When it comes to performance, skills and experience don’t tell the whole story. They only tell us what to do in known, predictable, and contextual situations.
We look for attributes as they tell us how you behave in all situations, particularly unknown, challenging, or stressful ones when you can’t apply your learnt skills.
We have big ambitions, and we need people who work here to have big ambitions too.
To achieve our growth plans we need talented and driven people who are curious and comfortable with uncertainty and step outside their comfort zone to learn and try new things.
If you're the kind of person who rolls up your sleeves and gets stuck in, we want to hear from you!
Watch to find out what it takes to be successful and build a better career at MSC.
Requisition ID : 20180
Employment Type : Full Time
Job Category : Supply Chain
Work Location : Wednesbury, UK
Potential Work Location : United Kingdom : England : Wednesbury
We are seeking a proactive and commercially minded Buyer to join our team. The successful candidate will be responsible for managing stock levels, developing strong supplier relationships, and ensuring products are sourced at the best possible value. This role is key to maintaining product availability, controlling costs, and supporting operational performance.
Key Responsibilities
Stock Management
1. Monitor stock levels to ensure optimal availability while avoiding overstock and obsolescence.
2. Analyse sales trends, forecasts, and demand planning data to inform purchasing decisions.
3. Maintain accurate data within inventory and ERP systems.
4. Work closely with sales teams to support business needs and prevent stock outs.
Supplier Relations & Management
5. Build and maintain strong working relationships with key suppliers.
6. Negotiate pricing, terms, and contracts to secure competitive advantage.
7. Conduct regular supplier reviews to monitor performance, quality, and reliability.
8. Manage supplier performance issues, and escalating risk where necessary.
Purchasing & Administration
9. Place purchase orders accurately and in line with agreed lead times.
10. Ensure timely delivery of goods and resolve any delivery or quality issues.
11. Track and report on purchasing KPIs such as cost savings, supplier performance, and stock accuracy.
12. Maintain accurate purchasing records and documentation.
Cross‑Functional Collaboration
13. Liaise with finance, logistics, customer service, and commercial teams to support business priorities.
14. Work with the category and content teams to address changes and improvements.
Skills & Experience
15. Proven experience in a Buyer / Purchasing role.
16. Strong communication skills.
17. Good analytical ability with confidence using data to make decisions.
18. Experience in stock/inventory management.
19. Knowledge of procurement systems (e.g., ERP).
20. Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Personal Attributes
21. Self-motivated with a proactive approach.
22. Strong relationship builder.
23. Commercially aware with attention to detail.
24. Able to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
Why MSC?
The journey to the best version of yourself starts with us. If you’re searching for an employer that will enable you to learn, grow and make a difference, you’ve found it.
You will feel a sense of purpose and belonging as we allow our people to have a voice and the opportunity to make a genuine impact.
We have created a psychologically safe and inclusive environment where we treat our associates as adults and give them autonomy to make decisions, take risks and learn from mistakes.
You will be encouraged to challenge the norm, make decisions and take ownership to make changes, enabling you to significantly contribute towards our business success.
Our people-centric culture will encourage you to continuously develop, both professionally and personally.
From our culture to our forward-thinking leadership, you’ll soon realise that you have an incredible opportunity here to be your best self.
Whether your career path is vertical or squiggly we’d love to watch you grow and reach your full potential with us.
Watch to find out what it’s like to work at MSC and join us as we continue to build a team of people doing their best work
We won’t just give you a job, we’ll enable you to be yourself, discover opportunity, unlock your potential, and design your career.