Production Buyer

brompton; Greenford; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Brompton in London is seeking a Production Buyer to own strategic suppliers and drive improvement across the Production Buying team. You will manage material supply, performance, and delivery to support quality and cost targets while resolving complex supply issues.

You will lead recovery activities, coach buyers, and participate in cross-functional projects to optimise Brompton's global supply chain and ensure timely, cost-effective parts for production.

Responsibilities

• Manage material supply and supplier performance to support production requirements for quality, cost and delivery.
• Lead recovery and improvement activity with high-risk suppliers and cross-functional teams.
• Coach buyers on best practice, issue resolution and process improvement.
• Represent Production Buying in cross-functional meetings and supplier-related projects.
• PO release planning and supplier visit coordination as needed.

Job description

Job title: Production Buyer

Department : Planning

Reporting to: Production Buying Manager

Staff reporting: 0

Salary: Competitive

Working week: 40 hours per week

About us

We make bikes that move differently. Every fold, every ride, every detail matters. At Brompton, engineering and craft meet freedom of expression. Each bike invites you to explore your city, your routine, and yourself in new ways.

We don't just make bikes. We shape possibilities. Over fifty years of innovation flow through every frame, and every team member helps shape what comes next. We are looking for a Production Planner to help us keep moving differently.

The role

We are looking for a Production Buyer to join Brompton in London. This role is suited to an experienced production buying professional who can take ownership of strategic and high-risk suppliers, lead complex recovery activity and support the development of the wider buying team.

Working within the Production Buying team, you will manage material supply and supplier performance to support production requirements for quality, cost and delivery. Alongside core purchasing responsibilities, you will provide operational support on complex supply, logistics and GITW issues and help drive continuous improvement across Production Buying processes.

This is an opportunity to play a experienced operational role across Brompton Bicycle's global supply chain. You will manage an assigned supplier portfolio, lead recovery and improvement activity where supply performance is at risk and represent Production Buying in cross-functional meetings and projects. You will also coach buyers on best practice, issue resolution and process improvement.

Main duties and responsibilities

Supplier Portfolio Management

• Daily management of global supplier and subcontractor portfolio using existing business tools and future digitalisation.
• Own the management of strategic and high-risk suppliers, establishing clear priorities, governance and risk-mitigation plans.
• Proactively operate in a procurement community as partner to Planning, Logistics, Quality and NPI team.
• Represent Production Buying in cross-functional meetings and supplier-related projects as required.
• Demand and forecast control, challenge internally MRP demand and unusual consumption.
• Review weekly/monthly/quarterly delivery schedule and forecast with suppliers.
• Monitor and manage delivery forecasts and 'line of balance' through regular interaction with suppliers.
• Anticipation of operational risks and issues to drive proactive and mitigation action plans with supplier and transversal departments.
• Analyse delays, prioritise urgencies, ensure clear and regular communication to all internal customers and that the escalation process is initiated in a timely manner where required to avoid impacts to build through late supply.
• PO release planning throughout the year.
• Requirement of potential supplier visit or anticipation of trade show.

Logistics

• Use of appropriate logistic and ordering solutions, arranging shipping with 3PL.
• Driving the reverse logistics flows (quotes, return parts, followed removals).
• Follow-up and support troubleshooting for delivery issues, Goods receipt, Technical/Administrative quality notice and invoices.
• Manage & optimise airfreight cost and oversee the airfreight approval process.
• Drive a sustained reduction in airfreight dependency through proactive supplier control, forward planning and early escalation of material risks.
• Act as an escalation point for complex logistics issues, coordinating timely containment, root-cause resolution and stakeholder communication.

Master Data & PDM Update

• In line with influencing factors (Delivery performance, quality performance, demand fluctuation, Economic Order Quantity); Maintain and optimise the ordering parameters (batch size, MOQ, Leadtime, Kanban, etc.) on both INFOR and PDM system.
• Support optimisation of inventory parameters (Safety stock, reorder point) with Supply planner.
• Transactions accuracy; Raise, release, monitor and adjust Purchase orders within supplier leadtime and requirements.
• Confirm and update Purchase order data (Promise date, Brompton arrival dates) in Infor as per the supplier's confirmations.
• Manage reordering tasks after rejection, scrap/damages.
• Maintain MRP/APS/Control Tower requirements filled with promised orders sufficient to replenish stock and cover both demand and safety stock, Analyse MRP and Supply External Product exception messages.
• Complete handover of new parts purchased items from development phrase (Category buyer) to support production phrase.

Monitoring

• Monitoring and improvement of first tier Supplier relationships.
• Monitoring of the Supply Chain's performance (reception, shops, internal transport, shipping).
• Lead supplier recovery plans, capacity ramp-ups and OTIF improvement activity, coordinating actions across suppliers and internal stakeholders.

Measure Supply Chain KPIs such as OTD and OTIF, OQD , Missing parts, Ordering