Procurement Lead - Food/FMCG/Supply - West Berkshire

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join an award-winning speciality food and drink wholesaler as a member of our Operations team. The focus of this role is to maintain the company’s stock levels at appropriate levels, to maximise availability to customers while maximising margins through tactical and strategic procurement decisions whilst limiting exposure to stock wastage.

Why Join Us?

Reporting to the Operations Manager, this is a key operational role; it is an opportunity to shape how a purpose-driven business grows with integrity and impact. As one of the UK’s founding B Corporations, our client is built on the belief that business should be a force for good. You’ll be joining a team committed to putting people, planet first and seeing the profit follow, creating lasting positive change for our customers, communities, and the food and drink industry as a whole.

Key Responsibilities of the role

• Monitor and analyse inventory levels to ensure optimal stock levels across ~5,000 skus and ~450 suppliers
• Placing orders with suppliers so that availability and fulfilment is maximised without holding excess stock.
• Identify and mitigate risks related to inventory shortages or excesses.
• Maximising margin opportunities through tactical purchases where available.
• Maintaining strong working relationships with suppliers & internal stakeholders.
• Work closely with the buying team to influence & support ranging decisions.
• Conduct regular inventory audits and reconcile discrepancies
• Establishing and maintaining strong relationships with partners.
• Daily review of inbound supplier deliveries, chasing of any no shows and resolving issues on receipt with the supplier / the goods in team, in a timely manner.
• Daily analysis of current fulfilment levels, investigation / resolution of issues and communication of the status to the business.
• Highlight slow-selling and short-dated stock to the sales team to help reduce wastage.
• Help resolve issues with suppliers-non or short deliveries, credits etc.

Essential Personal Qualities

• Excellent with numbers, analytical, and highly organised. Self-motivated and able to juggle a large workload with good judgement on prioritisation in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication skills and an ability to converse in an inspiring manner.
• Resilient, resourceful, and tenacious and confident to make decisions that will drive the business forward.
• Energetic and dynamic, with an entrepreneurial spirit and a hands-on approach.
• Commercially focused and able to analyse data to make thoughtful and high impact decisions.
• Strong cultural awareness in order to work with our diverse team and multiple suppliers.
• Passion for food and sustainability
• Be comfortable in a values-led, entrepreneurial culture that prizes partnership, sustainability, and innovation.

Desirable Experience and Attributes

• At least 3-5+ years working in Inventory Planner/ Supply Planning in Operations /Supply chain roles.
• Experience of working with “Netstock” software or similar is desirable.
• Experience of working with multiple suppliers including importing.
• Demonstrates strong enthusiasm for data analysis and translating data/numbers into action
• Experience of working in a food or drink business would be desirable.
• Strong working knowledge of S&OP processes
• Must be able to demonstrate experience in delivering high levels of customer service
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Strong communication skills – primarily with internal stakeholders and suppliers
• Good understanding of Word/Outlook and advanced level in Excel
• Experience of working with ERP systems such as Orderwise.

Mayflower is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy