Senior Buyer - Maternity Cover

Mediq is the UK’s leading value-added distributor of medical products, providing healthcare professionals and institutions with essential supplies, expert knowledge, and tailored solutions to enhance patient care. Mediq is an international healthcare company with leading market positions in 13 countries. Headquartered just outside Utrecht, the Netherlands, we employ more than 2,500 people, all dedicated to improving healthcare outcomes and making care more accessible and affordable. As a critical growth and investment market for the Mediq Group, Mediq UK plays a key role in the company’s long-term expansion strategy. Mediq is on an exciting journey to build a world-class sourcing function across the organization under the leadership of the Procurement Director. As part of this transformation, we are building a high-performing sourcing organization that will drive commercial value, supply resilience, and strategic supplier partnerships. We are recruiting for a Senior Buyer to join us on a fixed term maternity cover contract for 9-12 months based at our UK HQ in Castle Donington. The Senior Buyer will have the opportunity to play a key role in this journey, helping shape the future of sourcing while delivering measurable value across the business. In this role, you will be part of the global sourcing team, reporting directly to the Procurement Director.

Salary - £50,000

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Procurement & Category Management
• Lead sourcing activities for medical devices, consumables, pharmaceuticals, and associated services aligned with sales forecasts, inventory targets, and business growth plans.
• Develop and execute category sourcing strategies that support commercial objectives, supply security, and profitability improvement.
• Identify opportunities to optimize supplier portfolios, rationalize SKUs, and consolidate spend to maximize value and efficiency.
• Lead supplier selection, RFQs, tendering processes, and commercial negotiations to achieve best total cost of ownership while maintaining quality and compliance.
• Support and execute strategic sourcing initiatives aligned with global and cluster sourcing objectives.
• Drive new product introduction activities in collaboration with commercial and operational stakeholders.
• Supplier Relationship & Performance Management
• Build, develop, and manage strategic supplier relationships, acting as the primary commercial contact for key suppliers.
• Lead supplier business reviews, performance evaluations, and improvement initiatives.
• Monitor and manage supplier KPIs including OTIF, quality performance, service levels, lead times, pricing compliance, and contractual commitments.
• Proactively manage supply risks, shortages, escalations, and business continuity challenges.
• Identify and drive supplier innovation, value engineering, and margin enhancement opportunities.
• Stakeholder Management & Business Partnership
• Partner closely with Sales, Clinical, Supply Chain, Quality, Finance, and Logistics teams to align sourcing strategies with operational and commercial priorities.
• Provide procurement expertise and market insights to support strategic decision-making.
• Influence stakeholders to drive compliance, standardization, and sourcing best practices across the organization.
• Support integration of acquired businesses into the sourcing framework as part of ongoing M&A activities.
• Compliance & Governance
• Ensure all procurement activities comply with relevant UK healthcare regulations and internal governance standards, including:
• MHRA requirements
• ISO standards (including ISO 13485 where applicable)
• NHS Supply Chain and private healthcare procurement frameworks
• Ethical sourcing and sustainability policies
• Ensure robust contract management, supplier documentation, and audit readiness.
• Support internal and external audits, regulatory inspections, and compliance reviews.
• Financial Performance & Reporting
• Manage category spend and deliver against annual savings, margin improvement, and working capital targets.
• Identify and implement cost optimization opportunities while protecting service and quality.
• Analyze spend data, market trends, and supplier performance to support strategic decisions.
• Maintain accurate procurement data within ERP and procurement systems.
• Produce regular reports on spend, supplier performance, savings delivery, and risk management.
• Leadership & Continuous Improvement
• Act as a mentor and subject matter expert for buyers and cross-functional colleagues.
• Support development and implementation of sourcing processes, tools, and best practices.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across procurement, supply chain, and supplier collaboration.

Skills & Experience

• Proven experience in a Senior Buyer, Buyer, Strategic Sourcing, or Procurement role, ideally within medical devices, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, or life sciences.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Procurement, Life Sciences, or related field preferred.
• Demonstrated success in supplier negotiation, contract management, and delivering measurable commercial value.
• Strong category management and strategic sourcing experience.
• Experience working with ERP/procurement systems (e.g. SAGE, IFS, Outlook, TEAMs).
• Strong analytical, commercial, and financial acumen.
• Excellent stakeholder management, influencing, and communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, matrix organization.

Benefits

• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
• 4x Life Assurance
• Pension scheme
• Sick Pay
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme