An exciting opportunity has arisen for a commercially astute Buyer to join a leading supplier of own-label chilled food products.
Reporting to the Head of Commercial and with 2 direct reports, the Buyer is a new position in their structure, responsible for the development of a defined procurement strategy and supplier management system, enabling the business to continue to grow it’s offering to retail, wholesale, foodservice and industrial customers.
Buyer responsibilities include:
* Strategy Development: Create and implement a formal procurement strategy, formal SLAs and KPIs are currently not in place.
* Supplier Management: Establish formal contracts and build strong supplier partnerships through structured reviews and performance tracking tools to measure quality and OTIF (On-Time In-Full) delivery.
* Collaborative Partnership: Manage supplier relationships in a collaborative, professional manner, focusing on long-term improvement plans.
* Cost & Commodity Management: Lead cost management activity, analysing spend. Closely track commodity pricing and market data to challenge suppliers effectively and deliver sustainable savings.
* Proactive Sourcing: Identifying new product and supplier opportunities to diversify the supply base in response to customer and category growth opportunities.
* Project Collaboration: Work closely with Commercial, Operations, and Technical teams to align procurement with business needs
* Compliance: Ensure compliance with food safety, sustainability and ethical sourcing standards.
What You’ll Bring
* Proven Procurement Expertise: Substantial experience buying food products / food ingredients (essential)
* Strategic Mindset: The ability to build a framework for supplier management where none currently exists.
* Negotiation Skills: A track record of negotiating contracts that protect quality, value, and continuity of supply.
* Analytical Rigor: A data-driven approach with the ability to interpret commodity trends and category insights.
* Mobility: A willingness to travel within the UK and Europe to visit partners and suppliers.
Application via CV