Buyer
Also advertised as: Assistant Buyer, Buyer, Category Buyer, Contracts Officer, Junior Buyer, Procurement Officer
Chooses and negotiates with suppliers to get the right products at the right price.
What the job involves
Buyers decide what an organisation purchases and on what terms. You analyse sales and cost data, source suppliers, negotiate contracts, manage supplier performance and balance price against quality and risk. Retail buying and procurement are two distinct flavours of the same core skill.
Typical responsibilities
- Analyse demand, sales and cost data
- Source and assess suppliers
- Negotiate prices, terms and contracts
- Manage supplier performance and risk
- Plan ranges or purchasing schedules
Common employers
- Retailers
- NHS supply chain
- Manufacturers
- Councils
- Construction firms
Pay, hours and working environment
Typical pay
£26,000 – £32,000 a year
With experience
£40,000 – £60,000 a year
Typical hours
37.5 hours with occasional supplier travel
Working environment
Office based with supplier visits
Remote working
hybrid
Demand for this work
steady
Pay ranges are indicative guidance drawn from advertised UK vacancies and published careers information. They are not an offer, and actual pay varies by employer, location and experience.
Skills and qualifications
Core skills
- Negotiation
- Data analysis
- Supplier management
- Commercial judgement
- Contract awareness
Transferable skills you may already have
- Stock control
- Spreadsheet analysis
- Supplier phone calls
Requirements employers ask for
- Contract awareness
- Negotiation
- Data analysis
- Supplier management
- Commercial judgement
- No formal qualification required
Useful but not essential
- Stock control
- Spreadsheet analysis
- Supplier phone calls
- CIPS Level 4 Diploma
- Level 4 Commercial Procurement and Supply apprenticeship
Helpful qualifications
- CIPS Level 4 Diploma
- Level 4 Commercial Procurement and Supply apprenticeship
Ways into this career
A degree is only one route. Where an apprenticeship, work-experience or qualification route exists, it is listed here alongside the academic option.
Apprenticeships and work-based routes
- Commercial Procurement and Supply (Level 4)
- Procurement and Supply Chain Practitioner (Level 6)
Degree and college routes
- Related subject: Business
- Related subject: Supply chain
- Related subject: Economics
- Related subject: Fashion buying
Where this career can lead
next
Senior Buyer
next
Category Manager
next
Head of Procurement
The good parts and the hard parts
What people enjoy
- Direct effect on company profit
- CIPS route needs no degree
- Public sector procurement is stable
What people find hard
- Supply disruption creates pressure
- Contract detail is unforgiving
Common questions
- Do you need a degree to become a buyer?
- No. As well as degree routes, this career can be entered through an apprenticeship or by building experience and qualifications on the job. not_required
- How much does a buyer earn in the UK?
- Typical advertised pay runs from £26,000 to £32,000 a year, rising towards £60,000 with experience. Figures are indicative guidance rather than an offer.
- What skills transfer into this career?
- Skills that transfer well include Stock control, Spreadsheet analysis, Supplier phone calls.
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Where this information comes from
- National Careers Service
- Institute for Apprenticeships
Last reviewed 14 September 2026.
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