Senior Buyer

Job description

**Help Build Europe's Hypersonic Capability** At **Hypersonica**, we’re redefining what’s possible in European defence technology. We exist to deliver speed, resilience, and technological independence at a pace that sets a new standard. We are a small, elite team working on problems that matter, and solving them fast. By joining **Hypersonica**, you’re not stepping into a predefined role. You’re joining a talent dense environment where every individual shapes the direction of the company. Our philosophy is to hire a small number of exceptional people with broad, deep technical capability, strong judgement, and the ability to operate autonomously. We hire for talent, not rigid boxes. This role represents a business need, but the way it evolves will be shaped by the individual. If you’ve achieved what others said was impossible, or you bring a unique combination of skills that doesn’t fit a traditional mould, we want to hear from you. The work you do here directly contributes to Europe’s technological independence. ### What you’ll do - Build and own Hypersonica’s UK procurement capability from zero, covering direct materials, complex components, tooling, equipment, services, and production requirements. - Take end-to-end ownership of the buying process, from demand definition and supplier identification through quotation, negotiation, purchase order placement, expediting, delivery, and supplier performance. - Work closely with engineering, manufacturing, quality, programme, and finance teams to convert incomplete or evolving technical requirements into executable procurement plans. - Secure long-lead, flight-critical, and schedule-critical items before they become programme constraints. - Develop sourcing strategies for complex aerospace and defence hardware, including machined components, composites, electronics, sensors, actuators, propulsion-related hardware, specialist materials, tooling, and test equipment. - Identify, assess, qualify, and onboard suppliers capable of meeting Hypersonica’s technical, quality, security, cost, and schedule requirements. - Build strong supplier relationships while remaining commercially demanding on price, lead time, quality, responsiveness, and delivery performance. - Lead RFQ and tender activity, structure commercial comparisons, negotiate terms, and make clear supplier recommendations based on total programme value rather than unit price alone. - Own purchase-order accuracy, commercial terms, delivery schedules, change control, and supporting documentation. - Run active expediting and supplier recovery activity, escalating early and driving action when delivery or quality performance threatens the programme. - Partner with supplier quality and engineering teams to resolve technical issues, nonconformances, substitutions, and manufacturing constraints. - Support make-versus-buy decisions and help define which capabilities should be retained internally versus placed with external suppliers. - Build procurement processes, approval routes, supplier records, dashboards, and controls that are robust enough for defence hardware but light enough to support rapid execution. - Establish clear reporting on commitments, lead times, supplier risk, cost exposure, late deliveries, and material availability. - Support the implementation of SAP procurement processes, ensuring purchase orders, supplier data, approvals, receipts, and spend information are accurate and usable. - Build category knowledge and a supplier base that can support progression from prototype builds into repeatable production. - Contribute to the future procurement organisation, helping define where additional buyers, category specialists, or supplier-development capability will be needed. ### Who you are - An experienced buyer, senior buyer, procurement lead, or sourcing professional from aerospace, defence, automotive, motorsport, advanced manufacturing, or another complex hardware environment. - Proven at owning procurement end to end rather than operating within one narrow stage of an established process. - Experienced buying technically complex, low-volume, high-value, or mission-critical components and services. - Comfortable working from incomplete BOMs, evolving designs, and urgent engineering requirements without losing commercial or configuration control. - Strong at supplier identification, RFQs, commercial analysis, negotiation, contracting, purchase-order management, and expediting. - Able to distinguish between a supplier that quotes well and one that can actually deliver conforming hardware on time. - Experienced working closely with engineering and manufacturing teams and able to understand drawings, specifications, tolerances, materials, and manufacturing processes sufficiently to make sound sourcing decisions. - Commercially sharp but operationally minded. You understand that the best procurement outcome is hardware arriving on time, to specification, at an acceptable cost. - Confident challenging suppliers, engineers, and internal stakeholders when requirements, lead times, or decisions are putting delivery at risk. - Experienced in supplier qualification, onboarding, risk assessment, and performance management. - Familiar with aerospace or defence quality expectations such as AS9100, traceability, first article inspection, configuration control, and supplier nonconformance management. - Comfortable building processes and supplier structures from zero rather than inheriting a mature category strategy or approved supplier base. - Hands-on, fast-moving, and highly organised, with the judgement to prioritise the few items that genuinely determine programme velocity. - Able to operate independently and make decisions with imperfect information while escalating material risks early. - Experience purchasing for missile systems, propulsion, flight hardware, composites, electronics, special processes, or energetic-material environments would be advantageous but is not essential. - Motivated by building a procurement function where supplier performance directly determines whether hardware ships, tests, and flies on schedule. ### Security and Eligibility Requirement - Due to the nature of the work with the UK MoD, applicants must be a British Citizen, or a dual national holding British citizenship, and eligible for UK Security Clearance and, where required, Developed Vetting. ### What we offer - A mission-driven environment with the opportunity to work on one of Europe’s most consequential defence challenges, with direct impact on sovereign capability and security. - Daily collaboration with top experts across engineering, operations, and defence, with real opportunity to learn from the best, contribute, and grow. - High ownership and autonomy; no time tracking, no micromanagement, just clear objectives and accountability for outcomes. - A fast-paced environment where good ideas are implemented quickly, and feedback from build, test, and flight drives real decisions. - A culture that values clarity, integrity, and excellence, and supports people who take initiative and push boundaries responsibly. - Competitive compensation and real share options aligned to responsibility and impact, not tenure or hierarchy.