NPI Purchasing Lead

Job description

NPI Purchasing Lead

Vacancy details

General information

Entity

Safran is an international high-technology group, operating in the aviation (propulsion, equipment and interiors), defense and space markets. Its core purpose is to contribute to a safer, more sustainable world, where air transport is more environmentally friendly, comfortable and accessible. Safran has a global presence, with 100,000 employees and sales of 27.3 billion euros in 2024, and holds, alone or in partnership, world or regional leadership positions in its core markets.

Safran is in the 2nd place in the aerospace and defense industry in TIME magazine's "World's best companies 2024" ranking.

Safran Electrical & Power is one of the world's leaders in aircraft electrical systems. The company is a key player in equipment electrification and in the electric and hybrid propulsion sector. It has over 14,000 employees across 13 different countries.

Reference

2026-171263

Position description

Domain

Performance and Support

Job field / Job profile

Purchasing - Program purchasing

Job title

NPI Purchasing Lead

Employment type

Permanent

Professional category

Professional, Engineer & Manager

Part time / Full time

Full-time

Job description

The NPI Purchasing Lead will be accountable for the development and delivery of effective purchasing strategies and supplier readiness for future projects within the emerging electric propulsion systems marketplace. The role holder will play a key role developing and implementing a purchasing strategy to support these new productions from concept, through prototyping and into production.

• Responsible to develop Purchasing strategy and management of new projects, mainly with suppliers.

• Responsible for Purchasing research of new suppliers and technologies that drive the new products into a price and performance competitiveness.

• Lead the Purchasing activities to support these projects using Purchasing tools. Keep track of cost, line of balance and ensure material availability for the different builds, following the main Program Schedule.

• Develop DFx strategies for product development with Engineering and Industrialization

• Will manage the project support structure by either leveraging the purchasing matrix

organisation or with dedicated resource as appropriate

• Innovates with new technologies

• Development of qualified supply chains to ensure future project success

• Negotiate pricing aligned to the project needs through PPAP, Qualification and ultimately production handover

• Partner with commodity and industrialisation teams for best supplier selection and contractual flow down

• Negotiate with identified external supply chain and ensure material cost drivers are understood and visible to the programme teams/ engineers

• Lead all design to cost design for manufacture and design for quality activities to achieve the expected product cost is achieved by the extended supply chain

• Responsible for delivery of the ‘should cost' for the product and execution to deliver it, supply chain is responsible for ~ 80% of the finished product cost

• Ensures design for manufacture, cost and quality are incorporated at all stages of development and product design ensuring robust products can be manufactured to support these new markets

• Influence key stakeholders and drive change management to adjust mindset for new capabilities and higher volume production than legacy product lines

Candidate skills & requirements

Essential:

• Strong purchasing and negotiation skills and good commercial awareness

• Demonstrated Project management and planning skills

• Experience of having worked within a New Programme environment. Ideally with a complex and varied workload

• Ability to understand and interpret Technical Drawings.

• Understanding of DFM/DFA/DFX methodology

• Ability to communicate and influence people of varying levels within the organisation.

• Ability to report concisely and accurately.

• Ability to understand what the real priorities are in a fast-paced environment and work independently.

• Evidence of written English at interview stage. This will be through providing certification f a formal English r technical qualification studied in the UK or overseas in English. If this cannot be provided you will be required to complete and pass an online SHL English comprehension test as part of the interview process.

Desirable:

• Energetic and results focused with experience of managing to agreed measures of performance and to tight deadlines

• Ability to provide strong (indirect) leadership and direction to deliver business objectives

• Well-developed interpersonal skills, able to communicate and influence effectively at all levels and engage stakeholders

Position location

Job location

Europe, UK, England, London

City (-ies)

Pitstone