Category Buyer

Anne Corder Recruitment; Greater Lincolnshire; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary up to £50k

Company pension

Life assurance

29 days holiday including bank holiday

Job summary

Anne Corder Recruitment is working with a wholesale business to recruit a Category Buyer who will own a product category, influence commercial decisions, and work with suppliers to deliver value, quality and service. The role suits someone who thrives on cost savings and margin improvement in a fast-paced environment.

You will identify opportunities to drive sales and margin, negotiate favorable supplier terms, and lead end-to-end procurement activities within a dynamic team.

Qualifications

• Experience in a Category Buyer, Buyer, Purchasing or Procurement role.
• Proven negotiation skills to secure favorable supplier agreements.
• Strong commercial awareness with confident decision-making.
• Excellent relationship-building and stakeholder management.
• Strong analytical skills with data, market trends and supplier performance.
• Knowledge of supply chain, inventory management or FMCG environments.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver category and procurement plans that achieve sales, margin and profitability targets.
• Negotiate supplier contracts, pricing, payment terms and service agreements to secure the best commercial outcomes.
• Build, develop and manage strong supplier relationships through regular performance reviews and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Analyse market trends, pricing, inflation risks and supplier performance to identify opportunities for cost savings and category growth.
• Manage the end-to-end procurement process, ensuring accurate product and supplier information is maintained across business systems.
• Source, evaluate and onboard new suppliers to strengthen the supply base and support growth.

Skills

Category Buyer

Negotiation

Commercial awareness

Relationship management

Analytical skills

FMCG knowledge

Job description

Are you a commercially driven Category Buyer looking for your next challenge? Do you thrive on negotiating the best deals, building strong supplier relationships and making a real impact on business performance?

ACR are pleased to be working exclusively with a successful wholesale business to recruit an ambitious Category Buyer to join their procurement team. This is an exciting opportunity to take ownership of a product category, influence commercial decisions and work with suppliers to deliver the very best value, quality and service for our customers. If you're passionate about procurement, enjoy working in a fast-paced environment and have a talent for identifying opportunities that drive sales and margin, we'd love to hear from you.

Category Buyer's Key Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver category and procurement plans that achieve sales, margin and profitability targets.
• Negotiate supplier contracts, pricing, payment terms and service agreements to secure the best commercial outcomes.
• Build, develop and manage strong supplier relationships through regular performance reviews and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Analyse market trends, pricing, inflation risks and supplier performance to identify opportunities for cost savings and category growth.
• Manage the end-to-end procurement process, ensuring accurate product and supplier information is maintained across business systems.
• Source, evaluate and onboard new suppliers to strengthen the supply base and support growth.

Skills & Experience Required as a Category Buyer

• Previous experience in a Category Buyer, Buyer, Purchasing or Procurement role.
• Proven negotiation skills with the ability to secure commercially beneficial supplier agreements.
• Strong commercial awareness with the confidence to make informed buying decisions.
• Excellent relationship-building and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong analytical skills with experience interpreting data, market trends and supplier performance.
• Knowledge of supply chain, inventory management or FMCG environments.

Benefits Package

• Salary of up to 50k (depending on experience).
• Company pension scheme.
• Life assurance.
• 29 days holiday including bank holidays.

If this Category Buyer sounds like a role that would match your skills and experience, we would love to hear from you and look forward to discussing your application in more detail.