Procurement Category Buyer MRO, Arla - Leeds

Arla Foods; Leeds; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holiday entitlement 26 days + Bank Hol

Matched pension contributions up to 6%

Life assurance

Job summary

Arla Foods is seeking a Procurement Category Buyer MRO to lead sourcing across multiple UK sites. You will negotiate supplier agreements, improve data transparency, and drive value through governance and cross-site collaboration with Procurement, Maintenance, Finance and Operations.

Key focus is strengthening supplier governance, managing contracts, and delivering cross-site savings while enabling operational efficiency and long-term value creation.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of experience within Procurement, Strategic Sourcing, MRO, or indirect purchasing.
• Experience negotiating contracts and managing supplier relationships.
• Strong analytical ability to translate data into recommendations and improvements.
• Solid understanding of procurement and P2P processes, systems and governance.
• Experience in manufacturing or industrial environments is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Manage and negotiate site-specific MRO service agreements with approved suppliers.
• Drive spend transparency through analysis, reporting and cross-site savings.
• Improve purchasing behavior by increasing contract and catalog usage.
• Ensure data quality and compliance across MRO purchasing activities.
• Support continuous improvement, procurement tool implementations and projects.

Skills

Contract negotiation

Data analysis

Procure-to-Pay

Stakeholder management

Sourcing strategy

Job description

Do you want to play a key role in shaping the future of MRO procurement across multiple manufacturing sites in the UK?

As our new Procurement Category Buyer MRO, you will help drive procurement excellence across Arla's production network by improving supplier performance, increasing spend transparency, and creating stronger procurement practices. This is a highly collaborative role where you will work across Procurement, Maintenance, Finance, and Operations to ensure that MRO services and consumables are sourced effectively and consistently across regions.

This role offers a unique opportunity to influence purchasing behavior, improve data transparency, and create value across multiple sites while working closely with both strategic and operational stakeholders.

How You Will Make An Impact

As Procurement Category Buyer MRO, you will support the execution of our MRO category strategy by strengthening supplier governance, improving procurement processes, and driving greater visibility of spend and performance. Acting as a key link between Category Management and local sites, you will help ensure that sourcing decisions, contracts, and procurement data support both operational efficiency and long-term value creation.

Your key responsibilities will include

• Managing and negotiating site-specific MRO service agreements with approved suppliers while supporting supplier onboarding and contract governance.
• Driving spend transparency through analysis, reporting, and identification of cross-site savings and consolidation opportunities.
• Improving purchasing behavior by increasing contract and catalog utilization, reducing free-text purchasing, and supporting best-practice procurement processes.
• Ensuring data quality and compliance across MRO purchasing activities, including master data, PO structures, approval flows, and coding standards.
• Supporting continuous improvement initiatives, procurement tool implementations, and process optimization projects across regions and sites.

You will be part of the Procurement organization and work closely with Category Managers, Procurement Directors, Local Procurement teams, Maintenance Leads, Finance, Operations, and external MRO suppliers.

What Will Make You Successful

We are looking for a procurement professional who enjoys working across functions and geographies and who is motivated by turning data into actionable insights and measurable improvements.

To succeed in this role, you will bring

• 3-5 years of experience within Procurement, Strategic Sourcing, MRO, or other indirect purchasing categories.
• Experience negotiating contracts and managing supplier relationships.
• Strong analytical capabilities with the ability to translate data into business recommendations and improvement initiatives.
• A solid understanding of procurement and Procure-to-Pay (P2P) processes, systems, and governance practices.
• Experience from manufacturing, food production, processing, or other industrial environments is an advantage.

As a person, you

• Build strong relationships and influence stakeholders across different functions and locations.
• Take a structured and continuous improvement-focused approach to your work.
• Combine attention to detail with the ability to see the bigger business picture.

What do we offer?

You will join a global procurement organization where collaboration, continuous improvement, and value creation are at the heart of everything we do. This role offers broad exposure across Arla's manufacturing network and provides excellent opportunities to build your procurement expertise while influencing strategic and operational decisions.

We’re committed to supporting your growth and development, offering internal and external training opportunities. You’ll enjoy a competitive salary, 26 days of holiday plus Bank Holidays, matched pension contributions up to 6%, and life assurance.

For additional information about the role, please contact Senior Procurement Manager, Christoffer Løvstad Christensen at [e-mail].

Shape the Future of Dairy

Arla is a global leader in the dairy industry, committed to enabling good food choices that make life better, providing people with nourishment, while taking care at every step to ensure Arla is a choice they can feel good about. If you are looking to shape the future with an ambitious global cooperative that truly cares about your growth, where everyone feels valued and empowered, and collaboration is the core of culture, Arla is a choice you can feel good about.

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