Location: Durham based, international travel c.quarterly, flexibility to work from home 1 day per week.
Overview:
Our client is seeking a dynamic Buying Manager to lead their procurement strategy in a fast- paced, highly transactional commercial environment. This role is ideal for someone with a proven track record in international sourcing, negotiating, and purchasing, who thrives on driving results and securing the best deals.
You will take ownership of the full procurement cycle, building strong supplier relationships and ensuring commercial success. This is a hands-on role requiring someone hungry, humble, and smart—a driven professional who can balance ambition with teamwork, and strategic thinking with action.
Key Requirements:
* Expert Negotiator, with a strong commercial mindset and hands-on capability.
* Proven Experience in high-volume transactional purchasing, buying, strategic sourcing, driving transformation and change.
* This is a hands-on role in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
Key Responsibilities:
* Lead and manage international sourcing and supplier negotiations to drive best-value purchasing.
* Develop and implement procurement strategies that align with business goals.
* Maintain and grow relationships with global suppliers, ensuring efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and reliability.
* Work closely with sales and commercial teams to ensure supply chain alignment with customer needs.
* Analyse market trends, competitor activity, and supplier performance to continuously improve procurement operations.
* Ensure best-in-class cost control, risk management, and contract negotiations.
* Manage a high volume of transactions in a fast-moving commercial environment.
* Drive continuous improvement in procurement processes, ensuring agility and responsiveness to business demands.
* Travel overseas to visit suppliers, cementing relationships, validate capacity and audit factories.
* Manage inventory levels to ensure high stock availability, reducing waste and mitigating risks associated with supply chain disruptions.
* Ensure compliance with industry regulations, including BRCGS, food safety and packaging tax legislation.
Ideal Candidate Profile:
* Proven experience in a buying, procurement, or purchasing role within a fast-paced, high-volume, commercial sales environment.
* Strong track record in highly transactional roles, with international sourcing, supplier negotiations, and contract management.
* Commercially savvy, strong negotiator with excellent analytical skills and a results-driven mindset.
* A strategic thinker who can balance long-term supplier relationships with immediate business needs.
* A self-starter with a strong work ethic—hungry, humble and smart.
* Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to collaborate across teams.
* Experience working with ERP systems and procurement analytics tools.
What’s in it for You?
* A challenging and rewarding role with significant impact on the company’s future success.
* Opportunities for professional development and career advancement.
* Competitive salary, EBITDA Performance bonus
* The chance to work with a dynamic and forward-thinking leadership team.
Our client are an equal opportunities employer.