Purchasing Manager

An excellent opportunity has arisen for an experienced Purchasing & Stores Manager to join our team at Niftylift. Based at our state-of-the-art fabrication and manufacturing facility in Hoyland, Barnsley, this role plays a key part in supporting our global supply chain operations.

Niftylift Limited is one of the world’s leading privately owned designers and manufacturers of mobile elevated work platforms. We supply products to customers in over 40 countries, supported by more than 400 employees across our three UK Centres of Excellence. This role offers the chance to influence and engage with the global marketplace—selecting ethical, reliable suppliers and supporting the continuous development of Niftylift’s products and operations.

About the Role

This position combines leadership of the Purchasing team with responsibility for the Stores and Internal Logistics function, ensuring a robust, efficient and world-class supply chain.

Purchasing Management: You will lead the purchasing function for our Hoyland site, ensuring both the stability and development of our supplier base. Key responsibilities include:

• Develop, support and coach the purchasing team.
• Formally develop and define value added procedures and their adherence.
• Providing leadership on development of the current and new supplier bases and logistics using processes and proven techniques to achieve a world class supply.
• To ensure commercially secure efficient purchase, control and scheduling of material at the lowest overall cost, in line with the Niftylift purchasing strategy.

Stores Management: You will oversee all aspects of internal logistics, materials management and stock control, ensuring alignment with business objectives and Milton Keynes Logistics for consistency. Key responsibilities include:

• Develop and align the stocking policies with the purchasing, scheduling and safety stock categories to ensure both achieve the same output of balanced stock to meet demand.
• Develop, support and coach the stock control team to ensure ongoing management of direct materials, stock control, stock policies and investigations into discrepancies.
• Ensuring accurate perpetual inventory result and annual stock take accuracy.
• Develop continuous improvement opportunities to maximise information technology to automate transactional data.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Manage the portfolio of suppliers with a spend of £10M plus, including the negotiation of clear and robust commercially secure contracts for new and existing suppliers.
• Develop and maintain a global structured supply base with dual source plus back up for all sensitive commodity types.
• Develop KPI reporting and scorecard measurement of suppliers.
• Identify areas of opportunity, initiate and implement new purchasing strategies.
• Research, audit and select suitable vendors for the development of strategic partnerships.
• Develop, maintain and audit an approved primary supplier base on their financial stability, technical, commercial, quality, delivery and support abilities.
• Competitively tender all parts as commodity groups.
• Maintain structured communication and teamwork with Milton Keynes.
• Support New Product Introduction projects through to implementation.
• Conduct supplier development and recovery meetings in line with the group needs.
• Develop and maintain ordering methods, rolling delivery schedules, materials control and purchasing planning parameters on the company's MRP.
• Verification, investigation and resolution of MRP purchasing/schedule related issues.
• Achieve cost down through supplier's technical/engineering resources, global and currency sourcing, correct supplier selection.
• Oversee the strategic management of logistics to identify best practice, alignment to purchasing strategies of global supply chains.
• Align direct material management processes and procedures to optimise stock control, space and cost.
• Report slow moving and obsolete stock to reduce, control and prevent.
• Monitor and manage stock discrepancies in good time to ensure accurate demand is pulling through MRP.
• Maintain full understanding and compliance of the companies ISO 9001/ ISO14001/ISO18001 standards.
• Plan and maintain ‘how-to’ guides for transactional processes to support training needs and standardisation.

Experience & Qualifications

Essential:

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a senior purchasing, commodity management or supply chain role.
• Strong background in purchasing steel, welded fabrications and machined components within an engineering or similar environment.
• Experience operating in a continuous single‑piece flow production setting.
• Strong understanding of MRP systems and Microsoft Office.
• Experience in stock control, internal logistics, and inventory management.
• Strong experience in contract negotiations, inventory reduction and contract negotiation.
• Ability to travel globally to support supplier management.
• Experience with lean manufacturing tools, supplier auditing (commercial/SQA/PPAP/QPAP), and contract negotiation.

Desirable:

• CIPS qualification (or working towards).
• Experience with open‑book costing and PPV.
• Automotive‑standard supply contracts and penalties exposure.

Working Hours

07:30 - 16:30, Monday - Thursday
07:30 - 13:30, Friday

Benefits

• 25 days holiday (rising with service to 30 days) plus bank holidays.
• Annual bonus (£500 per annum, based on recent average - for indication only).
• 5% contributory pension scheme.
• Life insurance scheme.
• Health cover scheme.
• Staff discounts.
• Cycle to Work scheme.
• Employee referral scheme.
• Discounted gym memberships.
• Free on-site parking.
• Subsidised refreshments (lunch and drink options).
• Free quarterly company lunches.
• Free family events.