Purchasing Manager

The Sterling Choice; Stockport; Hybrid; GBP 59,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

The Sterling Choice is seeking a Procurement Manager for a food manufacturing business based in Wythenshawe. This hybrid role combines on-site collaboration with three days per week in the office and occasional travel as needed.

You will oversee sourcing of raw materials and packaging, negotiate prices and terms, manage supplier relationships and monitor market movements to secure the right materials at the right price and time.

Qualifications

• Procurement experience in food manufacturing.
• Strong negotiation skills.
• Organised and commercially aware; able to work with cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Sourcing and purchasing raw materials and packaging.
• Negotiating supplier prices, contracts and commercial terms.
• Building relationships with suppliers and monitoring performance.
• Managing global purchasing, including imports of chicken and dim sum.
• Monitoring material availability, stock levels and supply risks.
• Collaborating with Supply Chain to reduce stock write-offs and waste.
• Supporting NPD with ingredient sourcing and costings.
• Forecasting material requirements with Sales.

Skills

Procurement experience

Negotiation skills

Commercial awareness

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree or CIPS qualification

Tools

Tropos

Job description

Procurement Manager - Food Manufacturing

Wythenshawe | Hybrid - 3 days on site | Up to £65,000

This is a broad Procurement Manager role covering raw materials, packaging and global supply.

You'll be responsible for making sure the business has the right ingredients and materials, at the right price and when they're needed. That means getting stuck into supplier negotiations, managing relationships, keeping an eye on market movements and working closely with teams across the business.

It's not just about placing orders and chasing deliveries. There's plenty of scope to influence how procurement operates and where improvements can be made.

What will you be getting involved in?

• Sourcing and purchasing raw materials and packaging.
• Negotiating supplier prices, contracts and commercial terms.
• Building relationships with suppliers and keeping performance where it needs to be.
• Managing global purchasing, including imports of chicken and dim sum.
• Keeping a close eye on material availability, stock levels and potential supply issues.
• Working with Supply Chain to reduce slow-moving stock, waste and write-offs.
• Supporting NPD with ingredient sourcing, product costings and yield improvements.
• Working with Sales to forecast raw material requirements for key customers.
• Staying on top of market movements and finding opportunities to improve purchasing costs.
• Working alongside Technical, NPD, Sales and Operations to make sure everything joins up.

What are they looking for?

• Someone who knows their way around procurement and isn't afraid to pick up the phone and have a conversation with a supplier.
• You'll ideally have procurement experience within food manufacturing, with strong negotiation skills and a good understanding of the commercial side of purchasing.
• You'll also need to be organised, commercially aware and comfortable working with different teams across the business.
• A degree or CIPS qualification would be useful, as would experience with Tropos, but they're not deal-breakers.

If you're currently working in procurement and fancy a role with plenty of variety, supplier ownership and the opportunity to make a difference to how a business buys, it's worth a conversation.