.Responsibilities:Support the Purchasing Team in the development of product category strategies by undertaking market analysis and research.Purchase goods, materials, components, or services in line with specified cost, quality, and delivery targets.Ensure continuous supply of required goods and materials and communicate any supply problems which may pose a risk or impact on business operations.Monitor market trends, competitor strategies, and market suppliers.Research and evaluate areas of opportunity and reduce costs where possible.Deliver briefs, updates, and reports as and when required.Develop creative and innovative Purchasing processes.Develop ideas and strategies to improve operational efficiency, add value, aid business performance, and work towards a strategy of continuous improvement.Negotiate contracts, improved prices, and terms of business with suppliers and review opportunities to make business savings utilizing negotiation and Purchasing best practice tools and methods.Assess and evaluate suppliers and undertake performance reviews to ensure contract compliance and manage performance improvement activities.Ensure that a professional and consistent approach is taken in relation to all supplier relationships.Explore alternate sources for goods and materials.Assess tenders and quotations from potential suppliers.Prepare purchase orders in line with final negotiations with selected suppliers and in line with organizational targets and requirements.Undertake research on and evaluate existing and new suppliers.Contact suppliers to resolve price, quality, delivery, or invoice issues.Take accountability for a small product category to support future development.Assist the team in data collection on supplier performance.Collate Request For Quotation (RFQ) responses and complete costing sheets.Support buyers in the critical path management of pre-production samples for new tenders managed by the Purchasing Team.Support the team in collating supplier samples and brochures for new product/solution innovation to sales.Manage supplier Invoice Queries and resolve in agreed time-scales.Understand and deliver to stakeholder requirements.Produce and maintain information on supplier non-conformance.Support buyers in collation of reports for suppliers.Support the Purchasing Team in undertaking due diligence of suppliers and ensure that new suppliers are recorded and registered on business systems.Work with clients across the business to analyze demand and assist in the specification of goods and services to be supplied.Develop and maintain a supplier database to strengthen the Purchasing process.Liaise with suppliers on quality problems in conjunction with company quality standards.Maintain technical reference files for all bought components and related suppliers