Join ICOMAT – Revolutionising the Future of Lightweight Manufacturing!

iCOMAT is an advanced manufacturing company that invented Rapid Tow Shearing (RTS) - the only proven technology for producing defect-free curved-fiber composite parts at industrial scale. We deliver the lightest structures possible for aerospace, automotive, defense, and space, at a rate and cost efficiency that far exceeds existing composite production processes.

We build and operate automated factories for composite materials, delivering components to Tier 1 suppliers and OEMs. The business has three main divisions: development of automated production machines, development of software design and production tools, and operation of the factory. We work with 25+ customers and completed the largest ever Series A in composites manufacturing to fuel a significant scale-up, with growth plans that will see the business multiply in size over the next two to three years and expand operations into the UK, Europe and the US.

The business has currently more than 130,000 sqm of production capacity with manufacturing facilities in the UK (Gloucester and Swindon) and the US (Dayton, Ohio); a Hardware R&D Centre in Bristol, UK; and a Software R&D Centre in Athens, Greece.

The role

As Buyer you own everything we buy and everyone we buy it from. Raw material, consumables, tooling, subcontract operations and capital items across Gloucester and Swindon. You turn demand into purchase orders, you hold suppliers to the dates they gave us, and you own the commercial relationship behind every part we do not make ourselves.

This role is one half of a pair. The Production Planner tells you what is needed and when. You make sure it is there, at the right price, with the right paperwork, on the right date. The split is deliberate. At our scale buying and planning are each a full time job, and neither gets the attention it deserves when one person does both. You and the Planner run one set of numbers across the two sites, with no tolerance for one site optimising at the other's expense.

The line between the two roles is simple. You own the supplier: selection, price, terms, contract and performance. The Planner owns the schedule and the movement, including when material and subcontract parts are called off, when they arrive, and how they flow through the two sites. You agree the deal, they call it off.

Material lead time is the single biggest risk to our delivery commitments today. Some of what we buy runs to twenty six weeks. You are the person who knows those numbers, defends them at contract review, and makes sure we stop quoting dates the supply chain cannot support.

What will you be doing? 

Purchasing execution

• Convert MRP demand into purchase orders in SYSPRO, accurately and on time.

• Own the open purchase order book commercially. Where a supplier will not hold the date the Planner needs, you are the one who goes back to them: renegotiate, find an alternative source, or escalate.

• Raise one purchase order per material requirement for the business. Cost lands where the material is issued, not split across sites at the point of order.

• Make sure non MRP items carry the correct requisition and sign off before a PO is raised.

• Keep PO numbering, part numbers and GL coding clean at entry. A wrong code at the front end becomes a wrong number in the P&L.

• Resolve invoice, price and receipt queries with Finance so the AP process runs clean. Implementing and owning key process indicators Days Payable Outstanding (DPO) & Days of Inventory Outstanding (DIO)

Supplier management and sourcing

• Own the supplier base end to end: identification, approval, onboarding, performance and, where needed, replacement.

• Negotiate price, lead time, minimum order quantities, call off schedules and payment terms.

• Select on total value: cost, quality, quantity, delivery and service. Lowest cost only counts if everything else holds.

• Consolidate demand across Gloucester and Swindon to earn volume pricing instead of buying the same material twice at list.

• Build a second source for every critical material and every single point of failure in the supply base.

• Own the commercial side of subcontract processing, including machining, surface treatment, NDT and heat treatment: supplier selection and approval, rates, terms, capacity agreements and quality performance. The Planner schedules the work through them and moves the parts.

• Run supplier reviews on data. Supplier on time delivery, reject rate and responsiveness, tracked monthly, not anecdotally.

Lead time, risk and commercial input

• Own the material lead time picture and keep it current. The business quotes against your numbers.

• Attend contract review and give a firm answer on material availability before we commit a delivery date to a customer.

• Maintain a live material risk register against the order book, with mitigation and escalation, so a long lead item is visible in week one rather than week twenty.

• Support Business Development and Engineering at quote stage with costed bills of material and realistic lead times.

• Work with Engineering on procurement for new product introduction, first article material and qualification builds.

Compliance, process and reporting

• Hold purchasing to AS9100 and IATF 16949 requirements: approved supplier list, flow down of customer and regulatory requirements, certificates of conformity and full traceability of raw material batches.

• Handle export control, dual use and country of origin requirements on what we bring in.

• Document how we buy. Write and maintain the purchasing procedures and keep them current as our systems and approval matrix evolve.

• Report clearly and consistently on supplier on time delivery, purchase price variance, savings delivered, spend by category and supply risk.

Other duties as the business demands. We are scaling, and this job will grow with us.

What do we need from you? 

Essential

• Proven buying or procurement experience in a manufacturing environment, owning suppliers rather than only raising orders.

• Strong working knowledge of ERP / MRP purchasing. Hands on, not theoretical.

• Real negotiation experience: price, lead time, terms, and recovery when a supplier misses.

• Solid understanding of manufacturing processes and bills of material, and of how an empty shelf becomes a late part.

• Strong analytical and problem solving skills, and real comfort with data. You will build your own numbers and defend them.

• Accuracy under pressure. A wrong figure in MRP becomes a late part, and a late part becomes a customer call.

• Clear, direct communication with Production, Engineering, Stores, Quality, Finance and suppliers.

• The ability to hold multiple priorities across two sites without losing the thread.

• Willingness to travel regularly between Gloucester and Swindon, and a full UK driving licence.

• A continuous improvement mindset and the appetite to build a broad knowledge of how we manufacture.

Desirable

• Experience with SYSPRO is a big advantage.

• Aerospace, automotive or defence background, ideally buying composite raw materials, prepreg, adhesives, metallics or subcontract machining.

• Familiarity with shelf life and out life controlled material, including freezer stock.

• Exposure to AS9100 or IATF 16949 purchasing requirements.

• CIPS qualified or working towards it.

• Experience standing up a purchasing function in a business that is growing fast, rather than maintaining one that already exists.

Our Values: Uncompromising Excellence

• Competitive Salary & Benefits: We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including private healthcare, pension scheme.

• Stock Options: Equity options to give employees a stake in the company’s success

• Career Growth Opportunities: Join us at a pivotal time as we scale up, offering unmatched professional growth opportunities in the rapidly advancing field of composite materials.

• Innovation-Focused Culture: We pride ourselves on our inclusive, forward-thinking work environment. Recognized by Bloomberg as a "UK Startup to Watch," iCOMAT celebrates diversity and encourages all applicants, regardless of background, to apply.

• Global Impact: Be a part of our mission to redefine lightweight structures for the automotive, aerospace, and space industries, working with some of the most influential companies worldwide.Ready to be part of something big? 

Apply now to learn more and join us on our exciting journey!