Graduate Development Program, Associate Category Buyer, Procurement

Find your superpower with the Graduate Development Program  

National Grid’s Graduate Development Program (GDP) is a year-long development program for recent college graduates who aspire to take on future leadership roles in a dynamic, ever-changing industry. Graduates will shape the future of National Grid. Bringing fresh thinking, new perspectives, and exploring with energy, we’ll give you real responsibility and an opportunity to move with purpose from day one – putting the power to supercharge your career in your hands. 

Graduates start their careers at National Grid with an in-depth 3-week in-person Orientation which gives you exposure to all parts of the company, allows you to network with your Graduate cohort, GDP alumni, and senior leaders, and provides you with the opportunity to travel throughout our service territory in the northeast US. Following Orientation, you’ll begin working in full-time position outlined below and take part in ongoing development activities including quarterly development sessions, active mentorship, and a Hackathon Project. 

Procurement Rotations

Graduates in our Procurement team will take part in a rotational exploration opportunity. Your first year will be in the role outlined below, following your first year you will have the opportunity to have one 9-month rotation in Procurement designed to provide you with a breadth of experience within your functional area and accelerate your progression at National Grid. This placement will provide you with the opportunity to solve complex problems and focus on growth that will transform the energy sector as we know it. 

About the Position

As the Associate Category Buyer, you will be responsible for supporting National Grid’s sourcing activities for US Procurement. You'll be an integral member of the team and deliver innovative thinking to help our categories and stakeholders make effective sourcing decisions.

As an Associate Category Buyer, you'll be responsible for one of 2 teams: NY/NE Gas and Electric or Group Indirect Procurement. You'll work with internal and external stakeholders to establish clear business needs, along with supporting the delivery of savings targets. You'll gain a basic understanding of contractual terms and conditions allowing you then to craft structured agreements with legal and stakeholder input. Lastly, you'll gain an understanding of how to analyze large data sets and extract information for strategic decision-making.

What You'll Do

As the Associate Category Buyer, you'll be responsible for different areas: Category Management, Commercial, Negotiation, Supplier Relationship Management, and Systems & Analytics.

Category Management

• Execute operationally, complex sourcing activities; implement more than one option: RFX (Request forX), e-sourcing, or Consortiums.

Commercial Negotiation

• Establish structured negotiation plans (with support of Senior staff) with clarity of desired outcomes, leveraging stakeholder input and support where appropriate.

Supplier Relationship Management

• Identify critical suppliers and create appropriate engagement plans to ensure our Supply Chain risk profile and inputs to continuous improvement are proactively managed.
• Demonstrate a collaborative approach with the supply base and develop integrated plans to drive appropriate value for business and customer requirements.

Systems & Analytics

• Adapt to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems such as SAP, Tableau, Ariba, and Spend Analytics

What You’ll Need

• Bachelors or Master's degree from an accredited institution preferably in supply chain, business, operations management, or a related field.
• Graduated between May 2025 and June 2026   
• Ability to begin the National Grid Graduate Program on June 8, 2026, or July 13, 2026
• Valid driver’s license required with a safe driving history that meets National Grid’s Safe Driver policy
• Work authorization that does not now or in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the United States (such as sponsorship for an H-1B, TN, O, L, STEM OPT, or other employment-based work authorization) 

It would be awesome if you had

• Experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems such as SAP, Tableau, Ariba, and Spend Analytics
• Experience with project management (class, internship, clubs, etc.)
• Experience with strategic sourcing, contract negotiation, and category management

At National Grid, we’re Superpowered

The world of energy is changing faster than ever. At National Grid, we keep people connected and society moving. But it’s so much more than that. We’re dreamers, big-thinkers, innovators, and builders. We’re shaping the current, to change the future. We know that a clean, fair, and affordable energy future is in our hands. So, we explore with energy, with innovation and technology powering our progress, and helping us to find a better way to deliver energy to all National Grid supplies us with the environment to make it happen – inspiring us, giving us time to recharge and providing a safety net on tougher days. But it’s our people that provide our true superpower. They drive and sustain our growth, their unique differences only making us stronger. So join us, and power the future of energy. Find what makes you Superpowered. 

More Information