About The Role
We are looking for an experienced and commercially driven Buyer to join our Procurement team within a fast-paced, multi-site food manufacturing business.
This is a fantastic opportunity to take ownership of key ingredient categories within a £70M procurement function, supporting a high-volume operation across 7 manufacturing sites. You’ll play a critical role in ensuring continuity of supply, driving cost efficiencies, and maintaining strong supplier performance.
Essential:
1. Proven experience in a Buyer/Procurement
2. role within food manufacturing or FMCG
3. Strong negotiation and commercial skills
4. Experience managing significant spend and supplier portfolios
5. Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-volume environment
6. Strong organisational and stakeholder management skills
7. Experience with MRP/ERP systems (SAGE or similar) and Microsoft Office
8. Full UK Driving Licence
9. Right to work in the UK
Desirable:
10. Experience sourcing across UK and EU markets
11. Knowledge of commodity-driven ingredient markets
12. Understanding of food safety standards (e.g. BRC, HACCP)
13. MCIPS qualification (or working towards)
Responsibilities & Requirements
What You’ll Be Doing
14. Managing procurement of food ingredients and raw materials across defined categories
15. Negotiating pricing, contracts, and commercial terms with suppliers
16. Building and maintaining strong supplier relationships, ensuring performance on cost, quality, and delivery
17. Identifying and delivering cost-saving initiatives
18. Monitoring market trends and managing supply risks
19. Supporting New Product Development (NPD) through sourcing of new ingredients
20. Ensuring compliance with food safety, regulatory, and customer standards
21. Working cross-functionally with Technical, Operations, Logistics, and Commercial teams
22. Managing procurement data and systems (SAGE MRP or equivalent)
What Success Looks Like
23. Delivery of cost savings against targets
24. Consistent continuity of supply to manufacturing sites
25. Strong supplier performance (OTIF, quality compliance)
26. Accurate and efficient procurement processes