Procurement Specialist

Virtustant; South Africa; Hybrid; ZAR 240,000 - 360,000; Part time

Job summary

Virtustant in South Africa is seeking a Procurement & B2B Sales Specialist to source and purchase products from Chinese suppliers and to find buyers for excess inventory of food and functional ingredients.

You will research opportunities, communicate with suppliers and customers, and take ownership of problems with limited direction, while coordinating across procurement and sales to move deals forward.

Qualifications

• Excellent English communication, written and spoken.
• Strong organizational and follow-up skills.
• Experience communicating with international suppliers and businesses.
• Strong research skills to find companies and contacts independently.
• Comfortable negotiating pricing and commercial terms.
• Ability to initiate outbound calls and conversations.
• Proficient with Google Sheets and basic business tools.
• Willingness to work during at least part of Chinese business hours.

Responsibilities

• Research and identify potential suppliers, mainly on Alibaba or similar platforms.
• Source commodities, supplies, ingredients, equipment, and other products from Chinese manufacturers.
• Collect pricing, minimum order quantities, and lead times from suppliers.
• Communicate with suppliers via email, WhatsApp, and LinkedIn as needed.
• Negotiate pricing, quantities, timelines, and other purchasing terms.
• Organize supplier information and quotes in Google Sheets and track negotiations.
• Present options and recommendations to management for approval.
• Coordinate with suppliers during Chinese business hours to reduce delays.

Skills

English communication

Organizational skills

Independent working

Negotiation

Research skills

Outbound outreach

Problem-solving

Attention to detail

Communication with international SUPPL

Tools

Google Sheets

Alibaba/ marketplaces

WhatsApp

LinkedIn

Job description

Job Title: Procurement & B2B Sales Specialist

About The Company

Our client sources and purchases products from suppliers in China and finds B2B buyers for excess inventory of food and functional ingredients.

Job Description

This is a hybrid role supporting two main areas of the business. You will source and purchase products from suppliers in China. You will also find B2B buyers for excess inventory of food and functional ingredients.

You should be comfortable figuring things out, researching opportunities, and communicating with suppliers and customers. You will take ownership of problems without needing constant direction.

Responsibilities Of The Role

• Research and identify potential suppliers, mainly on platforms like Alibaba.
• Source commodities, supplies, ingredients, equipment, and other products from Chinese manufacturers.
• Conduct initial supplier searches and collect pricing, minimum order quantities, and lead times.
• Communicate with suppliers using email and WhatsApp.
• Negotiate pricing, quantities, timelines, and other purchasing terms.
• Organize supplier information and quotes in Google Sheets.
• Present options and recommendations to management for approval.
• Follow up with suppliers to ensure purchases move forward.
• Coordinate with suppliers during Chinese business hours to reduce delays.
• Maintain organized records of suppliers, quotes, negotiations, and purchasing activity.
• Research companies and industries that could use available ingredients.
• Identify potential bulk buyers, distributors, brokers, ingredient companies, and manufacturers.
• Build lists of qualified potential buyers.
• Research creative channels for selling excess inventory.
• Contact potential buyers via email, phone, LinkedIn, or other channels.
• Start conversations and identify purchasing opportunities.
• Understand buyer needs and match them with relevant products.
• Negotiate or facilitate initial commercial discussions.
• Track outreach, conversations, opportunities, and outcomes.
• Develop repeat customer relationships.
• Continuously look for new ways to move inventory efficiently.

Required Experience And Qualifications

• Excellent English communication skills, both written and spoken.
• Strong organizational and follow-up skills.
• Comfortable communicating with international suppliers and businesses.
• Strong research skills and ability to find companies and contacts independently.
• Comfortable negotiating pricing and commercial terms.
• Comfortable making outbound calls and initiating conversations.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently with limited supervision.
• Good judgment and problem-solving ability.
• Comfortable working with Google Sheets and basic business tools.
• Willingness to work during at least part of Chinese business hours.

Preferred Skills

• Previous experience in procurement, purchasing, sourcing, or supply chain.
• Previous B2B sales, business development, or account management experience.
• Experience sourcing products through Alibaba or similar marketplaces.
• Experience selling ingredients, food products, commodities, packaging, or manufacturing supplies.
• Experience working with suppliers in China.
• Experience identifying wholesalers, distributors, brokers, or liquidation channels.

Personality

• Smart and resourceful; you can figure things out without every step being explained.
• Proactive; you don't wait when there is a problem to solve.
• Commercially minded; you look for ways to create value and get deals done.
• Persistent; you are comfortable following up multiple times and working through difficult conversations.
• Organized; you can manage many suppliers, products, conversations, and opportunities without losing track.
• Curious; you enjoy researching markets and discovering potential buyers or suppliers.
• Adaptable; you will work across procurement and sales, so days will vary.
• Comfortable with ambiguity; this is a new function, and the role will evolve.

Software & Tools

• Google Sheets
• Alibaba (or similar marketplaces)
• WhatsApp
• LinkedIn

Schedule

Part-time, starting at approximately 4 hours per day.

Potential to increase hours.

South Africa / EMEA time zones preferred, but open to candidates globally.

Start as soon as possible.

Salary And Benefits

• Payment in USD or Local Currency according to candidate's preference.
• Full-time remote opportunity.