Job description

Daily rate: 300
Our client operating in the Portuguese renewable energy sector is looking for a Senior Project Procurement Buyer to lead procurement activities across the full lifecycle of utility-scale projects. The portfolio spans PV Solar, Wind, Hydro, and BESS (Battery Energy Storage Systems), with a significant pipeline of hybridization projects combining existing assets with new energy sources.

• This is a senior, strategic role for someone who understands procurement as a value-generation function from the earliest stages of project development, not as a reactive purchasing operation. The right person operates comfortably at two levels:

• managing local procurement for BoP and BoS packages independently
• coordinating with the group's Global Category Managers for critical equipment.

We are considering internalization after 1 year of contracting/outsourcing.

Requirements

GOALS AND DELIVERABLES

• Act as the single point of contact for all project-level tendering and procurement activities across the full project lifecycle
• Translate project specifications into procurement strategies for each package, engaging early with BD, Engineering, Legal, and H&S teams
• Manage full RFx processes (pre-qualification, tendering, evaluation, clarification, and award) in alignment with Group Procurement Governance
• Prepare, negotiate, and manage supply and works contracts from tendering through close-out, coordinating contractual documentation with Legal, H&S, and Cybersecurity
• Lead commercial negotiations at project level in coordination with Global Lead Buyers, ensuring alignment with group category strategies
• Select, qualify, and manage suppliers; conduct performance evaluations and monitor market trends, risks, and capabilities
• Identify cost-saving opportunities and TCO-optimization levers; support BD with competitive supplier offers during early-stage development
• Ensure full compliance with Group Procurement Governance, ESG standards, and H&S practices throughout the procurement cycle
• Operate SAP ERP and SAP Ariba (Supplier Panel and Sourcing to Contract); manage procurement data for project steering and periodic reporting

REQUIREMENTS

• Direct experience in EPC and O&M procurement within renewable energy projects (Hydro, Wind, Solar, BESS)
• Proven ownership of the full RFx cycle from pre-qualification through contract award
• Demonstrated experience preparing, assessing, and negotiating supply and works contracts, including complex contractual clauses
• Experience working within multinational group procurement structures, coordinating with Global Lead Buyers or Category Managers
• Background in BoP contract management (electrical, civil, and mechanical works) within a project environment
• Ability to support BD teams with market intelligence and supplier pricing at early project development stages
• Strong commercial acumen, sound prioritisation, and confident decision-making under pressure
• Willingness to travel within Portugal

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• What we don't want

• A purely operational buyer who executes purchase orders and processes requisitions reactively
• Someone who treats procurement as a support function rather than a value-generation role
• A profile with no renewables sector experience, regardless of how strong the procurement mechanics are
• A candidate who has never used SAP Ariba or an equivalent structured e-procurement platform
• Someone without genuine experience in structured tendering and RFx governance (issuing RFPs, managing bid evaluation, awarding contracts formally)
• A profile that is too hands-on and too dependent on hierarchical signals to set its own priorities
• Someone who cannot articulate the strategic role of procurement within a project lifecycle from the earliest development stages
• A candidate looking for a short-term contract with no interest or commitment to building a medium to long-term career within the organization

• What we want

• A senior procurement professional who operates at the strategic and governance level, not just the execution level
• Someone with direct, provable experience in renewables procurement, ideally across more than one technology (Solar, Wind, BESS, Hydro)
• A candidate who knows SAP Ariba end-to-end: supplier panel management, RFx execution, bid evaluation, contract issuance, and close-out
• Full ownership of the sourcing-to-contract cycle, with no gaps in the process chain
• Experience coordinating with Global Lead Buyers or central Category Managers within a multinational group structure
• Commercial depth in contract negotiation, including complex clauses (penalties, termination, payment terms, ESG and compliance requirements)
• Someone who enters a project at the BD and costing stage, brings supplier market intelligence, and contributes to bid competitiveness before any contract is awarded
• A profile that can absorb the urgency of the current situation (active projects, team member on sick leave) and deliver value from day one without an extended ramp-up period
• An individual with multinational group experience who already knows how to navigate governance, compliance, and matrix reporting structures without friction

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CONTACT: Costa

• Email: costa.neto@littlebigconnection.com
• Tel & WhatsApp: +351 21 020 9908