Hands-On Purchasing & Supply Chain Lead (12-Month FTC)

Academia Ltd; Hemel Hempstead; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Gym membership contribution

Health Cash Plan

Increased annual leave

Birthday leave

Length of service bonus

Free Will Writing service

Job summary

Academia Ltd is seeking a highly organised, hands-on Purchasing & Supply Chain Executive to support day-to-day purchasing and Sales Order Processing activities. The role spans working with suppliers, Sales, and internal teams to ensure timely orders and customer satisfaction.

The ideal candidate will be commercially aware, quick to learn new systems, and capable of making decisions with minimal direction. This maternity-cover FTC offers a valuable opportunity within a fast-paced Supply Chain

Qualifications

• Hands-on and proactive, willingness to take ownership
• Highly organised, able to manage varied workload and work under pressure
• Experience in Purchasing, Procurement, Supply Chain or similar operational environment, with experience of Sales Order Processing and/or customer orders
• Confident and collaborative, able to build strong relationships with Sales, suppliers and colleagues
• Solutions-focused, able to investigate issues, make informed decisions and see problems through to resolution
• Commercially aware, understanding impact of purchasing, availability and delivery on customers and the wider business
• Adaptable and quick to learn, especially with new systems and processes
• Positive team player, able to provide support and informal direction to colleagues
• Accountable and self-motivated, with good judgement around when to act independently and when to escalate

Responsibilities

• Create and process purchase orders and ensure they are issued to suppliers accurately and promptly
• Liaise with suppliers regarding orders, availability, lead times and delivery dates
• Proactively follow up outstanding purchase orders and identify potential delays or shortages
• Deal with supplier queries and purchasing issues
• Coordinate and manage returns where required
• Work closely with Sales and internal teams to ensure purchasing activity supports customer requirements
• Identify potential supply issues early and take appropriate action to minimise impact
• Support the Sales Order Processing team with day-to-day workload and customer orders
• Work closely with Sales to understand priorities, requirements and customer commitments
• Investigate and resolve order-related issues quickly and effectively
• Provide clear and timely updates to Sales regarding order status, availability and potential delays
• Build strong, positive working relationships with the Sales team
• Challenge requests constructively where necessary, while always looking for practical solutions
• Ensure customer requirements are understood and communicated effectively across Purchasing and Supply Chain
• Support day-to-day planning and prioritisation across Purchasing and Sales Order Processing
• Monitor workload and help ensure urgent or commercially important requirements are prioritised appropriately
• Identify potential problems before they become customer or operational escalations
• Investigate issues, establish the facts and take ownership of finding solutions
• Escalate significant issues appropriately, providing clear information and potential solutions
• Support the wider Supply Chain function in maintaining efficient processes and high levels of customer service

Job description

Academia Ltd is seeking a highly organised, hands-on Purchasing & Supply Chain Executive to support day-to-day purchasing and Sales Order Processing activities. The role spans working with suppliers, Sales, and internal teams to ensure timely orders and customer satisfaction.

The ideal candidate will be commercially aware, quick to learn new systems, and capable of making decisions with minimal direction. This maternity-cover FTC offers a valuable opportunity within a fast-paced Supply Chain