Buyer - (Commercial Administrator)

Nationwide’s procurement function has gone through and continues to go through significant and successful transformation to ensure we deliver the best possible outcomes for Nationwide and our Members. Our operating model combines category alignment with business partnering focussed on the delivery of business and member outcomes.

We are looking for a Buyer with a commercial mindset and someone who is a self-starter who can support in delivering greater cost efficiency, deliver sustainable value through an effective and engaged supply base. You will be looking to start your career in Procurement, with an understanding of the importance of relationships, moving at pace and emerging markets. You are willing to take on the challenge, get stuck in and take ownership of the development opportunities provided.

At Nationwide we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected.

For this job you'll spend at least two days per week, or if part time you'll spend 40% of your working time, at one of our offices. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works. You can also find out more about our approach to hybrid working here.

If we receive a high volume of relevant applications, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so please apply as soon as you can.

What you’ll be doing

• Improve the commercial position for the contract portfolio you manage.
• Negotiate, draft and manage a simple contract portfolio with suppliers within a subcategory or contribute to more complex deals working alongside Procurement Managers.
• Learn to draft, manage, and optimise contractual documentation.
• Support and assist in creating monthly governance reports for the contract renewal pipeline and wider Technology Sourcing team.
• Deliver commercial outcomes for designated suppliers through delivery against category plans, development plans and governance frameworks.
• Use insight and interpersonal skills to drive planning with the business, leveraging existing relationships to balance risk and drive for the best commercial outcome.
• Work with Senior Buyers, Procurement Managers and Senior Procurement Managers in ensuring that value-based benefits are delivered and effectively managed.
• Ensure the maintenance and timely execution of Nationwide’s contract pipeline within remit.
• Support and assist in creating monthly governance reports for the contract renewal pipeline and wider Sourcing teams.
• Comply with all Nationwide Building Society policies and deliver against statutory, regulatory, supervisory and legal obligations.

About you

As a minimum requirement you’ll:

• You'll have a commercial background, ideally with experience managing third party relationships.
• Can demonstrate experience of managing Supplier Value Management and Commercial Contract Management activity and negotiations for designated suppliers / categories, through the delivery of account plans, development plans and supplier governance.
• Have a high degree of personal motivation, being a self-starter with a willingness to develop and learn.
• Be someone who can prioritise their workload, solve problems, and be used to working to deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficient in Microsoft 365 suite, including Excel (ideally experience with v-lookups, pivot tables), Word and PowerPoint.
• Be a confident communicator who can articulate themselves in a clear and precise way to a variety of stakeholders.
• Have good interpersonal skills including effective relationships building and stakeholder management.
• Have a structured and methodical approach to work with great organisational skills.
• Be agile in changing situations and drives for results.

It would be nice if you also had:

• Experience and passion for technology.

Our Customer First behaviours are all about putting customers and members at the heart of how we work together. You can strengthen your application by showing the behaviours that resonate with you, and how you might have already demonstrated these.

• Say it straight - This is about being honest and direct with good intent and saying what needs to be said in the room. It’s also about being clear, precise, and using language that we and, importantly, our customers and members can understand.
• Push for better - This is about aiming high and constantly looking for better in how we work together and serve our customers and members.
• Get it done - This is about prioritising what will have the greatest impact, being decisive and taking accountability for delivering on the end-to-end outcome.

We know applying for jobs can sometimes feel like you’re sending an application into a black hole. We review each application individually. So, it’s a good idea to call out your most relevant experience on your application to give yourself the best chance.

The extras you’ll get

There are all sorts of employee benefits available at Nationwide, including:

• A personal pension – if you put in 7% of your salary, we’ll top up by a further 16%
• Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year
• Life assurance worth 8x your salary
• A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme
• Gympass – Access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness.
• Access to an annual performance related bonus
• Access to training to help you develop and progress your career
• 25 days holiday, pro rata

What makes us different

Nationwide is the world’s largest building society. With over 15 million customers, we have a relationship with almost a quarter of the UK’s population. We’ve got the scale to compete with the big banks, but we’re not a bank.

As a building society, we’re owned by our members – that’s our customers who have their current account, mortgage or savings with us. It means we can do things differently to deliver our Purpose – Banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society.

When you work at Nationwide, you can experience that difference for yourself. You’ll be part of a high-performing, purpose-driven organisation that offers rewarding career experiences and a highly competitive range of benefits to match. You’ll also be joining us at an important time as we seek to reach more and more people in the UK. We want everyone in the UK to know that they don’t have to bank with a bank. They can choose a modern mutual instead.

What to do next

We respond to everyone, so we will be in contact shortly after the closing date to let you know the outcome of your application.

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