Project Buyer

Job Title: Project Buyer (Contract) 6 months

Salary: £280 - £320 day rate, outside IR35

Location: Coventry, mainly on site (up to one day a week from home)

You have built a supply base for a new model before. You know the moment a drawing turns into a quote, then a nominated supplier, then a real part on a bench. Now picture doing that for a platform nobody outside the building has seen yet, sitting right beside the engineers who are designing it.

Why this role

A British electric motorcycle maker is developing a new, confidential, higher-performance platform. It has nothing to do with current production and it moves fast: the first prototype build is planned for early next year, with further builds close behind. That is a much shorter runway than a four-wheel programme, and the supply base has to keep pace.

How the work runs

The work is split into packages, and each one becomes yours. Take cooling: radiators, pumps, fans and hoses. You sit with the two engineers, learn what they need and who they have already spoken to, take it to suppliers, and bring the Head of Procurement a supplier proposal in about four weeks, with guidance on suppliers along the way. You get a laptop on day one and no day-to-day management, which is exactly why this is a contract.

What you’ll deliver

Your job is to take the BOM from design intent to a nominated, production-ready supply base, against cost, quality and timing targets. You will set the sourcing strategy, including commodity priorities, regional sourcing and make or buy. You will find and assess suppliers across electrical and electronic systems, battery components, castings, fabrications, plastics and finished parts, then run RFI and RFQ, compare quotes like for like and use should-cost.

You will recommend suppliers with a clear business case, negotiate piece price, tooling, MOQs, payment terms and lead times, and draft nomination letters and supply agreements with legal advisers. With engineering and quality, you will confirm suppliers meet design, quality and APQP and PPAP requirements, then track tooling and prototype parts against plan, flag risks and propose recovery. You will set up suppliers and parts in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and hand over cleanly to production purchasing.

About the company

This is a British electric motorcycle maker, building its bikes in Coventry. Its first bike became the best-selling electric motorcycle in the UK, and its latest won a best urban electric motorcycle award ahead of major global brands. It sells direct to riders in a growing number of markets, and it brings bikes to market in far less time than established manufacturers.

About you

You are an automotive or motorcycle NPI buyer or sourcing specialist who has delivered a supply base for a new model, including tooling and component development. You thrive in small, fast teams with a wide remit, where you own a whole commodity set rather than one narrow slice. Motorsport-style pace will feel familiar.

You can read engineering drawings and understand systems such as cooling and suspension, along with casting, machining, stamping, injection moulding and fabrication. Deep tolerancing knowledge is not needed. You negotiate hard on piece price and tooling, source globally across Asia and Europe, and work easily with engineers.

Motorcycle experience, Business Central or similar ERP, EV commodities (cells, BMS, motors, controllers), a two-wheel or light EV supplier network, and using AI tools for supplier research or RFQ evaluation are all a plus. You need the full right to work in the UK. Sponsorship is not available.

The engagement

This is an initial 6-month contract, outside IR35, through your own limited company. As the platform moves towards production, an extension is realistic, but it is not guaranteed. You will be mainly on site in Coventry, with up to one day a week from home. In-person matters because the main battery supplier meets the team twice a week, with engineering discussions straight after, and that is where much of the work gets decided.

The start is as soon as possible. Interviews are planned for Monday 9 November, so early applications are welcome.