Junior Buyer

Higgidy are purveyors of some of the finest pies, quiches and sausage rolls around (even if we do say so ourselves!). From our humble roots as a small family business founded by husband, wife and their best friend (who are all still in the business today) we've grown steadily for more than a decade, and now boast a team of 350 permanent staff.

We now have an exciting opportunity for a Junior Buyer to join our Procurement Team.

This role will be helping the Higgidy P&I Team to move forward and help the company to achieve its objectives. The role mainly consists in procure new raw material from approve suppliers or new suppliers to help NPD with new recipes, be responsible for non-production items and provide administrative support to the Procurement Team and cover Purchasing Material Controller holidays.

You'll be communicating with our suppliers, making sure we receive the best products at the best prices which will include negotiating the cost of products.

Sustainability is extremely important to us - you'll make sure our suppliers meet our high ethical and sustainability standards.

The Junior Buyer will:

* Sourcing new raw materials from approved/current suppliers giving support to NPD and Process Team where necessary

* Work with suppliers and the Technical team on specification requests and lead coordination accreditation and approval for new raw materials

* Lead specific projects in sourcing along with commercial negotiations to ensure that the company gets the best value for money in the goods and services it buys.

* Control New Raw Material forms and the approval process

* Manage new codes in Sage/ACS once raw material is approved

* Ensure Raw Material System is kept up to date with all necessary information

* Ensure all Procurement Reports are up to date

* Working with goods in team, control raw material samples from ordering to deliveries, keeping all parties updated with the latest information

* Look after the services contracts e.g., Vending Machines, Fruit & Water

* Responsible for managing the purchase order process including raising orders and then lead buying in non- stock items and negotiate prices where necessary

* Cover material purchasing controller holidays by placing orders for raw material and ensure stock is available for production

* Build relationships with key suppliers

* Work with NPD Manager to review ingredient list ensuring raw material portfolio is controlled, balancing innovation with complexity

* Create an environment to cultivate innovation opportunities from suppliers and engaging with the business

* You may from time to time be asked to cover some or all the duties of Material Controller/Procurement Manager and deputise in their absence

To be considered for this role you must have:

* Experience in the Food industry

* A strong commercial acumen

* Come from a buying background - CIPS

* Experience with indirect services

* Proactive in making decisions

* Strong analytical, influencing, and problem-solving skills

* An excellent communicator. Working with all our suppliers and internal teams you'll need to be able to communicate well

* Ability to multitask and to have a "can do" attitude

* Advance MS Office skills - especially Excel

In return, we can offer you a competitive online benefits programme via Perkbox, access to our Employee Assistance Programme, free on shift refreshments and access to Wi-Fi, as well as a generous annual leave allowance which increases with every years service.

Higgidy is proud to be an accredited B Corp organisation, committed to balancing purpose and profit. We are redefining what good business looks like, building a more inclusive and sustainable economy. A significant part of this is down to our people - to be a part of the movement and join our team