Senior Food Buyer

JR United Kingdom; London; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading retail food organization in London is seeking an experienced Senior Buyer to manage strategic procurement from international suppliers and drive team leadership. With a competitive salary of £50,000-£60,000, this role offers a career progression plan into Head of Procurement, along with benefits like medical cover and remote work on Fridays.

Benefits

Bonus

Medical cover

Work from home on Fridays

Career progression plan into Head of Procurement

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years in procurement, ideally in food or retail sectors.
• Strong understanding of commercial negotiation and global sourcing.
• Previous team management or mentoring experience is desirable.
• Excellent negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Committed to ethical and sustainable sourcing practices.

Responsibilities

• Source and purchase from international manufacturers.
• Build and maintain strong partnerships with suppliers.
• Develop strategic solutions to mitigate supply chain risk.
• Monitor global food market trends to inform buying strategy.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards in procurement.

Skills

Strategic procurement

Commercial negotiation

Stakeholder management

Supply chain planning

Team management

Job description

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Procurement Heads’ Consumer teamare seeking an experiencedSenior Buyerto join a multiple award winning organisation that is one of the leaders in the retail food sector with recognisable products on the shelves of major retailers.

This is an exciting opportunity for a strategic and ambitious Senior Buyer with strong food procurement experience, ideally from a retail or FMCG background. The business is entering a new phase of growth, and this role has been designed with succession into the Head of Procurement firmly in mind.

Based in Surreyoffice (Minutes from Junction 8 of the M25)
Monday–Thursday on site with Friday work from home.

The ideal Senior Buyerwill have significant experience in strategic procurement, working withinternational food suppliers, negotiating complex deals, and leading or mentoring teams. This is a highly commercial role, and we're looking for someone ready to step into leadership over time.
This organisation is a fast-growing player in thefood and beveragesector, supplying a diverse range of products to well-known UK retailers.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Procurement:Source and purchase from international manufacturers. Work with an established supply base while identifying, reviewing, and onboarding new suppliers.
• Supplier Relationships:Build and maintain strong partnerships to ensure quality, innovation, and continuity of supply.
• Supply Chain Resilience:Anticipate potential issues and develop strategic solutions to mitigate risk.
• Market Intelligence:Monitor global food market trends and pricing to inform buying strategy and commercial decisions.
• Inventory Management:Ensure optimal stock levels to balance availability with waste reduction.
• Compliance:Ensure procurement activity complies with industry standards, ethical practices, and internal policies.
• Reporting:Produce regular insights on procurement performance, supplier metrics, and category trends.
• Leadership:Support or manage junior team members; contribute to procurement capability development across the team.

Required Experience of the Senior Buyer:

• Experience:Minimum 3 years in procurement, ideally in food or retail sectors, with a proven ability to manage international supply relationships.
• Strategic Skills:Strong understanding of commercial negotiation, global sourcing, and supply chain planning.
• Leadership Potential:Previous team management or mentoring experience is highly desirable.
• Communication:Excellent negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Values:Committed to ethical and sustainable sourcing practices.

Benefits:

Competitive salary in line with experience:£50,000- £60,000

• Bonus
• Medical cover
• Work from home on Fridays
• Career progression plan intoHead of Procurement