Procurement Manager

Miller Leith; Canberra; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Miller Leith in Canberra is seeking a Procurement Manager to own end-to-end procurement across raw materials, packaging and indirect categories. The role offers significant autonomy to shape procurement strategy and supplier performance in a growing Australian food manufacturer.

You will build supplier relationships, negotiate terms, manage supply continuity, translate forecasts into purchasing plans, and drive robust reporting and ERP data integrity, with exposure to meat/beef materials highly

Qualifications

• Experience in procurement, sourcing or purchasing within food, FMCG or manufacturing.
• Experience managing significant raw material categories and complex supplier relationships.
• Strong understanding of supplier strategy, negotiation and supply continuity.
• Exposure to the meat or beef industry will be highly regarded.
• Strong commercial capability across cost analysis, landed cost and purchasing decisions.
• Experience with inventory cover, scenario planning and balancing cost, supply and working capital.
• Proven ability to develop procurement processes, reporting and structure from the ground up.
• Strong ERP capability.

Responsibilities

• Develop supplier strategies across raw materials, packaging and indirect categories.
• Build supplier relationships and negotiate pricing, terms and supply arrangements.
• Manage supply continuity, identify risks early and develop alternative sourcing.
• Make informed purchasing decisions around quantities, timing, lead times and inventory cover.
• Work with Sales and Operations to translate forecasts into purchasing plans.
• Develop sourcing strategies to strengthen supply resilience.
• Improve procurement reporting, including landed cost and supplier performance.
• Maintain procurement data integrity within the ERP and robust processes.
• Support NPD sourcing, supplier approval and new materials.
• Work with Quality to ensure supplier compliance and product specifications.

Skills

Procurement

Supplier management

Negotiation

Inventory planning

ERP systems

Job description

The Company

An exciting opportunity has arisen with a growing Australian-owned food manufacturer that has evolved from a founder-led business into an established and expanding operation. With continued investment in production, people and infrastructure, the business is entering its next stage of growth and is looking to strengthen its procurement capability. This is an opportunity to join an entrepreneurial food business where you will have genuine ownership and the ability to shape how procurement operates as the organisation scales.

The Role

The Procurement Manager will take ownership of the end-to-end procurement function, bringing greater structure, consistency and commercial discipline to purchasing, supplier management and supply planning. This is a highly hands-on role with significant autonomy across supplier strategy, negotiations, purchasing decisions and supplier performance. A key focus will be managing the supply of key raw materials, with a strong understanding of the meat and beef industry highly desirable.

You will be responsible for:

• Developing and managing supplier strategies across raw materials, packaging and indirect categories.
• Building strong supplier relationships and negotiating pricing, terms and supply arrangements.
• Managing supply continuity, identifying risks early and developing alternative sourcing strategies.
• Making informed purchasing decisions around order quantities, timing, lead times and inventory cover.
• Working closely with Sales and Operations to translate forecasts and production requirements into purchasing plans.
• Developing supplier sourcing strategies to strengthen supply resilience.
• Improving procurement reporting, including landed cost, purchase price variance and supplier performance.
• Maintaining procurement data integrity within the ERP and developing robust purchasing processes.
• Supporting NPD sourcing, supplier approval and the introduction of new materials.
• Working closely with Quality and Food Safety to ensure supplier compliance and product specifications.

This is an opportunity to build and professionalise a procurement function rather than simply manage an established purchasing model. You will be entrusted to identify opportunities, develop practical solutions and implement them.

Key Skills

• Proven experience in procurement, sourcing or purchasing within food, FMCG or manufacturing.
• Experience managing significant raw material categories and complex supplier relationships.
• Strong understanding of supplier strategy, negotiation and supply continuity.
• Exposure to the meat or beef industry will be highly regarded.
• Strong commercial capability across cost analysis, landed cost and purchasing decisions.
• Experience with inventory cover, scenario planning and balancing cost, supply and working capital.
• Proven ability to develop procurement processes, reporting and structure from the ground up.
• Strong ERP capability
• Excellent stakeholder management across Operations, Sales, Quality, Finance and senior leadership.
• Highly organised, proactive and comfortable operating with autonomy and ambiguity.
• A hands-on, solutions-focused approach with the ability to identify issues and drive change.