Role objective
The International Buyer supports CORD Mechanical Ltd in the United Kingdom by managing approved international sourcing and purchasing requirements across the United Kingdom and Europe. The role owns the operational buying cycle from request clarification and supplier sourcing through quotation evaluation, purchase order preparation, supplier follow-up, delivery coordination and transaction close-out. Success requires complete and comparable quotations, sound total-cost decisions, accurate records, proactive supplier management and timely escalation of commercial, quality, compliance and delivery risks.
Job Details:
Work Set-up: Work from home
Schedule: Monday to Friday, 1:00 pm to 10:00 pm Perth or Manila time
Key responsibilities
Procurement planning and international sourcing
- Review approved requests and confirm specifications, part numbers, quantities, delivery dates and locations, quality requirements, and approval references before approaching suppliers.
- Clarify incomplete, inconsistent or technically ambiguous requests before progressing them.
- Identify suitable suppliers across the UK and Europe, prioritizing approved vendors and completing required due diligence and onboarding for new suppliers.
- Issue complete RFQs, set response deadlines, follow up outstanding quotations and maintain clear visibility of sourcing status.
- Obtain the required competitive quotations or document the rationale and approval for sole-source, urgent or non-competitive purchases.
Quotation evaluation and negotiation
- Validate quotations for price, currency, taxes or VAT, freight, lead time, payment terms, warranty, validity, minimum order quantity, substitutions, exclusions and cancellation conditions.
- Prepare like-for-like comparisons based on total landed cost, delivery performance, quality, warranty, service and supply risk, rather than unit price alone.
- Negotiate pricing, lead time, freight, payment terms, warranty and other commercial conditions within delegated authority.
- Present concise sourcing recommendations that identify best value, assumptions, risks and approvals required before commitment.
Purchase order and order execution
- Prepare accurate purchase orders with complete supplier, product, pricing, currency, tax, freight, delivery, payment and approval details.
- Validate purchase orders against the approved request and supplier quotation before release.
- Obtain supplier acknowledgement and confirm pricing, availability, committed delivery date and any deviation from the purchase order.
- Maintain revision control and obtain approval before accepting changes affecting cost, specification, delivery, terms or customer commitments.
- Track and expedite open orders through agreed milestones until delivery and close-out.
Supplier and delivery management
- Build professional supplier relationships while protecting CORD Mechanical commercial interests and confidentiality.
- Maintain supplier capability, contact, pricing, lead-time and performance information in approved systems.
- Coordinate with suppliers, freight providers and internal stakeholders from readiness for dispatch through final delivery.
- Resolve or coordinate shortages, damage, incorrect items, invoice discrepancies, non-conforming goods, warranty claims and returns.
- Record packaging, weights, dimensions, origin, collection details, tracking, freight documents and proof of delivery against the correct order.
Governance documentation and reporting
- Follow procurement policies, SOPs, delegated authority limits, approval workflows and segregation-of-duties controls.
- Maintain a complete audit trail covering requests, RFQs, quotations, comparisons, approvals, purchase orders, confirmations, correspondence, shipping records and issue resolution.
- Escalate material cost increases, payment risk, quality or authenticity concerns, non-standard terms, compliance questions and threatened delivery commitments promptly.
- Provide accurate updates on RFQs, open orders, committed dates, delays, supplier issues, savings and decisions required.
- Use Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft Business Central, Xero, Excel, Outlook and other approved systems as applicable, maintaining disciplined data quality.
- Identify recurring errors, delays or control gaps and recommend practical improvements to templates, trackers, SOPs and supplier engagement.
Decision rights and escalation
- May request quotations, clarify routine commercial information, negotiate within approved parameters, prepare recommendations, create draft purchase orders and expedite approved orders.
- Must obtain documented approval before supplier award, purchase order release, material order change, acceptance of non-standard terms or any commitment outside delegated authority.
- Must escalate when information is incomplete, quotations are not comparable, supply or compliance risk is material, delivery is threatened or the required decision is outside the role’s authority.
Qualifications and experience
- Certificate, diploma or degree in procurement, supply chain, logistics, commerce, business administration, engineering or a related field is preferred.
- At least three years of practical procurement, buying, purchasing or supply chain experience covering RFQs, quotation comparison, purchase orders, order tracking and supplier follow-up.
- Demonstrated supplier negotiation and commercial analysis experience, including total landed cost, multi-currency comparison, lead time, freight, payment terms and risk.
- Experience supporting an international business, overseas suppliers or an offshore delivery environment and working independently across time zones.
- Working knowledge of Incoterms, international freight, import and export documentation, customs-related coordination and supplier payment terms.
- Experience with an ERP, procurement or order-management system; Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft Business Central, Xero or similar experience is preferred.
- Advanced working capability in Microsoft Excel and strong proficiency across Microsoft 365.
- Exceptional written and spoken English suitable for professional communication with UK, European and Australian stakeholders is mandatory.
Desirable experience
- Direct sourcing experience with suppliers in the United Kingdom or Europe.
- Experience in mechanical, engineering, industrial, mining or maintenance repair and operations products.
- Experience coordinating international freight, warranty claims, returns, customs documentation or supplier quality issues.
- Experience supporting Australian or UK organizations through a BPO, shared-service or offshore delivery model.
- Experience contributing to procurement KPIs, supplier scorecards, process improvement or ERP transitions.
Personal attributes
- Highly organized, detail-focused and accountable, with ownership from request receipt through delivery and close-out.
- Commercially curious and results-oriented, recognizing that quality, reliability, compliance and total cost are as important as price.
- Persistent and professional in supplier follow-up, with the judgement to act within guidelines and escalate early when risk or authority is unclear.
- Reliable, transparent, adaptable and comfortable working remotely with minimal supervision.
