NAME: Nick Pace
COMPANY/REGION: McCarthy & Stone Developments Limited, Head Office, Bournemouth
JOB TITLE: Purchasing Manager
DEPARTMENT: Commercial
WHAT DOES YOUR DEPARTMENT DO?
Group Commercial within McCarthy & Stone comprises of Purchasing, Surveying, Design, Auditing. basically between us we manage and monitor the budgets, build costs, set specifications and standards, source the best and most cost effective materials that are critical to our build ensuring the Group benefit as a whole whilst remaining as competitive as possible.
WHAT DO YOU DO ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS?
As part of my role as Purchasing Manager within Group Commercial at McCarthy & Stone, I monitor the market in order to identify strategic policy issues that may be of benefit to the Group and submit proposals to the Developments Board for approval regarding containment, or reduction of costs and or improvement in quality. I evaluate and if appropriate, trial new suppliers or products which may be of benefit to the Group, carry out appropriate quality assurance checks on new and existing suppliers using our vendor assessment procedure, which include manufacturing quality, delivery, supplier performance and financial stability which is carried out prior to proposing acceptance of a National Agreement to the Developments Board.I also Manage our Company standard specification and review standard details and ensure these are amended to reflect any new standards and regulations to ensure our regions have the latest up to date information, I also Manage and administer any rebate agreements we have in place with our National suppliers. And carry out projects as directed by the Executive Commercial Director.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT WHAT YOU DO?
My work is so varied, each and every day is different never boring. There is also a lot of job satisfaction to be had from knowing, what I do makes a difference to the way the Company operates on a day to day basis.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS CAREER?
Not my first choice to be honest, When I left school in 1967 I spent 6 years on a Carpentry and joinery apprenticeship completed in 1973 and spent the next 17 years working mainly for a Brewery refurbishing pubs and clubs Nationally moving up through the ranks to Contracts Manger for the last 10 years, before deciding to pack it all in and re train as a Surveyor which took me to sunny Durham working for Mowlem Construction for 2 years, before returning South to work within the Housing Association section, before finally being lucky enough to get a job with McCarthy & Stone in 1999 where I was seconded to the Purchasing department, put myself through even more training to obtain my MCIPS then after many years hard work by choice through gradual promotion obtained the position I hold today of Purchasing Manager.
WHAT QUALIFICATIONS DID YOU NEED TO GET THIS JOB?
Member Of The Chartered Institute Of Purchasing And Supply (MCIPS)
IS THERE ANY PARTICULAR ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE A GRADUATE OR TRAINEE LOOKING FOR A JOB IN YOUR WORK AREA?
Be prepared to study hard, and grab any opportunity that comes your way and be determined.