Procurement Manager Fresh/Chilled Food/Drink - 6 months

Our client is a provider of Procurement Services to a Major Retail Organisation and are currently involved in a Procurement Project, they are therefore seeking an experienced Buyer/Negotiator to join the team on a Fixed Term Contract of 6 months (potential to extend)

Key skills required:

You will be responsible for developing and implementing strategic Category plans to actively manage the supply base and deliver value to the Group through cost savings, quality, efficiencies and service levels.

Take responsibility for the Purchase of Food products - Fresh, Chilled and Ambient (with spend responsibility of up to £50 million)

Manage the tendering process for categories under your authority, ensuring the negotiation and implementation of best value contracts through pricing and quality, using a variety of approaches to tender

Develop and actively manage strategic relationships with suppliers, ensuring business requirements are understood and met and that supplier performance is measured and regularly evaluated

Source new products/suppliers as appropriate to support the Group's commercial offering, ensuring the necessary criteria are met in respect of production process, quality, delivery and costs

Work cross-functionally to ensure appropriate products, price & quality solutions are effectively sourced, implemented and sustained

Provide regular reporting to the Procurement Director on purchasing activity, supplier performance and market activity

Develop and nurture strong relationships with internal stakeholders / customers. Generate insight into their motivation to effectively influence adoption of procurement strategies

Person specification:

Highly experience in purchasing Fresh or Chilled Food products (would consider other areas, ambient, frozen), Beer, Wines or Spirits

Strong negotiator with excellent supplier management experience

Managing a spend across the UK, negotiating best price and added value service

Management of contracts and Terms along with RFI's and RFP's

Drive, with ability to think "outside the box" for solutions

Strong stakeholder engagement ability