Details:
- Salary: £27,000 - 30,000 - Annum
- Job Type: Permanent
- Job Status: Full-Time
- Salary Per: Annum
- Location: LS26 Rothwell City and Borough of Leeds
- Date: 22 hours ago
Description:
Job Title: Junior Buyer – Food & Ingredients
Salary: Up to £30,000 + Benefits (dependant on experience)
Location: Leeds Head Office (with UK travel)
About the Role
We are looking for an experienced and commercially driven Junior Buyer to join our Procurement team within a fast-paced, multi-site food manufacturing business.
This is a fantastic opportunity to take ownership of key ingredient categories within a £70M procurement function, supporting a high-volume operation across 7 manufacturing sites. You’ll play a critical role in ensuring continuity of supply, driving cost efficiencies, and maintaining strong supplier performance.
What You’ll Be Doing
* Managing procurement of food ingredients and raw materials across defined categories
* Negotiating pricing, contracts, and commercial terms with suppliers
* Building and maintaining strong supplier relationships, ensuring performance on cost, quality, and delivery
* Identifying and delivering cost-saving initiatives
* Monitoring market trends and managing supply risks
* Supporting New Product Development (NPD) through sourcing of new ingredients
* Ensuring compliance with food safety, regulatory, and customer standards
* Working cross-functionally with Technical, Operations, Logistics, and Commercial teams
* Managing procurement data and systems (SAGE MRP or equivalent)
What We’re Looking For
Essential:
* Proven experience in a Buyer/Procurement
* role within food manufacturing or FMCG
* Strong negotiation and commercial skills
* Experience managing significant spend and supplier portfolios
* Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-volume environment
* Strong organisational and stakeholder management skills
* Experience with MRP/ERP systems (SAGE or similar) and Microsoft Office
* Full UK Driving Licence
* Right to work in the UK
Desirable:
* Experience sourcing across UK and EU markets
* Knowledge of commodity-driven ingredient markets
* Understanding of food safety standards (e.g. BRC, HACCP)
* MCIPS qualification (or working towards)
What Success Looks Like
* Delivery of cost savings against targets
* Consistent continuity of supply to manufacturing sites
* Strong supplier performance (OTIF, quality compliance)
* Accurate and efficient procurement processes
Why Join Us?
* Be part of a well-established, growing food manufacturing business
* Work within a large-scale, complex supply chain environment
* Opportunity to influence supplier strategy and category performance
* Collaborative, cross-functional working culture
If you're a proactive Buyer who thrives on pace, ownership, and making a tangible commercial impact — we’d love to hear from you