At Yeo Valley, we're about more than just making great food – we're here to Nurture & Nourish People & Planet by Making Great Food the Right Way. Forever. As a co-owned business, we invest in our people, encourage growth, and believe in doing things properly. We are looking for a Meat, Egg & Dairy Ingredients Buyer to join our Yeo Valley family. As a key member of the Yeo Valley Dairy Procurement team your role will be critical to ensuring that our animal based agricultural ingredients procurement supports the delivery of our Yeo Valley growth ambitions; food policy and impacts goals. You are responsible for the procurement of Meat, Egg & Dairy Ingredients, for our Yeo Valley Fruits (YVF) and Yeo Valley Farms (Production) Ltd (YVFP) businesses. You will lead the development and delivery of the category sourcing plans which identify our future materials, suppliers and supply chains managing risk and enabling growth opportunities. A major part of the role will be to work with suppliers and business stakeholders to identify and implement supply chain efficiency and risk management programs through category management, sourcing, contracting and delivery of specific dairy projects which support the wider Dairy Procurement team. A key role will be to set up processes and supplier relationships which enable management of dairy raw material fluctuations in the short term 3-12 week forecast horizon through trading (buying or selling) of dairy raw materials to support balancing and risk mitigation. Your responsibilities will include: Develop and implement category plans for Meat, Egg & Dairy Ingredient categories which address consumer, customer and brand requirements in the areas of cost, service, quality and sustainability Negotiate and implement supply contracts - completing market reviews where applicable to identify potential new sources of supply Work with internal stakeholders, strategic suppliers and external bodies to develop and embed and measure progressive regenerative and organic farming standards within our meat eggs & dairy ingredients supply chains which will support delivery of our nature positive farming ambitions Optimise supplier relationships and supplier performance against key metrics, agreeing and embedding supplier improvement plans were applicable to support delivery of sustainability, quality and service requirements Work with suppliers and business stakeholders to identify and implement workstreams that reduce the total cost of raw materials supply, and or support our milk balancing plan including supporting improvements in supply chains, processing & manufacturing efficiency or improve operational performance Work with our customer and development teams to identify; source and contract new meat and dairy raw materials, supporting product innovation in existing categories and successfully enter into new food categories Support business budgeting and forecasting processes – through the provision of raw material price forecasting. Compile and communicate market insights which support business decision making Implement raw material contracts and commercial agreements and work with the business to implement approaches that support the identification and mitigation of supply chain risks and promote balancing of dairy raw materials Ensure that accurate and reliable price variance, cost saving initiatives, market reports and cover forecasts are accurately compiled and communicated within the business This role sits within the Central Procurement team and reports to the Dairy Procurement Manager. The working hours are 40 hours per week Monday - Friday, and the role is based in our YVHQ offices in Blagdon, Somerset. Whilst we operate with flexible working principles, we expect our co-owners to be present in the office 2-3 days a week. Sounds interesting, what do I need? Essential: Prior procurement experience – supplier management, category management, contracting and tendering Strong negotiation and influencing skills Able to work to tight or challenging deadlines Self-motivated and adaptable, able to juggle multiple priorities Strong numeracy, analytical, literacy and presentation skills Proven collaborator and communicator. Can build relationships at all levels Good understanding of supply chain risks and risk management techniques Desirable: CIPS Qualified Prior experience of Food Ingredients sourcing FMCG/Food manufacturing experience Degree Educated or equivalent work experience Proven track record in delivering sustainable supply chain cost efficiency projects Why should I join the family? We’re independent, British and proud to be making the highest quality yogurts, desserts and ice cream under the Yeo Valley brand and for many of the UK’s major retailers. Operating from four dairies and two logistics centres in Somerset and Devon, we employ over 1900 staff and produce more than 25% of the UK’s packaged yogurt. We’re sure you don’t need convincing, but there’s a whole host of benefits that we offer. It goes without saying that you'll have access to free parking, top of the range personal protection equipment (PPE) and your own locker. You'll also receive the following: Competitive holiday allowance non-contributory pension scheme life cover healthcare cash back plan cycle to work scheme subsidised Yeo Valley products and services preferential rates with our partners learning and development opportunities; we’re committed to ensuring all of our employees have the chance to grow Our closing dates are a guide for when the application window should close, although we may close the advert sooner if we can. So, we recommend you get your application in straight away – and don’t miss the opportunity to join us! Unfortunately, we’re not able to provide employment sponsorship to candidates at this moment in time. Please note that Yeo Valley do not accept speculative agency applications; we will only accept applications from preferred suppliers that have been submitted to us via our recruitment portal at the point of instruction .