Purchasing Lead
4 hours ago
Harrogate
Harrogate office location. This is a first-class Purchasing Lead position; The Purchasing Manager is responsible for executing the procurement strategy across one of my clientsdivisions, ensuring cost-effective, reliable and high-quality supply of all products including plants, trees, landscaping materials and associated goods. This role plays a critical part in delivering margin improvement, supplier performance, and stock availability across a multi-site operation. Working closely with Supply Chain, Planning and Category Management teams, the Purchasing Manager ensures that procurement activity is aligned to demand, seasonality and divisional growth objectives. • Annual base Salary – Highly competitive – Depending on experience, • Hybrid – 3 days office, 2 days from home, • Office Location – Harrogate area, • 1 direct report, • Monday to Friday working hours, • 33 days holiday leave, inclusive of bank holidays., • Upwardly mobile business encountering consistent growth, a market leader within their niche., • Permanent position from day one, • A clear voice within the business., • Extremely positive culture, • Ongoing continuous investment within the business!, • Business is a hugely recognised and respected PLC. Our client specialises within the Agricultural & Horticultural sectors, they are a true market leader within their niche. • Source and procure products across key categories (e.g. plants, trees, aggregates, landscaping materials), • Place and manage purchase orders in line with demand plans and stock policies, • Ensure continuity of supply across all sites, particularly during peak seasonal periods, • Build and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers including growers, nurseries and manufacturers, • Monitor supplier performance across cost, quality, service and reliability, • Support contract negotiations and pricing reviews, • Proactively identify and mitigate supply risks (weather, seasonality, availability, pricing volatility), • Deliver cost savings and cost avoidance initiatives, • Track and manage purchase price variance (PPV), • Support margin improvement through effective sourcing and range optimisation, • Challenge pricing, minimum order quantities and commercial terms, • Work closely with the Planning function to align purchasing with forecasts, • Ensure stock is ordered in line with agreed stock policies and working capital targets, • Support reduction of excess, obsolete and slow-moving stock, • Manage lead times and order cycles to optimise stock availability, • Partner with Site Managers and Warehouse teams to ensure smooth inbound flow of goods, • Work closely with Sales and Customer Service teams to support availability and customer commitments, • Collaborate with Logistics on inbound freight planning and efficiency, • Support new product introductions and range changes, • Ensure accurate and timely processing of purchase orders within ERP systems, • Maintain data integrity (pricing, supplier records, lead times, MOQ, etc.), • Follow and enforce procurement processes and governance standards, • Support continuous improvement of purchasing processes and systems, • Support sustainable sourcing initiatives aligned to divisional and group ESG goals, • Promote responsible supplier practices and traceability where applicable, • Contribute to reduction of waste and environmental impact in the supply chain, • Proven experience in a purchasing or procurement role within a multi-site or distribution environment, • Strong supplier management and negotiation skills, • Driving licence is essential, • Experience working with seasonal, perishable or demand-variable products (highly desirable), • Commercially astute with a strong focus on cost and margin, • Experience using ERP systems for purchasing and inventory management, • Strong analytical capability and attention to detail, • Ability to operate at pace and manage competing priorities, • Exposure to demand planning or S&OP processes, • Understanding of logistics and inbound freight considerations, • Experience in landscaping, horticulture, agriculture, materials or Merchant Sectors., • Experience working with growers, nurseries or import supply chains #J-18808-Ljbffr