A senior buyer will generally hold responsibility within a firm's buying or purchasing department. In some roles, this responsibility may be for the decisions made by the whole department, and others may involve managing a specific facet of the company's buying activities - such as a certain commodity or material. Given that this is a broad area with many potential areas of specialisation, many employers use recruitment agencies in order to find the ideal candidate for a given vacancy.
Salaries
The average salary for a senior buyer in the UK is around £34,000 - 36,000 - although as with most job roles, this varies depending on a number of factors, including location, experience, and the particular employer concerned. As ever, the highest salaries tend to be found in London and the South East, with other major population centres such as Manchester and the West Midlands/Birmingham also offering good opportunities.
Qualifications and entry requirements
Senior buyers will generally start out as assistant or junior buyers before progressing through to buyer and then management level. Because of the varied range of roles available, there are a plethora of different things that a buyer might specialise in, but it is generally beneficial to have a knowledge or passion for the product or service you will be procuring - which is never more true than in ultra-competitive industries such as fashion.
Given that senior buyers will generally have worked their way up the ladder from more junior roles, experience tends to be more important than formal education. Degrees in subjects such as Marketing and Business are generally seen as an advantage in order to begin a career in the area however. Given that this job involves a good deal of negotiation with suppliers, excellent people skills are necessary - as well as the ability to analyse sales figures to extrapolate and spot trends in the market.
Whether you are looking for employment as a senior buyer, or you are an employer looking for the perfect candidate to fill this job role within your organisation, Agency Central has listings of recruitment agencies who will be able to help. This page is your portal to agencies offering this service.