Senior Buyer

Carnival corp.; England; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A well-established holiday company is seeking a Senior Buyer for its Procurement/Supply Chain department in England. The successful candidate will lead procurement for ship refit projects, manage supplier relationships, and conduct spend analysis to optimize costs. Required skills include category management, contract negotiation, and proficiency in Excel. The position offers a full-time contract with hybrid work options and generous benefits, including employee discounts and development opportunities.

Benefits

Employee Discounted Cruising

Annual bonus

Minimum 25 days leave

Recognition scheme

Learning and development opportunities

Employee Assistance programs

Health Cash Plan

Life Assurance

Electric Car and Cycle to Work schemes

Qualifications

• Strong experience in category management and sourcing strategy development.
• Excellent contract negotiation and supplier agreement management.
• Proficiency in purchasing systems and Microsoft Excel.

Responsibilities

• Lead procurement for ship refit projects across multiple categories.
• Manage sourcing, tendering, and supplier relationships.
• Conduct supplier spend analysis to reduce costs.

Skills

Category management

Sourcing strategy development

Contract negotiation

Supplier agreement management

Proficiency in Microsoft Excel

Analytical project management

Job description

Job Description

Carnival UK are a leading name in the holiday sector, dedicated to delivering unforgettable holiday happiness to our customers. Our success is built on a foundation of diverse talents and perspectives, and we believe in fostering an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

In our continuous journey of growth and innovation at Carnival UK, we are seeking a Senior Buyer to bring fresh insights and expertise to our Procurement / Supply Chain department.

Role Overview

This pivotal role will involve:

• Leading procurement for ship refit projects across multiple technical categories, including HVAC systems & Safety.
• Managing sourcing, tendering, contracting, and supplier relationships for significant spend areas.
• Collaborating with internal stakeholders across product, operations, logistics, and ship staff to ensure supply chain efficiency.
• Conducting supplier spend analysis and identifying opportunities to reduce costs and improve supply performance.

This role is positioned at CUK08 level within our organization and is available on a full-time 18 months fixed-term contract basis. We offer hybrid work including up to two days from home.

What You'll Bring:

You’re looking to bring a strong background in category management and sourcing strategy development, excellent contract negotiation and supplier agreement management, proficiency in purchasing systems and Microsoft Excel, and commercial and analytical project management capabilities. We value:

• Strong experience in category management and sourcing strategy development.
• Excellent contract negotiation and supplier agreement management.
• Proficiency in purchasing systems and Microsoft Excel.
• Commercially astute with strong analytical and project management capabilities.

About You: The Ideal Candidate

• Highly organised and able to manage shifting priorities independently.
• Clear and influential communicator across varied stakeholder groups.
• Agile and adaptable to changing business needs.
• Collaborative team player who supports and mentors junior colleagues.

Application Guidance: Diversity is our strength, and we encourage applications from those with varied experiences, whether you meet every listed requirement or not.

If you’re passionate about Procurement / Supply Chain and are looking for an opportunity to grow, we’d love to hear from you.

Why Join Us?

Working with us means more than just a role in Procurement / Supply Chain. It’s about being part of a team that values well‑being and personal growth. Read our employee experience guide to learn more about life as a Carnival UK colleague.

CUK-employee-experience-guide-July-2025.pdf

Here’s what we offer:

• Employee Discounted Cruising plus Friends and Family offers
• Annual bonus
• Minimum 25 days leave, bank holiday allowance and holiday trading scheme
• Recognition scheme with prizes and awards
• Extensive learning and development opportunities
• Employee-led networks
• Employee Assistance and Wellbeing programmes
• Company paid Health Cash Plan and health assessment
• In-house Occupational Health help and access to digital GP
• Life Assurance
• Parental and adoption leave
• Employee Shares Plan
• Electric Car and Cycle to Work schemes
• Onsite restaurant offering range of healthy cooked and grab and go meals
• Discounted retail and leisure via discounts portal
• Contributory Defined Contribution Pension scheme
• A friendly welcome with help settling in

Due to the popularity of our roles and our commitment to finding the best talent, we might close applications earlier than advertised. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to become part of a team dedicated to creating unforgettable holiday happiness. Apply today to start your journey with us.

Recruitment Journey For more information on your recruitment journey, please visit https://bit.ly/CUKCandidateJourney. #CUK #LI-BL1 #LI-Hybrid #Job Functions: Supply Chain; Project Management; Strategy / Planning

About Us

Holidays are one of life’s greatest pleasures. Having the chance to relax, escape and explore is a magical thing. And there is no better holiday than a cruise.

No one knows cruising like Carnival UK, where talented people from across the globe come together to create unforgettable holiday happiness. As part of the world’s largest holiday travel and leisure company, we take enormous pride in bringing to life two of the most iconic brands from Britain’s rich seafaring heritage, P&O Cruises and Cunard. Collectively they have been delivering unbridled joy, boundless adventure and lifelong memories to millions of people for over 350 years. And in a multi-million pound global holiday market, where cruising has barely scratched the surface, we have the opportunity to do that for many, many more people.

Our diverse yet tight knit teams share high standards, heartfelt values and passion for our purpose. Our Culture Essentials describe the expectations we have for ourselves and of each other, in building a culture that supports safe, sustainable, compliant operations and celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion.

It’s through the successful delivery of these extraordinary travel experiences for our target markets and our distinctive culture, that we hope to become Travel’s Employer of Choice.