Purchasing & Operations Administrator

The Guardian; Lancaster; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

The Guardian is seeking a proactive Purchasing & Operations Administrator to join a busy Lancaster manufacturing operation. You’ll support purchasing, production and day‑to‑day operations with a focus on organisation, reliability and teamwork.

In this varied role you’ll manage purchasing against production schedules, raise orders, coordinate deliveries, keep records up to date and assist with maintenance and general admin. The role is 18‑month fixed term, 40.5 hours per week.

Qualifications

• Experience in manufacturing or fast-paced environments preferred.
• Able to manage multiple priorities and follow processes accurately.
• Comfortable using Microsoft Office and databases.

Responsibilities

• Purchasing materials in line with production plans and BOMs.
• Ordering consumables, equipment and services for production.
• Booking deliveries and ensuring materials reach the correct location.
• Tracking materials against production schedules to avoid delays.
• Liaising with suppliers regarding deliveries, quality and late orders.
• Maintaining accurate purchasing, maintenance and repair records.
• Coordinating maintenance and repairs for plant and machinery.
• Providing wider administrative support when needed.

Skills

Organisational skills

Reliability

Teamwork

Tools

Microsoft Office

Databases

Job description

Purchasing & Operations Administrator

We are seeking a proactive Purchasing & Operations Administrator to join a busy manufacturing environment, supporting purchasing, production and day-to-day operations. You do not need to have all these skills, but you do need to be confident, outgoing and super organised administrator.

Position: Purchasing & Operations Administrator

Salary: £30,000pa

Contract: 18-month fixed-term contract

Hours: 40.5 hours per week - 8am-5pm Monday to Thursday and 8am-3pm Friday

Location: Lancaster

Closing date: Urgent role - CV's will be reviewed on a rolling basis

About the role

This is a varied, hands-on role within a small and collaborative office team supporting a busy manufacturing operation. While purchasing will be a key part of the position, you'll also get involved across maintenance, production support and general operations - so no two days are likely to be quite the same.

Working closely with the Procurement Controller and wider production team, key responsibilities will include:

• Purchasing materials in line with production plans and Bills of Materials (BOMs)
• Ordering consumables, equipment and services required by production
• Booking in deliveries and ensuring materials reach the correct location
• Tracking materials against production schedules to help avoid delays
• Liaising with suppliers regarding deliveries, quality, discrepancies and late orders
• Identifying and helping resolve recurring purchasing or data issues
• Maintaining accurate purchasing, maintenance and repair records
• Coordinating maintenance and repairs for plant and machinery
• Supporting waste disposal and management
• Reporting quality issues and contributing ideas for improvements
• Providing wider administrative and operational support when required

About you

We're ideally looking for someone who has worked within manufacturing, automotive, engineering, production or a similar fast-paced environment and understands the importance of having the right materials in the right place at the right time.

You should be comfortable using Microsoft Office and databases, managing several priorities and following processes accurately.

Just as importantly, this is a small team, so you'll need to be someone who is happy to muck in, help colleagues and pick up additional tasks when needed. Reliability and punctuality are essential.

About the organisation

You will be joining an established manufacturing business where the office team works closely together across purchasing, maintenance, training and production support.

• The factory operates a shutdown holiday system, meaning much of the annual leave is taken at set times. This typically includes two weeks during the summer, the Christmas shutdown and a week around Easter, with remaining holiday available as floating days.

Other roles you may have experience of could include: Purchasing Administrator, Procurement Administrator, Purchasing Assistant, Procurement Assistant, Materials Controller, Materials Planner, Production Administrator, Supply Chain Administrator, Operations Administrator, Manufacturing Administrator, Buyer, Junior Buyer, Production Coordinator or Purchasing Coordinator.