Packaging Buyer

Avara Foods Ltd; Brackley; Remote; GBP 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Avara Foods in Brackley is looking for a Packaging Buyer to join the Procurement Team. You will manage supplier relationships, negotiate terms, and source packaging for retail and food service products. This role focuses on category optimisation and process improvements.

You will work across sites to ensure continuity of supply while minimising waste, aligning with legislation and environmental standards. The ideal candidate has 2+ years in procurement, ideally packaging background, and is

Qualifications

• 2+ years of procurement experience, packaging background preferred.
• Ideally working towards CIPS qualification.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Ability to recognise future and market trends.
• Knowledge of packaging raw material markets (beneficial).
• Contract management and supplier experience.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain relationships with preferred suppliers.
• Negotiate prices, terms, and where required set up contracts.
• Perform spend, contract and market analysis for packaging.
• Manage lead times and minimum order quantities to ensure supply.
• Source new packaging and suppliers, ensuring compliance with standards.
• Collaborate with NPD and technical teams for supplier approval.
• Understand raw material markets and their business impact.
• Plan and deliver against targets and deadlines.

Skills

Negotiation

Supplier management

Analytical skills

Market analysis

Contract management

Education

CIPS qualification

Job description

About the Role:

Are you highly motivated and have good people skills? Do you have experience with buying/purchasing materials? Looking for an exciting new career opportunity?

As an inclusive, forward-thinking business, we take pride in our approach to Procurement across Avara Foods and are looking for a highly competent and motivated Packaging Buyer to join our Procurement Team, based at our Brackley site.

Who are we, and what do we do?

You may not have heard of us, but there’s a good chance you’ve enjoyed our products. Avara Foods is one of the UK’s leading food businesses, supplying chicken and turkey to the country’s major supermarkets and well-known restaurants.

We own and manage our entire supply chain, from farms to factory and all the way to the customer door – meaning we have careers that cover a whole range of functions. We have major processing sites across England and Wales, and an agricultural network of over 350 farms, spanning from North Yorkshire to the South Coast and Wales.

Purpose of the role:

As a Packaging buyer you will be responsible for identifying and procuring packaging for retail and food service products. The Buyer will focus on category optimisation, process improvement and delivering against individual and departmental goals.

Your key responsibilities as a Packaging Buyer will include:

• Establish and maintain ongoing relationships with preferred suppliers.
• Negotiating prices, agree terms and conditions and where required set up contracts and supply agreements.
• Perform spend, contract and market analysis for packaging category for communication to the wider business.
• Work closely with all sites with management of lead times and minimum order quantities to ensure continuity of supply to site at minimal wastage.
• Source new packaging and suppliers where required ensuring compliance with legislation and standards, including but not limited to Retailer, ethical and environmental.
• Work closely with NPD and technical to ensure supplier approval and product integrity.
• Must have a good understanding of raw material markets through the supply chain of the packaging procured and how they will impact the business.
• Results orientated with the ability to plan and deliver against targets and project deadlines.

What we are looking for:

• Minimum of 2 years’ procurement experience and ideally have a packaging background
• Ideally working towards CIPS qualification
• Good analytical skills
• Ability to recognise future and market trends
• Knowledge of packaging raw material/commodity markets (although not essential)
• Contract management and supplier experience