Expeditor / Assistant Buyer

Sonardyne International Ltd; Minley; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Sonardyne International Ltd, based at Blackbushe, Yateley, is looking for an Expeditor / Assistant Buyer to join our busy Purchasing team. You will help ensure materials and services arrive in line with production schedules, supporting our manufacturing operations for world‑leading underwater technology.

Responsibilities include expediting supplier deliveries, generating weekly order reports, reviewing MRP messages, maintaining supplier records and building strong supplier relationships.

Qualifications

• Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise and manage multiple tasks.
• Good attention to detail and a commitment to maintaining accurate records.
• Confident communication skills and the ability to build effective working relationships with colleagues and suppliers.
• A proactive, solutions-focused approach with the confidence to follow up, challenge and escape issues when necessary.

Responsibilities

• Manage and expedite supplier purchase orders to align with production schedules.
• Generate and distribute weekly supplier order reports and update PO information in Syspro ERP.
• Review and action MRP messages, including changes to delivery schedules and order cancellations.
• Manage supplier order acknowledgements, ensuring accuracy and recording properly.
• Build and maintain positive supplier relationships and resolve delivery issues.
• Collaborate with Buyers and Planning to highlight potential shortages and minimise disruption.
• Represent Purchasing at weekly Sales Order and Production meetings with updates on deliveries.
• Monitor supplier on-time delivery performance and support continuous improvement.
• Maintain accurate purchasing records including lead times, costs and stock information.
• Process requisitions, raise POs and manage RFQs.
• Support onboarding of new suppliers when required.
• Contribute ideas to improve purchasing processes.

Skills

Excel

Organisational skills

Attention to detail

Communication

Problem solving

Adaptability

Education

CIPS qualification (Level 2 or above)

Tools

Syspro ERP

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity for an Expeditor / Assistant Buyer to join our busy Purchasing team at Sonardyne International, based at our headquarters in Blackbushe, Yateley. Playing a key role in supporting our manufacturing operations, you'll help ensure the materials, components and services we need arrive when they're needed, keeping production on track and helping us deliver our innovative underwater technology to customers around the world. Working closely with suppliers, Buyers, Production and Planning teams, you'll be responsible for managing supplier deliveries, resolving potential shortages and supporting purchasing activities across an allocated range of products and services. As our Expeditor / Assistant Buyer, you'll:

• Manage and expedite supplier purchase orders, ensuring materials and components arrive in line with production schedules and business requirements.
• Generate and distribute weekly supplier order reports, following up on delivery commitments and updating purchase order information within our Syspro ERP system.
• Review and action Material Requirements Planning (MRP) messages, including changes to delivery schedules and order cancellations.
• Manage supplier order acknowledgements, ensuring information is accurate and recorded correctly.
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with suppliers, proactively identifying and resolving delivery issues.
• Work closely with Buyers and the Planning team to highlight potential shortages, escape concerns and minimise disruption to production.
• Represent Purchasing at weekly Sales Order and Production meetings, providing updates on supplier deliveries and material availability.
• Monitor and report on supplier on-time delivery performance, supporting continuous improvement against agreed targets.
• Maintain accurate purchasing records, including supplier lead times, costs and stock information.
• Process purchase requisitions, raise purchase orders and manage requests for quotations.
• Support the approval and onboarding of new suppliers when required.
• Contribute ideas and participate in improvement initiatives to help make our purchasing processes even more effective. Are you highly organised, proactive and someone who enjoys keeping things moving? Do you have a keen eye for detail, excellent communication skills and the ability to juggle competing priorities? If so, we'd love to hear from you!, This is a fantastic opportunity for someone with strong organisational skills who enjoys problem-solving, building relationships and making a real difference. Whether you already have experience in purchasing or expediting, or you're looking to develop your career in supply chain and procurement, we'd be keen to hear from you., We're looking for someone who is organised, enthusiastic and comfortable working in a fast-paced environment where priorities can change.

You'll be a confident communicator who enjoys working with people, solving problems and taking ownership of tasks to ensure things get done.

Essential skills and experience

• Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise and manage multiple tasks.
• Good attention to detail and a commitment to maintaining accurate records.
• Confident communication skills and the ability to build effective working relationships with colleagues and external suppliers.
• A proactive, solutions-focused approach with the confidence to follow up, challenge and escape issues when necessary.
• A positive, flexible attitude and a willingness to learn and develop.

It would be great if you also have

• Previous experience in a purchasing, procurement, supply chain or expediting role.
• Experience working with an ERP or MRP system, ideally Syspro.
• An understanding of purchasing processes, purchase orders and supplier management.
• Experience working within a manufacturing or engineering environment.
• A CIPS qualification (Level 2 or above), or an interest in working towards one.

Don't worry if you don't tick every box. If you're organised, motivated and keen to develop your career in purchasing and supply chain, we'd still love to hear from you.

About the company

Our people design, engineer and manufacture technologies that are enabling our customers to discover, navigate, measure, detect and communicate in the toughest environment on earth: Our oceans. We've been actively developing the technology to make the oceans accessible for over 50 years and we're only just getting started... At Sonardyne, we value different ways of thinking. Whether you think in code, patterns, systems, or steps, your unique perspective is important to us., At Sonardyne, we've been pioneering underwater technology for over 50 years, developing innovative solutions that help our customers explore, understand and protect our oceans. From offshore energy and ocean science to maritime defence and underwater robotics, our technology is trusted around the world to operate in some of the most challenging environments. Behind every successful product is a team of talented people working together, and our Purchasing team plays an essential part in making that happen. You'll be joining a friendly, collaborative environment where your contribution matters, your ideas are valued and you'll have the opportunity to develop your skills while supporting some truly exciting engineering and manufacturing projects.Interested? If you're ready to take the next step in your purchasing or supply chain career and would like to be part of a company delivering world-leading underwater technology, we'd love to hear from you.