Purchasing and Inventory Manager

Our client is an established specialist in industrial controls and automation with over 40 years of industry experience. They are currently looking for a Purchasing and Inventory Manager to join their hardworking and dedicated team in St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex. The ideal candidate will possess demonstrable experience within purchasing, have previous hands-on experience using a stock management, inventory planning or inventory optimisation system, as well as experience of managing a sizeable and varied product or SKU portfolio. You will possess strong Microsoft excel skills, have good numerical and analytical ability, possess excellent organisation skill and attention to detail as well as strong communication and relationship-building skills. As a Purchasing and Inventory Manager you will take responsibility for purchasing and inventory management across a product portfolio of more than 6,000 SKUs, with the range continuing to grow at the business develops. You will take ownership of day-to-day purchasing, help ensure the company maintain the right levels of stock, work closely with the international suppliers and logistic partners, and produce meaningful stock and purchasing analysis to support commercial decision-making. The ideal candidate will possess the following skills and qualities: Demonstrable experience within purchasing Previous hands-on experience using a stock management, inventory planning or inventory optimisation system Experience managing a sizeable and varied product or SKU portfolio Possess strong Microsoft excel skills Experience producing, developing and interpreting management reports Have good numerical and analytical ability Possess excellent organisational skills and attention to detail Have strong communication and relationship-building skills Ability to deal with suppliers, including international suppliers Have previously worked with courier, freight and logistics providers Ability to manage multiple priorities and follow actions through to completion Desirable Skills and Experience: Microsoft Dynamics 365 business central experience Previous experience using Eazystock (url removed) experience Experience within industrial automation, electrical products, engineering or a technical distribution environment Experience purchasing or importing products from international suppliers Experience developing, purchasing, inventory or stock management KPIs and reports Your duties as a Purchasing and Inventory Manager would be: Taking ownership of the day-to-day purchasing and inventory function Managing purchasing activity across UK and international suppliers Challenging purchasing quantities, timings, lead times, freight methods and stock requirements where appropriate Raising and managing purchase orders accurately and within agreed parameters Once fully established in the role, placing purchase orders independently up to agreed authority levels Monitoring outstanding purchase orders, supplier lead times and expected delivery dates Working closely with suppliers to resolve availability, delivery, pricing and supply issues Developing and maintaining strong working relationships with key international manufacturing partners Monitoring supplier performance, including lead times, service levels and delivery reliability Liaising with courier companies, freight providers and other logistics partners Taking ownership of inventory management across a growing portfolio of more than 6,000 SKUs Monitoring and analysing stock availability, excess stock, slow-moving inventory, stock shortages and overall stock investment Helping optimise the balance between customer availability and the level of cash tied up in inventory Using the stock management software, Eazystock, to support stock planning, forecasting and purchasing decisions Maintaining the accuracy and integrity of stock-management data Identifying opportunities to improve stockholding and inventory efficiency Produce and continually develop monthly stock-management reports Using Excel extensively to analyse purchasing and inventory data Working collaboratively with senior management to interpret reports, identify issues and agree actions Working closely with the sales team to understand changing demand, customer requirements and future stock needs Maintaining accurate purchasing, supplier and product information within Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Maintaining associated offline supplier price lists and pricing data Supporting the collection and management of supplier pricing information and price-change processes Identifying inefficiencies within purchasing and inventory processes and propose practical improvements Taking ownership of purchasing and inventory-related issues and seeing them through to resolution Escalating material commercial, financial or operational decisions to senior management where appropriate Salary: £45,000 - £50,000 per annum depending on experience Hours: Full Time Permanent Location: St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex