Purpose of the Role:
As a support role for the Indirect Purchasing Team, covering a full and varied demand relating to goods and services, the individual will be responsible for all lower level purchasing activities, as well as administrative duties in support of the wider Indirect Purchasing Team. This will be carried out in collaboration with, and with guidance from the Senior Operatives, Specialist and Purchasing manager. Knowledge for the role specific to the Formula 1, high quality engineering or Aerospace industry would bring a distinct advantage but would not be essential. We are even open to
Working closely with the Indirect Purchasing Team, but independently at times, the role will be required to manage and prioritise their own workload to some degree, while also taking direction from the Purchasing Manager, and wider Indirect Purchasing Team. The range of products and services to be covered will include but will not be limited to, the purchasing of some raw materials (working closely with the Senior Operative – Racing, Technical and Production Buyer), electrical and electronics goods, machine shop tooling and associated services, H&S equipment and PPE, and general equipment and services to support a demanding manufacturing facility, and success focussed racing team. The role will ensure that all deliverables within their remit are met in a timely, commercially astute and quality-centric manner, in-line with programme demands.
Alongside the purchasing aspect, admin support for the Indirect Purchasing Team would also be required. This could include, monitoring and updating of all Outstanding Orders to ensure that suppliers are working in-line with supplied purchase orders and price/delivery instructions, development and maintenance of a centralised Purchasing Processes and documentation database, liaising with the Formula One Business Partners and Marketing, Indy & Heritage Business Partners aspects of the Finance team to ensure accuracy and continuity of Purchasing data in line with the cost cap regulations, assistance with the wider team’s workload as necessary, and any other tasks as required by the Purchasing Manager
Role Dimensions:
- Reporting directly to the Purchasing Manager, the main purpose of this role is to work in support of the successful sourcing and delivery of products and/or services in relation to the demands of the Indirect Purchasing Team. This will encompass McLaren Racing, Technical and Production business, as well as Marketing, Indy, HR & Heritage.
- The role will work under instruction from the Senior members of the team as necessary, as well as independently when tasks or workload allow.
- Direct contact with external suppliers will be essential to ensure that all demand requirements and strategic objectives are continually met
- A professional, approachable and optimistic attitude will be required at all times, in line with the dynamic and varying demands of a Top Tier Formula One Racing Team
- Willingness to learn, grow, and expand on knowledge and abilities will be crucial to a successful integration and progression within the team.
Principal Accountabilities:
- Accountability for the processing of lower level purchasing demand to support all areas within the Indirect Purchasing Team.
- In reaction to purchasing demand, development, loading and maintenance of purchase orders as necessary, ensuring on time delivery by the supplier is achieved to the required standard.
- Monitoring and influencing the performance of suppliers in relation to the individual’s portfolio of purchase orders placed.
- With guidance from the Purchasing Manager, and Senior members of the team where appropriate, maintenance of supplier relationships put in place and developed by the wider Indirect Purchasing Team will be needed, while learning and applying techniques that will allow the growing of those relationships.
- Upholding a professional, personable and proactive approach to the role, whilst maintaining essential communication across the team, as well as with some key stakeholders and suppliers.
- With the support and direction of the Purchasing Manager, and once the required skills and techniques can be demonstrated as being suitable, carry out negotiation with suppliers where applicable, to ensure adherence to any in place budgetary controls, whilst ensuring that deliverable standards, scopes and specifications are met, as well as timely delivery of products or services.
- Sole responsibility for, but working under the guidance of the Purchasing Manager, the development and maintenance of a centralised Purchasing Processes and Documentation Database using some existing documentation, as well as the development of new. The scope of this work will evolve in line with the roles learning over time, and their interest and willingness to take on and work with new information. The following are some of the areas in need of development, in which the role will be engaged; New supplier set up and integration processing and recording, essential documentation register in line with McLaren Quality and Legal standards, continuous process and workflow evaluation and documentation with a view to being used to drive improvements in efficiency.
- Any other tasks as required by the Company, appropriate to the role
Job requirements
Knowledge, Skills and Experience:
- In line with the entry level role, no specific previous experience is required, however an interest in the Formula One or engineering industry would be of benefit, as would a drive and determination to grow and improve both from a knowledge and personal perspective.
- Numeracy and written English skills would be required, but would only be expected to be of a daily life core skills standard, as skills essential to the role will be imparted and provided as necessary
- A working knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite of software products would be an advantage, but not essential
- An understanding of MRP/ERP software methodologies would also be an advantage, but are again not essential as all training will be provided
- The role has an enduringly intense workload, in keeping with those areas of the business that are directly related to a milestone driven and well organised race programme. The willingness and enthusiasm to develop the ability to work on multiple tasks simultaneously, at times working under pressure and unassisted, while managing time effectively would be desirable attributes.
Personal Attributes:
- The role requires that the candidate must be responsible, calm, focussed and motivated, whilst demonstrating a proactive, organised, and flexible approach to changing priorities.
- The individual will demonstrate a drive to improve both at a personal and role specific level
- They will be expected to work with a high attention to detail at all times.
- They must be professional and capable of communicating at all levels, both internally and externally.
- They will possess the ability to independently prioritise a demanding workload, while ensuring that the correct level of guidance is secured from the relevant manager where necessary
- Able to act under pressure with calmness and clarity of thought.
- Will be able to recognise when assistance is required in order to resolve challenging situations as and when they arise.
- A confident but respectful communicator
- A flexible approach to working hours and practices is necessary
All employees must ensure compliance with the Company Health and Safety Policy, and all relevant other statutory Health and Safety legislation.
This job description may not detail all duties allocated to the post holder, nor cover duties of a similar nature, commensurate with the role, which may from time to time be reasonably required by the relevant manager.