At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and shape a procurement function from the ground up in a dynamic manufacturing environment.
- Company: Innovative manufacturer of precision technical equipment with a global reach.
- Benefits: Flexible hours, great benefits package, and opportunities for personal development.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with excellent opportunities for career growth.
- Why this job: Take ownership of procurement and make a real impact on product quality and efficiency.
- Qualifications: Experience in buying complex, made-to-order products and strong leadership skills.
The predicted salary is between 47250 - 57750 £ per year.
An opportunity to shape and lead a procurement function from the ground up. Good benefits package and flexible hours. This isn't a procurement job where you keep the wheels turning - it's one where you get to rebuild them.
Working for a manufacturer of precision technical equipment, they design, engineer and manufacture high-spec products used by customers around the world. This is an opportunity to take full ownership of a procurement function - shaping its processes, its team and its relationship with the wider business - rather than stepping into someone else's system.
You'll report into senior leadership and take full charge of buying for a complex, made-to-order product range - leading a small team and becoming the go-to link between suppliers, colleagues company-wide, and the technical design side.
Here's what the role covers:
- Building and steering a small purchasing team, giving people clear direction, coaching their development, and stepping in when a problem needs a senior call.
- Translating demand forecasts into smart stock decisions, so shelves stay full without tying up cash unnecessarily.
- Keeping a constant eye on where suppliers could let the company down, and having a plan ready before it happens.
- Partnering with the design team to question whether parts, finishes or materials could be swapped for cheaper or quicker alternatives without hurting performance.
- Acting as translator between what suppliers can realistically make and what gets specified on paper, turning shop-floor insight into formal change requests.
- Scouting and bringing on board fresh suppliers who can support growth and give the company more negotiating power.
The Candidate:
- Several years' hands-on buying experience for complex, made-to-order products - machined components, circuit boards and smaller assemblies rather than mass-produced commodities.
- Comfortable working with ERP/MRP.
- A natural people-leader who enjoys coaching a small team rather than just directing it.
- Sharp with numbers, and just as sharp at the negotiating table.
- Happy building relationships outside their own department, especially with technical colleagues.
If you're ready to make a procurement function your own, we'd love to hear from you!
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