Buyers Assistant - Food & Wine Supply Chain Administrator

Company Description

Alivini is the leading Italian produce specialist in the UK, offering an extensive portfolio of premium Italian food and wine brands. The company prides itself on supplying high-quality, authentic products. Alivini is dedicated to promoting Italian cuisine and innovating its culinary image in the UK by sourcing unique delicacies and up-to-date products. With a dedication to serving the national market, Alivini operates a refrigerated fleet for distribution and has expanded its reach with a depot in Garforth near Leeds.

Role Description

This is a full-time, on-site role located in London for a Buyer’s Assistant – Italian Food & Drink Supply Chain Administrator. The role involves supporting the procurement team with purchasing processes, managing purchase orders, monitoring stock levels, liaising with suppliers, and ensuring timely and accurate delivery of products.

Key Responsibilities

• Liaise with Italian and English-speaking food & drink producers
• Act as a key point of contact for logistics partners, freight forwarders, and transport providers
• Coordinate shipping, transportation, and import logistics
• Work closely with customs and clearance agents, supporting clearance and documentation processes
• Monitor inbound shipments and update ETAs, ensuring accurate and timely communication
• Assist with sales and stock forecasting, supporting availability planning
• Check, prepare, and manage mandatory import and export documentation
• Support food safety and compliance requirements, including SALSA documentation
• Inspect goods on arrival, ensuring quality, quantity, and specification
• Manage and resolve goods, quality, or delivery-related issues
• Upload and maintain importing and shipment data within the Transporter’s Portal
• Support the sales team with stock status, availability, and lead times
• Manage invoicing for OCM events and food & drink trade fairs
• Process bank transfers to suppliers
• Organise travel arrangements, diary management, and operational administration
• Handle parking fines and general office support tasks
• The Buyer’s Assistant will also handle administrative tasks and contribute to optimizing the supply chain operations.

Skills & Experience

• Fluent Italian and English (spoken and written) – essential
• Experience in supply chain, logistics, importing, buying support, or operations
• Strong understanding of import processes, customs clearance, and documentation
• Knowledge of food safety, traceability, and compliance, ideally within SALSA-accredited environments
• Strong numerical and analytical skills to support forecasting and stock planning
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to manage multiple shipments, deadlines, and stakeholders simultaneously