Purchasing Industrial Placement Scheme 2025

Finance isn’t a back-office function at Toyota. You’ll soon discover that a key part of your role is to see things for yourself. You’ll spend time on the shop floor understanding how we work and learning how you can improve the way we manage costs to add real value to the business. Our Purchasing team ensures Toyota can deliver their objectives whilst supporting cost-reduction and value-increasing activities.

Your Time Here:

The Toyota Industrial Placement programme will stretch your problem-solving skills and introduce you to people at all levels, all over the business. It is designed to help you develop your professional and personal capabilities prior to your final year at university and give an opportunity to gain experience as an industry professional. It's a challenging scheme where you’ll receive plenty of support from your mentor, managers, and colleagues.

The job role will be to support a small but busy Purchasing Department to deliver objectives that will support Toyota’s drive to reduce cost and increase value. Based at our Burnaston site, the role will also cover purchasing responsibilities for the Deeside Engine plant. This will be a highly varied role which will require an individual who is versatile with a willingness to accept challenges.

Previous IP projects include:

• Leading responsible sourcing of machine spares within the general stores via competitive bids so that Toyota have access to right price, right place at the right time.
• Professionally handling commercial issues with suppliers to comply with purchasing standards
• Leading commercial discussion for high cost CAPEX items within an allocated manufacturing cost centre
• Supporting the purchasing team with labour rate reviews with key outside contracts, conduct tender / competitive bids for benchmarking or resourcing activity
• Conducting and leading special kaizen purchasing activity linked to reduction of risk in the supply chain to ensure Toyota principles of lean supply are maintained.

What we look for:

Alongside having a consistently great academic record, with a minimum 2:1 predicted degree result, we are looking for people who eagerly want to learn from others and are motivated to take on new challenges with a positive mindset. We believe that there's always a better way, therefore if you share our values and thrive on analysing problems from different angles to develop solutions, you could go a long way with us. Similarly, taking a practical approach to your work is important – you will need to be as comfortable on the shop floor as you are in the office.

Business / Economics / Maths related degree background preferred. Other degrees supported.