Procurement Assistant in Maidstone

Key Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day procurement and administrative support to the Head of Sourcing.
• Assist with sourcing and purchasing fresh produce in line with agreed supply programs and business requirements. Prepare, place and maintain purchase orders, ensuring supplier, pricing and purchasing information is accurate.
• Liaise with growers and suppliers regarding availability, pricing, orders, documentation and delivery schedules.
• Monitor outstanding orders and expected deliveries, highlighting potential shortages, delays or supply issues promptly. Assist with supplier pricing comparisons, cost analysis and preparation of information to support commercial negotiations.
• Maintain accurate supplier, procurement and purchasing records within Company systems and spreadsheets.
• Support supplier on-boarding, compliance and performance monitoring.
• Work closely with Commercial, Logistics, Technical, Quality, Operations and Finance colleagues to ensure effective communication and continuity of supply.
• Prepare procurement reports, trackers and analysis as required.
• Develop knowledge of citrus products, varieties, seasons, growing regions, crop availability and relevant market conditions.
• Help identify opportunities for cost savings, improved supplier performance and more efficient procurement processes.

Skills & Experience

• Strong organisational skills with excellent attention to detail.
• Good numerical and analytical ability with a commercially minded approach.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with confidence dealing with suppliers and colleagues.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, Outlook and Word.
• Ability to prioritise workload, meet deadlines and work effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Previous experience in procurement, purchasing, supply chain, commercial administration or fresh produce would be advantageous.
• Experience of ERP or purchasing systems would be beneficial such like Prophet or Rubicon.
• Additional language skills, particularly Spanish, would be advantageous.

This is a permanent role offering one-day per week working from home.