Entry Requirements You will need to have a relevant Bachelors or Masters degree or equivalent. Relevant degree subjects include: Economics Business Studies Business and Economics Business and Law International Business Economics and Law Other non-related degrees may be considered. Additional Requirements Applicants following CIPS programmes would be desirable. About Procurement The Procurement Function is responsible for securing all external resources to support Airbus business operations. As a company Airbus procures a significant proportion (> 75% by value) of each aircraft it builds, from suppliers across the globe. Commodities required to directly produce an aircraft include everything from nuts and bolts to high value cutting edge computers for flight control systems. Furthermore the Procurement Function also secures Raw Materials for use in our factories, the equipment and buildings on our sites as well as all the materials and services required to continue our business operations. In short a significant proportion of Airbus annual turnover (>75% of turnover p.a.) is defined through the contracts that Procurement negotiates and manages and as such this function is a key contributor to the financial success of the company and, specifically, bottom line performance.

Airframe Procurement

Airframe Procurement deals with the sourcing of suppliers, awarding of contracts and managing external supplier deliveries of standard components of the Airframe that Airbus UK control. All areas of Procurement work closely with a large number of different departments within Airbus UK and with other Airbus entities: The commercial team is consulted to establish contractual agreements to maximise the benefit to both the supplier and Airbus UK. Broughton planning and programmes are consulted to set and reflect supplier production rates and delivery dates. Different Airbus entities are consulted to meet overall programme requirements and delivery dates. The Manufacturing Engineering department is in contact with suppliers, particularly new suppliers, to manage questions, queries and concerns over techniques and approved manufacturing methods, as well as tooling, used by the supplier to meet Airbus UK standards. The Airframe Procurement teams deal with a large number of suppliers in different countries and travel to these suppliers is encouraged to build stronger relationships and to discuss issues and implement improvements. Planning, project management and personal time management are important factors to keep suppliers on schedule in order to meet delivery and programme requirements. Due to the nature of the assemblies being manufactured, all phases of the process from initial negotiation to final delivery are time consuming. Airbus focuses on three main indicators to monitor its suppliers and products - quality, cost and delivery. These factors are extremely important and so take time to consistently implement.

Equipment Procurement

Equipment Procurement covers the outsourcing of complete aircraft systems to suppliers. Airbus UK is responsible for the Fuel Systems, Landing Gear Systems and Structures. Integral to Equipment Procurement are quality, supply chain and development. The primary function is to monitor supplier performance, invoices and demand, as well as to actively develop supplier improvement in terms of deliveries and rejections. Procurement is the main interface between Airbus and the supplier and the other Airbus stakeholders, such as, programmes, engineering, finance and estimating. It is responsible for approximately 80% of the Airbus cost base. This means working in close collaboration with senior management in the supply chain and the multifunctional teams across Airbus to achieve our top-level objectives. The department works with over 40 major suppliers worldwide; therefore travel is an intrinsic requirement. Continuous learning is very much encouraged including the completion of courses in negotiation, e-sourcing, SAP training and off-site team building, amongst others. The team environment that is friendly, supportive and nurturing, with time dedicated to resolving any issues. This culture provides a good platform for progression within Airbus. Landing Gear Systems is an exciting and innovative part of the business with a team of around nine people, who are responsible for: Wheels, brakes and tyres Landing gear extension and retraction systems Braking and steering control systems Landing gear monitoring systems The specialised nature of the products and system deliverables, mean the market has a high entry barrier. The main focus of equipment procurement is strategic supplier relationship management and contract management, as a result, as with other areas of Procurement, travel is encouraged to visit suppliers, build and maintain relationships, negotiate contracts, as well as for product awareness, product support, factory and capability viewing/research, etc.

General Procurement

General Procurement, despite its name, is far from general. It covers the procurement of all non-production products and services required by numerous internal customers, such as, engineering, programmes and facilities. General Procurement is split as follows: Capital Equipment and Services - buildings, jigs, tooling and machinery Enterprise Consumables and Services - corporate services, travel, non-value-added consumables, facilities management systems, training and non-technical human resource IT/Telecoms - telecommunication systems, audio/visual conferencing, software, hardware, networks and technical resource. Product-Related Services - design-outsourcing, technical human resource, research and testing. Much of the activity in general procurement concentrates on developing strategic relationships with suppliers and implementing commodity strategies to complement Airbus' corporate strategy targets.

Materials Procurement

Materials Procurement purchases all raw materials for the wing manufacturing at Airbus UK. The Metals section is managed on an international scale to meet the required demand; there is, therefore, a great deal of interaction with buyers in France and Germany to guarantee each part of Airbus has sufficient metal at the best price. The Operations team places orders with suppliers and works to guarantee timely delivery into the Airbus UK manufacturing sites. The team will also seek to resolve any problems that may arise, such as, late deliveries, poor quality material, etc. The Quality and Supply Chain team is involved in the procurement process from stage one. They make sure new suppliers can manufacture to the required quality standards and have the available resources to deliver the quantities demanded. Once suppliers are onboard, the team will report on the delivery and quality performance, as well as solve any problems that may arise. They also represent procurement when suppliers make any ad-hoc changes to designs and approval is required. The New Product Introduction team is currently working on A380 and A400M projects to make sure design engineers and production lines have all the metals needed to carry out testing, prototyping and first production aircraft. Within the same department, there are teams who cover the purchasing of composite materials, which are becoming more and more widespread on the aircraft build. Case Study - Helen My first 6 months within Procurement Landing Gear Structures (PCLA) was extremely interesting with a lot of responsibility. A key part of my role was the management of Long Range claims. This involved working with teams within Airbus, such as Estimating, Programmes and Engineering teams, to progress claims through to Target Setting before agreeing on liability and negotiating costs with my supplier. It was an exciting challenge but an integral part of ensuring good value and quality service is provided to Airbus. My last 3 months have been with Customer Services Procurement in Toulouse. I have taken the opportunity to lead a CFT for a Tailored Support Package of two Corporate Jets and have been actively involved with two exciting projects for Airbus; Flight Hour Services Project and the Extended Service Goal. I enjoyed having the opportunity to present to 30 suppliers at a recent conference. I have found my first year a very challenging but rewarding year and I look forward to the next! Case Study - Fergus Risk management is a very important part of Procurement, to guarantee a reliable supply chain. I worked, together with another DEG, on a set of guidelines and tools to clarify the reporting and management of risks both to Airbus and suppliers. This project involved many stakeholders from within the department in the UK, as well as in France and Germany. Influencing skills were essential for selling the process to our end users for everyday use; moreover the project has provided an excellent opportunity to work with numerous colleagues in the UK and abroad. The process has now been in operation for three months and has received approval from the Commercial Aircraft Authority. The main thing I have learned is the need to understand the process for getting approvals and sign-off's for projects. Projects can take some time to develop because of the number of stakeholders involved in getting a general consensus and agreement. It has been a real learning curve, but very rewarding.