Packaging Buyer

Procurement Heads is delighted to be working with a renowned international brand in the F&B space looking to a recruit a new Senior Buyer (Packaging).

This company is eighth-generation family-owned and has been operating for more than 200 years.

They have a foothold within Asia, America and Europe.

The company has recently acquired several UK number one brands to branch out its European arm and continue to diversify its demographic and has ambitious growth plans and continues to expand its product portfolio, recently partnering with brands such as Papa Johns.  

As Senior Buyer you will report to the Buying Manager and control the entirety of the packaging category.

Looking after a spend of £13m and around 40 suppliers you will lead end-to-end procurement processes, devise category strategies and look for innovative ways to mitigate cost and ensure supply continuity.

The European division is still a relatively small part of the overall organisation and therefore there is ample room for growth and development within this developing function.

As Senior Buyer you will be responsible for:

• Developing and agreeing on category strategies with key Stakeholders and senior management
• Understand how purchased items impact company’s financial performance
• Analysis of supply base understanding marketplace, key Global/European/UK suppliers, market complexity
• Optimise deal structures to deliver optimum value exploiting deflation and mitigating inflation
• Ongoing management and reporting of anticipated adverse or favourable impacts on budget through the KPI reports
• Developing procurement annual budget for the corresponding category
• Developing a pipeline of projects to offset inflation and meet in-year cost reduction targets
• Develop and maintain cross-functional relationships with the following categories - NPD, supply chain, operations, marketing, finance, and technical teams
• Developing supplier relationship management strategies to ensure continuity of supply and incremental improvement in quality, service and value and innovation
• Developing and implementing appropriate contracts with suppliers in order to maximise commercial interests
• Contribute effectively to the development of the procurement function, through leading e.g. systems/process/KPI development workstreams

The company is looking for a self-starter that can take accountability for the packaging category area.

They need someone with strong commercial acumen and a good understanding of the packaging market to advise and outline strategy.

You will have exposure to all levels of stakeholders, including the C-Suite, and therefore need to be confident and sure in your ability to present and report back to the business.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to take on more ownership in their next role and offers a great pathway to becoming a fully-fledged Category Manager.