Strategic Buyer – Electrical Equipment

Location: Brussels – hybrid (remote work policy applies) | Occasional travel to Berlin (a few times per year)

Contract type: Freelance consultancy – full-time

Compensation: Competitive

End : 30 / 06 /2027

Profile: Mid-level – 2 to 5 years of experience in procurement, project management, or a technical context

Languages: French, Dutch, and English: all three required – one mother tongue + the other two at C1 level minimum

Scope: Group-wide: dual-entity procurement responsibility

Description

Context

Our client is a European electricity transmission system operator, comprising two major electrical compagnies. Together the Group operates the high‑voltage transmission infrastructure in Belgium and eastern Germany, and plays a central role in the European energy transition, managing large‑scale infrastructure investment programmes and cross‑border interconnections.

The Group Procurement team is responsible for sourcing and contracting the strategic assets and services that underpin the Group's infrastructure programmes — including major electrical equipment such as power transformers, high‑voltage switchgear, cables, and other critical components. Given the scale, strategic importance, and regulatory complexity of these purchases, the procurement function operates under European Union public procurement rules (EU Directive on procurement by entities operating in the utilities sector), which requires rigorous and structured procurement processes.

The Strategic Buyer – Electrical Equipment joins the Group Procurement team to lead procurement procedures for strategic electrical infrastructure assets, with a scope that spans both compagnies. The role covers the full procurement cycle — from strategy definition and market analysis through EU procedure design, tender management, negotiation, and contract award.

Required Qualification

Responsibilities

Market analysis and procurement strategy

Work closely with the technical and asset management departments of both compagnies to develop a comprehensive understanding of the Group's long‑term requirements for strategic electrical equipment

Continuously analyse the global market for strategic electrical equipment — monitoring market dynamics, supplier landscape evolution, capacity constraints, technology shifts, and geopolitical factors affecting supply chains for critical infrastructure components

Develop and maintain the medium‑to‑long‑term procurement plan for strategic electrical equipment, aligned with the Group's infrastructure investment pipeline and sustainability objectives

Define and implement procurement strategies in coordination with internal technical, asset management, legal, and sustainability stakeholders across Brussels and Berlin

Actively contribute to the implementation of the Group's sustainable procurement policies — integrating environmental, social, and governance criteria into procurement strategies and tender evaluation

EU procurement procedures — primary workload (~80% of role)

Lead European Union public procurement procedures for strategic electrical equipment from end to end — this represents approximately 80% of the role. The Group, as a regulated utility, is subject to EU procurement rules (Utilities Directive) for above‑threshold contracts, which requires formally structured and legally compliant tender processes.

Define selection and award criteria in coordination with internal technical and legal stakeholders — ensuring criteria are technically sound, legally defensible, and aligned with the Group's procurement strategy

Draft and manage procurement documentation: tender specifications, qualification questionnaires, technical requirements, evaluation matrices, and contract templates

Manage the full tender process: publication, candidate prequalification, Q&A management, bid evaluation (technical and commercial), negotiation, and contract award

Contribute to the continuous improvement of internal procurement processes, methods, and tools based on lessons learned from EU procedures — optimise workflow efficiency and template quality

Depending on experience: take full autonomous responsibility for a complete family of strategic assets — owning the procurement strategy, procedure, and supplier relationship for that equipment category

Cross‑entity collaboration and synergies

Build and maintain strong working relationships with internal stakeholders across different countries — technical departments, asset management, legal, finance, and sustainability teams at both compagnies

Actively contribute to building procurement synergies and best practices between the clients — sharing market intelligence, harmonising processes, and identifying joint sourcing opportunities