Purchasing Officer

Kite Recruitment Group; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Kite Recruitment Group is seeking an experienced Purchasing Officer to own day-to-day procurement activities within a food manufacturing environment in Melbourne. You will manage supplier relationships, oversee purchase orders, and ensure material availability to support production and quality objectives.

In this role, you will collaborate with Production, Planning, Warehousing and QA teams, maintain compliance with FSANZ, HACCP and GMP where applicable, and contribute to cost-effective

Qualifications

• Experience in purchasing, procurement or supply chain coordination within a regulated manufacturing environment.
• Ability to manage end-to-end procurement across raw materials, packaging and indirect services.
• Knowledge of FSANZ, HACCP, GMP standards is highly regarded.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end procurement for raw materials, ingredients, packaging components and indirect services to support manufacturing.
• Generate and monitor purchase orders; ensure timely delivery aligned with production needs.
• Build and maintain supplier relationships; monitor performance and negotiate pricing/terms.
• Ensure compliance with quality and food safety policies and maintain traceability records.

Skills

Purchasing

Supplier negotiations

Inventory planning

Regulatory compliance

Cross-functional collaboration

Attention to detail

Time management

Problem solving

Education

Tertiary qualifications in Supply Chain Management, Business, Logistics, Food Science, Chemistry

Job description

What's on Offer for you:

Genuinely, a fantastic opportunity to join an established and highly regarded business within the food ingredients and manufacturing sector. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Purchasing Officer to take ownership of day-to-day procurement activities, build strong supplier relationships and play an important role in ensuring the smooth running of manufacturing operations. Working closely with an experienced Supply Chain Manager and a supportive team across Production, Planning, Warehousing and Quality Assurance, you’ll enjoy a varied and engaging role where your attention to detail, commercial awareness and ability to get things done will be genuinely valued.

Principal Objective

• The Purchasing Officer will be responsible for managing end-to-end procurement activities across raw materials, food ingredients, packaging components and indirect services to support manufacturing operations. This role will focus on ensuring reliable supply, maintaining optimal inventory levels, managing supplier relationships and delivering cost-effective purchasing outcomes. Working within a highly regulated food manufacturing environment, you’ll also play an important role in maintaining quality compliance, supporting production requirements and ensuring the business continues to deliver exceptional service to its customers.

Main Responsibilities

Procurement & Purchase Order Management

• Manage the purchasing process for raw materials, food ingredients, additives, packaging components and indirect services.
• Generate, issue and monitor purchase orders, ensuring materials arrive within agreed timeframes and meet production requirements.
• Monitor inventory levels, production forecasts and supplier lead times to minimise stock shortages and excess inventory.
• Expedite urgent orders and resolve delivery discrepancies, backorders and damaged goods with local and international suppliers.
• Maintain accurate purchasing records and support effective stock management and supply chain planning.

Supplier Management & Commercial Negotiation

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with approved suppliers, ensuring reliable service, competitive pricing and consistent product quality.
• Monitor supplier performance across delivery reliability, pricing, quality and service.
• Assist with supplier negotiations, including pricing, volume rebates and payment terms to achieve positive commercial outcomes.
• Identify and source alternative suppliers for critical materials to reduce supply chain risks and improve business continuity.

Quality Assurance & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure purchased materials meet relevant Australian food safety and regulatory requirements, including FSANZ, HACCP and GMP standards where applicable.
• Work closely with Quality Assurance and Quality Control teams to support supplier qualification and material compliance.
• Maintain accurate procurement documentation, supplier accreditations and product traceability records.
• Support internal and external audits by ensuring purchasing records are complete, accurate and readily accessible.

Supply Chain & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Production, Planning, Warehousing and Quality Assurance to align purchasing activities with manufacturing requirements.
• Coordinate with Supply Chain and Logistics teams on inbound freight, stock transfers, supplier lead times and delivery schedules.
• Support New Product Development projects by sourcing trial ingredients, packaging samples and coordinating supplier trials.
• Collaborate with Finance and Customer Service to support inventory planning, freight cost management and customer delivery requirements.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives focused on purchasing efficiency, inventory performance and cost management.

Additional Responsibilities

Occupational Health & Safety

• Maintain a safe and professional working environment in accordance with company health, safety and environmental policies.
• Identify and report potential workplace hazards and support ongoing safety improvements.
• Follow established procedures and ensure purchasing activities support safe and compliant manufacturing operations.

Quality and Food Safety

• Ensure purchasing activities comply with company Quality and Food Safety policies and relevant regulatory requirements.
• Maintain accurate documentation and traceability records to support product quality and customer satisfaction.
• Support continuous improvement of the company's SQF-certified Food Safety Management System.

Skills & Experience Required

• Tertiary qualifications in Supply Chain Management, Business, Logistics, Food Science, Chemistry or a related discipline.
• Practical experience in purchasing, procurement or supply chain coordination, ideally within food manufacturing, food ingredients, pharmaceuticals or a similarly regulated industry.
• Experience managing purchase orders, supplier relationships, inventory levels and material availability.
• Strong understanding of purchasing processes, supplier lead times and inventory planning within a manufacturing environment.
• Sound commercial awareness, with the ability to negotiate supplier pricing and identify cost‑saving opportunities.
• Knowledge of food safety and quality standards, including HACCP, GMP and FSANZ requirements, will be highly regarded.
• Strong attention to detail, particularly when managing purchasing documentation, supplier records and material traceability.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
• Confident communication and relationship‑building skills, with the ability to work effectively across internal departments and external suppliers.
• A proactive approach to problem‑solving, with the ability to respond quickly to supply challenges and changing production requirements.

Behavioral Competencies

• A positive, can‑do attitude with a genuine willingness to support the team and get things done.
• Highly organised and detail‑oriented, with a strong sense of ownership and accountability.
• A confident and professional communicator who builds positive relationships with suppliers and colleagues.
• Calm and solutions‑focused when managing urgent purchasing requirements and competing priorities.
• Commercially minded, with a focus on achieving quality outcomes and managing costs effectively.
• Reliable, adaptable and comfortable working in a fast‑paced manufacturing environment.
• A collaborative team player who enjoys working across different departments.
• Proactive and enthusiastic, with a genuine interest in continuous improvement and delivering results.