Lead Procurement Engineer

About us Discovery Procurement drives the transformation of Dyson’s direct materials supply chain, collaborating with a diverse network of internal and external stakeholders to ensure our suppliers are prepared for the future—both technically and commercially. Discovery Procurement is the only UK based function within Direct Procurement, acting as the change engine to drive supply chain transformation and central to the success of our commodity strategies. The team blends commercial and technical expertise, working closely with Research & NPI teams to realise the novel technologies driving game changing products. As part of the Global Supply Chain organisation, Discovery Procurement acts as the earliest supply chain engagement point with new product concepts, proving technical and financial feasibility. The team ensures transparency of upstream operations proliferates to downstream supply chain teams, ensuring global commodity strategies reflect pipeline technology needs and are deployed effectively to drive competitive advantage. About the role As a Lead Procurement Engineer within Discovery Procurement, you will directly support NPI and Research projects with strategic sourcing activities across all direct material commodities. Your role will work closely with the Global Commodity Manager to ensure any sourcing activity engenders the change required to drive the commodities strategic vision, whilst influencing the strategy to consider future technical needs and trends. As part of the role, you would take the lead on specific technologies required on new concepts, evaluate new and existing supplier capabilities, assess technical compliance, and make recommendations of vendors and materials that meet stringent engineering specifications and commercial needs. Early supplier assessments are required where new suppliers are concerned, playing a key role in assessing supplier risk and recommending mitigating actions to downstream teams at handover. Future readiness also forms a fundamental part of the role, understanding and clearly communicating the long-term technical needs and business unit aspirations to proactively engineer a new supplier pipeline that can meet the long-term business aspirations. Clearly distinguishing tactical engagements from strategic opportunities and establishing high-value long-term relationships with partners that can drive competitive advantage through differentiation from the market. Role Responsibilities: Interpret NPI needs & business requirements, aligning them to new technologies and investigating prospective suppliers with corresponding capabilities Translate project needs into technical requirements that support a comprehensive RFx document Own supplier RFx activities, including feedback, negotiation and challenging technical proposals to ensure technical and financial feasibility Actualise commodity strategies through research and NPI influence Host on-site technology demonstration events with new and existing suppliers Communicate, collaborate and co-ordinate activities with global teams to ensure effective and timely input - these may be external as well as internal teams. Carry out the necessary due diligence and investigation of new suppliers. About you Mechanical Engineering degree or commercial discipline with demonstrable work experience in an RDD environment MCIPS certification or working towards MCIPS is favourable Extensive experience in a technical procurement role. Procurement engineering & early supplier engagement experience is highly desirable Able to work collaboratively and influence multiple global stakeholders across the different product categories Strong verbal and written communication, with the ability to explain complex technical problems in a simplified way Possesses a balance of technical expertise, commercial acumen, and effective stakeholder management skills. A pro-active, self-driven, problem solver, comfortable exploring a wide range of unknown, new and novel technologies Strong analytical skills combined with a strategic mindset is beneficial Benefits At Dyson, Reward goes beyond just salary and bonuses. Through a comprehensive package of Financial, Lifestyle, and Health Benefits, we provide support tailored to every stage of life and the moments that matter most. Working policy At Dyson, our vibrant campus culture is built on in-person collaboration, creativity, and shared learning. Working side by side not only fuels our innovation, but also creates a strong sense of belonging. To nurture this dynamic and inclusive environment, we do not offer a regular hybrid working arrangement. #LI-RK2 Dyson is an equal opportunity employer. We know that great minds don’t think alike, and it takes all kinds of minds to make our technology so unique. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and employment decisions are made without regard to race, colour, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or other any other dimension of diversity. At Dyson we are focused on solving the problems that others have ignored; solving them first using our technology and ingenuity. In order to achieve this we need to pioneer technologies that are different and authentic. This is the core of what we do and who we are. We must strive to create the future, every single day by developing new things, different things, things that go against the grain with a diverse and global team of ingenious minds. Dyson employs 14,000 people and is present in more than 80 countries. And while we are growing fast we want Dyson to remain a start-up in spirit with the freedom of experimentation and learning, constantly reinventing our products as well as reinventing how we work, how we sell and how we support our owners. At the same time we are working through the James Dyson Foundation, James Dyson Award and Dyson Institute to inspire future engineers and pioneering a new approach to engineering education. Underlining everything we do in this diverse environment is the need to always show respect, supporting each other as one team to overcome whatever challenges we encounter. We drive empowerment, development and equality in an inclusive environment for our people around the world. The future doesn’t just happen, we look to make it happen, to achieve leaps through pioneering new ideas.