Purchasing Director

A leading and rapidly expanding food and beverage manufacturing organisation is seeking a Purchasing Director to spearhead its procurement operations

What you'll do:

As Purchasing Director, you will play an instrumental role in guiding the strategic direction of procurement within a thriving food manufacturing environment. Your day-to-day responsibilities will involve designing innovative sourcing initiatives that support both immediate production needs and long-term business goals.

• Develop and implement comprehensive sourcing strategies for raw materials, packaging, ingredients, and indirect supplies while maintaining an optimal balance between cost-effectiveness, quality assurance, and reliability of supply.
• Lead all aspects of contract negotiation and terms agreement processes with suppliers to secure favourable pricing structures and robust service-level commitments that align with organisational objectives.
• Oversee supplier relationship management by establishing clear performance metrics, conducting regular reviews, and initiating corrective action plans when necessary to ensure consistent delivery standards.
• Manage inventory forecasting processes in close partnership with Operations, Research & Development, Sales, and Finance teams to ensure alignment with production demand and minimise stockouts or excesses.
• Drive ongoing cost optimisation efforts through market research analysis, implementation of hedging strategies where appropriate, and adoption of continuous improvement practices throughout the procurement cycle.
• Utilise enterprise resource planning (ERP), inventory management, and procurement systems such as SAP to enable transparent reporting, data-driven decision-making, and real-time visibility into purchasing activities.
• Ensure full compliance with import regulations, food safety protocols including Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and all relevant international trade laws governing the movement of goods across borders.
• Build, mentor, and lead the procurement team by setting clear objectives, defining key performance indicators (KPIs), providing regular feedback through performance evaluations, and fostering professional development opportunities.

What you bring:

To excel as Purchasing Director in this dynamic environment, you will bring a wealth of experience gained from senior procurement positions within the food manufacturing or FMCG industries.

• Extensive experience spanning at least ten years in procurement or purchasing roles within food manufacturing, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), or distribution sectors is essential for success in this position.
• A minimum of three years’ proven track record in senior or director-level leadership roles overseeing multi-regional sourcing operations.
• Demonstrated expertise in navigating complex import compliance issues as well as familiarity with international trade regulations relevant to perishable goods is highly desirable.
• Exceptional skills in contract negotiation resulting in measurable cost savings while maintaining supplier performance standards are critical for this role.
• Strong background in developing strategic sourcing frameworks that deliver value across local and global supply chains is expected from ideal candidates.
• Proficiency in utilising ERP systems such as SAP for procurement analytics, reporting functions, inventory management tasks, and process optimisation is important.
• Experience managing supplier relationships through structured performance metrics reviews coupled with corrective action planning demonstrates your commitment to continuous improvement.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams including Operations, R&D, Sales, Finance ensures alignment between procurement activities and broader business objectives.
• A history of building high-performing teams through mentorship programmes focused on professional development reflects your dedication to nurturing talent within the organisation.

What's next:

If you are ready to take on a rewarding challenge where your expertise can truly make an impact within a supportive team environment—this is your moment!

Apply today by clicking on the link provided; we look forward to connecting with talented professionals who share our passion for excellence.

Due to the high volume of applications we are experiencing, our team will only be in touch with you if your application is shortlisted.