Procurement and Costing Manager in Loughborough

We’re looking for a Procurement and Costing Manager to take ownership of what we buy, what it costs us, and what we charge for it. You’ll negotiate with our suppliers in the UK and Far East, build the quotes we give to retailers like Sainsbury’s and Tesco, keep our product compliance in good order, and lead our procurement team. We need someone who is confident with numbers, good at negotiating, and organised enough to keep several product launches on track at the same time. This is a hands‑on role in a small, friendly team, reporting to our Head of Data and Services.

Salary £41,000 to £45,000 depending on experience. Office based in Loughborough town centre, with flexible start and finish times around core hours of 11am to 3pm. Private healthcare, company profit share, 25 days holiday plus bank holidays.

Job Description

Job Title:

Procurement & Costing Manager

Department:

Services

Reporting to:

Head of Data and Services

Working Hours:

37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday. Core hours are 11am–3pm, with flexible start and finish times (e.g., 7am–3pm or 9am–5pm).

Location:

Office Based, Loughborough Town Centre, LE11.

This role is fully office based; we’re unable to consider work-from-home requests

£41,000 to £45,000 depending on experience

Job Purpose:

The Procurement and Costing Manager makes sure Ohh Deer buys the right stock, at the right time, at the right price, and sells it at a margin that works. You own the full cost of our products, from supplier price through freight, duty and compliance to the final quote a customer sees, and you keep that picture accurate as costs change. You lead negotiations with suppliers, prepare quotations for retail customers, and build the systems that show the business where its money is tied up in stock. You keep our product and supplier compliance (FSC, SMETA, EUDR, ISO) up to date so nothing holds up a sale, and you support the Head of Data and Services on B Corp and licence pitches. You lead the procurement team day to day. Your work has a direct effect on profit and cash flow, and you report regularly on both.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Keep the business holding the right stock at the right time. Working with the Head of Data and Services, maintain and improve our stock forecasting so we can see upcoming shortages, the cost of running out, and how much cash is tied up in stock. Manage purchasing against a product budget, covering both our core ranges and stock bought specifically for customer orders.
• Make sure samples for sales pitches are produced on time and at a sensible cost, with particular focus on tightening up our submissions to grocers. Day‑to‑day sample handling sits with the procurement team; you set the process and check it works.
• Own customer quotations and critical paths. Build every quote from the full landed cost up (supplier price, freight, duty, packaging, compliance) so that profit, margin and cash timing are all understood before a price goes out. Read each customer’s terms and compliance requirements before quoting so nothing gets missed and turns into an unplanned cost later. Manage lead times and critical paths so orders land when customers need them.
• Lead supplier cost negotiation. Negotiate prices, lead times, minimum order quantities and payment terms with our UK and Far East suppliers, and keep our import and export costs under review so we’re never paying more than we should.
• Line manage the procurement team. Set clear weekly priorities, hold regular one‑to‑ones, and review the purchase order pipeline together so stock is ordered on time, within budget and within agreed stock levels. Delegate day‑to‑day ordering and sample management to the team so you can focus on cost, quotations and supplier work, and support each person’s development in their role.
• Track costs against invoices. Build and maintain simple systems that track what we expected to pay against what we were actually invoiced, across procurement, freight and duty. When costs move, the business should be able to see where, why, and what we’re doing about it.
• Own product and supplier compliance. Keep a live record of our audits and certifications (ISO, SMETA, FSC, EUDR and similar), chase suppliers for anything missing, and keep an eye on regulation changes so we’re ready before they bite rather than after.
• Support our B Corp status. Keep the supplier and product evidence we need for recertification up to date, and flag practical ways to cut carbon or improve sourcing as they come up. Overall B Corp strategy sits with the Head of Data and Services.
• Support licence pitches with cost and sales forecasts for new product styles, so the Head of Data and Services can make a strong case to licensors such as Cath Kidston and the V&A.
• Report on spend and stock. Report regularly on purchasing spend, cost movements and stock position in a form the wider team can understand, so decisions on what to buy and what to charge are based on current numbers.
• Turn slow stock back into cash. Review slow‑selling stock regularly and put forward markdown or clearance plans that turn it back into cash.

Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience:

• Experience in procurement, buying or supply chain, ideally with overseas (Far East) suppliers
• Confident with costing and margin: able to build a quote from landed cost up and understand what it does to profit and cash
• Strong Excel or Google Sheets skills, comfortable building and maintaining trackers and forecasts
• Experience negotiating with suppliers on price, lead times and terms
• Good written and verbal communication, including with overseas suppliers and UK retail buyers
• Highly organised, able to run several critical paths at once
• Understanding of import costs (freight, duty, Incoterms)
• Experience with product or supply chain compliance (FSC, SMETA, EUDR, ISO) or B Corp
• CIPS qualification or working towards one
• Experience in consumer products, gifting or stationery
• Experience with Shopify, Peoplevox or similar

Skills, Abilities and Competencies:

• Ability to work effectively independently and as a team player
• Ability to prioritise and to manage time effectively
• Excellent attention to detail
• Ability to work flexibly and to adapt to the needs of a small business

Additional Information

We offer...

• An excellent staff discount scheme and free greeting cards.
• Private Healthcare once probation has been achieved.
• A shared company-wide profit scheme once you have successfully passed your probation.
• Flexible working. We have core working hours (11am-3pm) & you can be flexible on either side of this.
• A company pension.
• A relaxed, dog-friendly, working environment with free tea and coffee.
• Occasional social gatherings.
• 25 days annual leave (plus recognised bank holidays)

About us

Founded by Jamie Mitchell and Mark Callaby in 2011, Ohh Deer is an LGBTQ+ owned, independent company selling greeting cards, stationery and gifts.

Greeting Cards remain our main product but over the years we have diversified our offering and now make and sell other stationery and gift items.

We have become firmly established within our industry selling to retailers across the world (including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Barnes and Noble and Waterstones) as well as via our direct‑to‑consumer channels.

We’re passionate about what we do and aim to be the leaders in our craft. We source the best artists, suppliers and staff to help us meet these expectations.

We continue to be ambitious and want to grow the business further which this role will play an important part in supporting.

In 2024 we became a Certified B Corp.

Our offices are based on the top floor of The Old Art College in Loughborough Town Centre, the office has some of the best views of the local area!

Ohh Deer and all of our projects uphold the same values. We believe in inclusivity, acceptance, tolerances, equality and equity. We actively advocate the importance of nurturing positive mental health and have zero tolerance for any form of discrimination.

We love to celebrate art and believe that we have an opportunity to showcase work on our products and platforms.

We believe that we are all responsible for our planet and we actively put the environment first. You can read more about our practices here:

ohhdeer.com/pages/our-environmental-pledge

We’re also a Certified B Corp, meaning that we’re passionate about our social and environmental values.

We also collaborate with many charity partners including an ongoing partnership with Tree Aid. We have also worked with The Butterfly Conservation, Switchboard LGBTQ+, M.E. Association, Blurt Foundation and Arthouse to name a few.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusivity

At Ohh Deer, we are deeply committed to embedding good equality and diversity practices into all of our activities to ensure an inclusive, welcoming and inspiring place to work, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation.

Our core values reflect a strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. We strive to represent, celebrate and embrace diversity. All staff and partners, including suppliers and artists, have a responsibility to enact Ohh Deer’s values and priorities, eliminating disparities and ensuring equal opportunities regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, language, abilities/disabilities, socioeconomic status, geographic region, or other defining characteristics so that everyone feels welcome and valued.

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