Buyer

Career Cross Limited; Harrogate; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

The Buyer at Career Cross Limited in Harrogate manages day-to-day purchasing and stock planning to ensure competitive sourcing and timely orders, supporting reliable customer service. It collaborates with Sales and Customer Service to pursue opportunities, prepare RFQs and tender costings, and identify margin improvements across existing accounts.

Responsibilities include supplier negotiation, lead-time monitoring, stock forecasting, and maintaining master data.

Qualifications

• Buying or purchasing experience in a product-based business, ideally with stockholding and varied supplier lead times.
• Experience with purchase order management, supplier progression, sourcing and commercial negotiation.
• Ability to prepare product costings and understand landed costs and gross margin.
• Ability to manage competing priorities while meeting deadlines and maintaining accuracy.
• Clear communication and a collaborative approach.

Responsibilities

• Place purchase orders promptly to meet sales dates and stock levels.
• Forecast usage against sales history and known demand; set stock parameters.
• Negotiate terms, review supplier performance and maintain data accuracy.
• Coordinate supplier returns and pursue credits or replacements.
• Work with Sales on costings for quotes, RFQs and tenders; identify margin improvements.

Skills

Purchasing experience

Stock planning

Supplier negotiation

People management

Tools

Microsoft Copilot AI

Excel

ERP systems

Job description

Buyer - Harrogate - £excellent + bonus

The Buyer is to manage day-to-day purchasing and stock planning, ensuring products are bought competitively, purchase orders are placed in time, and suitable stock is available to support reliable customer service. The role has a strong commercial focus, working closely with Sales and Customer Service to support opportunities, produce accurate RFQ and tender costings, and identify margin improvement opportunities across existing customer accounts.

Key responsibilities of the Buyer:

• Place purchase orders promptly to meet sales order promise dates and agreed stock levels. Review shortages and exceptions daily.
• Set and review stock parameters. Forecast usage against sales history, seasonality, minimum order quantities, supplier lead times and known customer demand.
• Maintain accurate supplier, product, price, quantity-break and carriage information. Negotiate terms and review supplier performance.
• Progress outstanding purchase orders, resolve delays and give Customer Service clear, timely updates.
• Source new products, alternatives and contingency supply from UK and overseas suppliers. Sales opportunities, RFQs and tenders
• Work closely with Sales to prepare accurate costings for quotations, RFQs and tenders, including freight, duty, minimum order quantities, lead times and other buying costs.
• Analyse sales and purchasing data for existing customer accounts to identify margin leakage, cost reductions, alternative products, improved buying terms and pricing actions. People management Manage one Assistant Buyer, setting priorities, allocating work, coaching performance and maintaining effective cover.
• Maintain product codes, buying prices and stock settings. Use Excel and Microsoft Copilot AI tools appropriately for stock forecasting and analysis of sales and purchasing trends. Finance liaison Work with Accounts on supplier set-up, invoice queries, annual rebates, discounts and cash-flow planning for bulk orders and imports.
• Coordinate supplier returns and pursue timely credits or replacements.

Essential experience required of the Buyer:

• Buying or purchasing experience in a product-based business, ideally involving stockholding, imported goods and varied supplier lead times.
• Experience of purchase order management, supplier progression, sourcing and commercial negotiation.
• Confidence preparing product costings and understanding landed cost and gross margin.
• Ability to manage competing priorities while maintaining accuracy and meeting customer-sensitive deadlines.
• Clear, practical communication and a collaborative approach.
• Experience supervising, coaching or coordinating another team member.

Desirable experience of the Buyer:

• Experience of overseas buying and managing imports, including supplier lead times, freight, duty and associated documentation.
• Strong analytical skills, turning sales, purchasing and stock data into practical actions and commercial recommendations.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including lookups, pivot tables, filters, formulae and trend analysis.
• Practical use of Microsoft Copilot AI tools to support stock forecasting and analysis of sales and purchasing trends.
• Experience using ERP, stock-control or purchasing systems and maintaining accurate master data.

Keywords

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