Planner / Buyer

Azenta UK, Ltd.; Wotton; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Azenta UK, Ltd. is seeking a Planner/Buyer to ensure timely procurement of materials and to plan production schedules in a regulated life sciences environment. This role plays a critical part in maintaining supply continuity, optimizing inventory levels, and supporting manufacturing operations.

You will develop demand forecasts, source materials, negotiate with suppliers, and lead planning meetings to align production with demand while controlling costs and inventory levels.

Qualifications

• Experience in demand planning and purchasing in a production-driven environment (life sciences or regulated industry preferred).
• Solid understanding of end-to-end supply chain processes, including procurement, production planning, and inventory management.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management with proactive, detail-oriented mindset.
• APICS certification or equivalent is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and improve demand forecasts to support production and purchasing plans.
• Source and purchase raw materials and indirect supplies in compliance with policies and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure materials are available to meet production schedules and customer demand to achieve On Time Delivery (OTD).
• Negotiate pricing, lead times, and terms with suppliers to achieve cost savings.
• Maintain purchase orders and ensure timely delivery of goods.
• Lead regular planning meetings to review production schedules, inventory status, and forecast updates.

Skills

Demand planning

Purchasing

Supply chain

Stakeholder management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Operations, or related field

Job description

Azenta UK, Ltd. At Azenta, new ideas, new technologies and new ways of thinking are driving our future. Our customer focused culture encourages employees to embrace innovation and challenge the status quo with novel thinking and collaborative work relationships. All we accomplish is grounded in our core values of Customer Focus, Achievement, Accountability, Teamwork, Employee Value and Integrity

Job TitlePlanner / Buyer

Job Description The Planner Buyer is responsible for ensuring the timely procurement of raw materials, components, and consumables, as well as planning production schedules to meet customer demand and inventory targets. This role plays a critical part in maintaining supply continuity, optimizing inventory levels, and supporting manufacturing operations in a regulated life sciences environment.

What You'll Be Doing

• Develop, maintain, and improve accurate demand forecasts to support production and purchasing plans
• Source and purchase raw materials, components, and indirect supplies in compliance with company policies and regulatory requirements
• Ensure materials and products are available to meet production schedules and customer demand to achieve On Time Delivery (OTD)
• Monitor stock levels and consumption rates to anticipate supply needs, avoid stockouts, and reduce excess inventory
• Negotiate pricing, lead times, and terms with suppliers to achieve cost savings and secure reliable supply.
• Maintain accurate purchase orders and ensure timely delivery of goods
• Lead regular planning meetings to review production schedules, inventory status, and forecast updates.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with suppliers to ensure quality and reliability and lead Quarterly Business Reviews with key suppliers
• Support continuous improvement initiatives within the supply chain process to increase efficiency and responsiveness.

Metrics

• On-Time Delivery to Customer Request Date
• On-Time Supplier Delivery At Target
• Safety Stock Inventory Turns Revenue Target

What You'll Bring

• Proven experience in demand planning and purchasing in a production-driven environment (life sciences or similar regulated industry preferred)
• Solid understanding of end-to-end supply chain processes, including procurement, production planning, and inventory management.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and align cross-functional teams High attention to detail, problem-solving capability, and a proactive, continuous improvement mindset.
• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Operations, or a related field; APICS certification or equivalent is a plus

Azenta is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This company considers candidates regardless of race, color, age, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.

Azenta is a market leader in automated bio sample management solutions and multiomics services across areas such as drug development, clinical and advanced cell therapies for the industry's top pharmaceutical, biotech, academic and healthcare institutions globally. We provide unparalleled capabilities with our lab analysis, sample management and storage services, informatics software, and consumables, with the largest installed base managing over 1 billion samples globally. As a global leader in R&D multiomics services, Azenta Life Sciences, leads the way in providing superior data quality with unparalleled technical support to enable researchers around the world to advance their scientific discoveries faster than ever before.