Buyer, Category Management

natgridProd • Waltham, MA

13d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Buyer role at National Grid works with suppliers, stakeholders, and procurement colleagues to run bids, negotiate agreements, and participate in category strategy development, further assisting senior and lead buyers on the team. This role involves participating in and developing supplier and stakeholder relationships, evaluating supplier risks, and developing mitigation plans. Through business partnering, the procurement group enhances relationships and bridges the gap of applying critical thinking to drive company goals forward, providing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and risk mitigation efforts, while further evaluating the supplier base.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree (B.A or B.S) required; in supply chain or business management degree preferred.
• 3+ Years experience in a procurement role.
• $3 – 5M spend range with contract and framework/multiyear agreements.
• Basic experience in strategic sourcing, contract negotiations and vendor management a plus.
• Working knowledge of ERP systems such as SAP and ARIBA.
• Working knowledge of Power Bi, etc.
• Analytical mindset, with a proficiency in Excel (vlookup functions, pivot tables, basic modeling, data cleansing).
• Ability to create clear, concise visuals and reports to translate data into insights for stakeholders, with strong attention to detail with the ability to validate, reconcile, and troubleshoot data issues.
• Ability to communicate analytical findings in a clear, business-friendly manner.
• Strong interpersonal skills, specifically in communications across a multi-national and matrixed organization.
• Proficient in planning, project management, stakeholder engagement, and business analysis.
• Ability to clearly articulate one’s position and be able to influence others.
• An equivalent combination of education and extensive subject matter expertise along with procurement process experience may be accepted as a satisfactory substitute for the specific education requirements listed above.

Nice To Haves

• Masters degree, CPSM/APICS certifications a plus.

Responsibilities

• Engage with suppliers to seek feedback, discuss improvement opportunities, and resolve issues.
• Evaluate supplier risks and develop mitigation plans.
• Utilize varied data sets to identify gaps and new opportunities to drive benefits through the contracts End to End lifecycle.
• Conduct industry analysis and evaluate supplier performance, incorporating the research into the Category Strategy and associated contract initiatives/bidding events.
• Lead the execution of multiple sourcing initiatives using tailored procurement strategies to optimize value, mitigate risk, and support business objectives.
• Develop and maintain relationships with business units and suppliers, understanding the needs and issues that each side faces.
• Analyze responses to bid requests, point out commercial differences, and make recommendations in selecting appropriate suppliers for contract awards.
• Evaluate and apply the concept of total cost of ownership (TCO) and supplier/ contract switching costs to support decision making options.
• Prepare negotiation strategies with clarity of desired outcomes and conduct complex negotiations successfully under aggressive time demands.
• Understand supplier's position, desired outcomes, and leverage points to maximize benefits to the company while maintaining a good working relationship with suppliers.
• Work with senior buyers and contract management to evaluate and build appropriate supplier performance measurements (KPls) into contractual frameworks.
• Prepare and maintain weekly/monthly category dashboards tracking spend, savings, supplier performance, and pipeline activity.
• Analyze spend data to identify opportunities for consolidation, compliance improvements, or cost reduction.
• Support development of category strategies by conducting market analysis, benchmarking, and supplier‑level analytics.
• Build and refine reports that track contract expirations, sourcing events, demand forecasts, and risk indicators.
• Extract, clean, and interpret data from procurement systems (e.g., SAP, Ariba, Coupa, Oracle, Power BI) to support decision‑making.
• Conduct variance analysis to explain changes in spend or performance versus budget, forecast, or prior periods.
• Track benefits, savings, cost avoidance, and value delivery using standardized reporting templates.
• Demonstrate a collaborative approach with supply base and develop integrated plans to drive appropriate value for business and customer requirements.

Benefits

• National Grid utilizes an assessment that evaluates the job qualifications/characteristics using AI or statistically based scoring. For more information, please view NYC Local Law 144.
• This position has a career path which provides for advancement opportunities within and across bands as you develop and evolve in the position; gaining experience, expertise and acquiring and applying technical skills.
• Candidates will be assessed and provided offers against the minimum qualifications of this role and their individual experience.
• National Grid is an equal opportunity employer that values a broad diversity of talent, knowledge, experience and expertise.
• We foster a culture of inclusion that drives employee engagement to deliver superior performance to the communities we serve.
• National Grid is proud to be an affirmative action employer.
• We encourage minorities, women, individuals with disabilities and protected veterans to join the National Grid team.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level