuring sourcing decisions support project cost, quality and delivery objectives.
• Preparing vendor selection and sourcing documentation, business cases and sourcing board packs.
• Developing and maintaining project plans covering timescales, critical path activities and completion dates.
• Producing and maintaining project dashboards to monitor progress, scope changes and schedules.
• Participating in supplier selection and assessment.
• Visiting key suppliers during selection, development and implementation where required.
• Acting as the key supplier contact on behalf of individual projects until long-term supply arrangements are established.
• Managing and communicating new product designs and engineering changes with suppliers.
• Working with suppliers and internal engineering teams to ensure manufacturing requirements are clearly understood.
• Considering intellectual property implications associated with critical manufacturing processes.
• Negotiating with suppliers to achieve appropriate pricing and overall acquisition costs.
• Ensuring appropriate ERP/MRP compliance throughout the procurement process.

The Candidate

We are looking for an experienced Supply Chain, Procurement or Purchasing professional with a strong background within an engineering, manufacturing or production environment.

You should be comfortable working with technical and engineering teams and capable of taking ownership of the supply chain requirements of a project rather than operating solely within a transactional purchasing environment.

You will ideally be able to demonstrate:

• Significant experience within Procurement, Purchasing or Supply Chain.
• Experience supporting New Product Introduction (NPI) or engineering-led projects.
• Experience sourcing prototype and production components.
• Strong supplier sourcing, selection, negotiation and relationship management experience.
• Experience working alongside Design and Manufacturing Engineering teams.
• Project or programme management experience.
• The ability to manage several projects and conflicting priorities simultaneously.
• Experience operating autonomously and taking ownership of supply chain project deliverables.
• A strong understanding of cost, quality and delivery within a manufacturing supply chain.
• Strong commercial awareness and supplier negotiation skills.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Strong Excel and data analysis capabilities.
• Good working knowledge of ERP and MRP systems, ideally including JD Edwards, SAP or Oracle.
• Experience working within an engineering or production environment where deadlines, engineering changes and delivery requirements are critical.

A purchasing qualification such as CIPS Level 4, or equivalent experience gained within a purchasing function, would be beneficial.

A technical qualification such as an HNC, HND or Degree in an engineering or related technical discipline would also be advantageous.

Personal Attributes

The successful candidate will be proactive, commercially aware and confident working with stakeholders across Engineering, Manufacturing, Procurement and Supply Chain.

You will need to be able to make well-informed decisions, challenge where appropriate and anticipate potential supply chain issues before they impact project delivery.

Strong attention to detail, resilience and the ability to manage changing priorities will be important, alongside the confidence to take genuine ownership of your projects.

Salary & Contract

Salary: £45,000 – £60,000 per annum, dependent upon experience
Contract: 12-Month Fixed-Term Contract
Location: Bristol

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Supply Chain or Procurement professional to join a sophisticated engineering and manufacturing environment and play a key role in the successful introduction of new products.

Our client is committed to creating an inclusive working environment and welcomes applications from candidates from all backgrounds. Recruitment decisions will be based on skills, experience and suitability for the role.

We are acting as a recruitment agency in relation to this vacancy.