Buying Manager – Ingredients

Overview

In this Buying Manager role you will lead strategic sourcing of raw ingredients across the group to support multiple products. You will influence category strategy, own the procurement budget and margins, and act as the trusted expert on ingredients for manufacturing and retail teams. You will bridge procurement with site operations to maximise margin, quality and availability, while driving process improvements and food safety standards. This is a high-impact, cross-functional role with a clear strategic and commercial focus.

Pay / Benefits

• Private healthcare
• Car Allowance
• Generous holiday entitlement
• Discretionary bonus scheme
• 15% discount in supermarkets and stores
• Leadership School for development

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute long-term sourcing strategies for ingredient categories
• Own category sales, margin targets and procurement budget
• Identify commercial levers to mitigate inflation and optimise total cost of ownership
• Lead yield and profitability initiatives with site teams to minimise waste at scale
• Serve as senior partner to retail and site directors with market trends reporting
• Set best-in-class operating procedures with strict adherence to food safety and quality standards
• Collaborate with NPD to source innovative ingredients for upcoming launches
• Provide high-level recommendations and reporting on market performance

Key requirements

• Proven procurement or buying experience in food ingredients, commodities, or FMCG manufacturing
• Track record of managing complex P&Ls and delivering year-on-year cost savings and margin growth
• Ability to analyse global market data and turn it into a clear sourcing roadmap
• Understanding of the link between manufacturing efficiencies and retail realities
• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills with capability to lead negotiations and change programs
• Full driving license and willingness to travel to suppliers and retail sites

• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills
• Gravitas to lead negotiations and change programs
• Strategic and big-picture mindset
• P&L management
• Market data analysis for sourcing
• Supplier negotiations and stakeholder management

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