JOB TITLE: BUYER
DEPARTMENT: PURCHASING
BASED: EXETER HEAD OFFICE
REPORTS TO: SENIOR BUYER
PURPOSE OF THE ROLE Responsible for the sourcing and supply of specific products within the Purchasing Team; ensuring that stock is readily available to meet a varying sales demand without the need to carry excess stock.
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. The Buyer will be responsible for sourcing and monitoring a wide variety of products including, but not limited to, ceramic and porcelain tiles for distribution, retail, commercial environments and one-off contracts.
2.) The Buyer will contribute to the purchasing strategy and plan in line with the organisational objectives. Whilst this is predominantly an office based role there will be a need to travel to visit exhibitions and suppliers both U.K. based and overseas. The Buyer will travel globally depending on the needs of the client but will typically include travel to mainland Europe, The Far East, South Asia and South America. Travel duration is typically three to ten days per visit.
3. Tasks will include:-
- Meeting suppliers and negotiating price and terms of contract in line with Company policy.
- Developing and maintaining relationships with existing suppliers and sourcing new suppliers for future products.
- Identification, sourcing and expediting of material for bespoke projects.
- Setting quality parameters and ensuring products fall within acceptable guidelines and where necessary resolving product and supplier issues.
- Undertaking purchase order placement, material expediting in line with projected sales.
- Managing stock in line with sales trends and reacting to changes in demand.
- Processing relevant administrational duties, ensuring spreadsheets, databases and Microsoft Business Central are maintained.
- Continue to utilise Business Central as the core tool within the role and help the wider team with the continuous development of Business Central.
- Management of new product samples and sample warehouse including presentation of product to relevant stakeholders.
- Liaising with other departments within the Company to ensure products and/or samples are available within an acceptable time frame.
- Identifying weaknesses in the product portfolio and proposing an appropriate course of action accordingly.
- Maintaining a constant interest and knowledge in general product developments and upcoming trends by visiting international trade exhibitions and U.K. distributors and sellers' showrooms.
- Minute taking in various departmental, inter-departmental and external meetings.
- To provide extensive cover for your line manager whilst they are out of the office.
- Assist covering the buying team as a whole during busy periods and absence.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Endorse and promote a positive and conscious health and safety culture within the Company. Always take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions.
Ensure compliance with all health and safety, quality and human resource policies and procedures of the company
These are the main functions of the job but the incumbent may be required to carry out other duties as may be reasonably required to meet the demands of the business.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
To succeed in this role the person needs to:
Have proven commercial acumen with strong and tough negotiation skills.
Have a business-like approach with the ability to use tact and diplomacy when negotiating.
Have previous experience within purchasing.
Possess the necessary drive to strive to meet and ideally exceed Company expectations.
Be self-motivated with the ability to work on own initiative but within the confines of the department's resources and timescales.
Have an eye for details; a high level of accuracy.
Hold good educational qualifications, ideally to degree level.
Ideally be either CIPS qualified or part-qualified.
Be able to make decisions, meet targets and work to tight deadlines.
Be able to absorb and assess information quickly.
Possess excellent interpersonal skills and be able to effectively deal with people, whether by phone or in person.
Enjoy and be willing to independently travel to many countries throughout the world with limited notice if the business needs require it.
Possess good planning, organisational and time management skills.
Be IT literate with good MS Office skills, particularly MS Excel.
Experience of Microsoft Business Central would be preferable.
Be aesthetically strong with an interest in tile design and colours to enable the right sourcing decisions to be made.
A full (ideally clean) driving licence would be an advantage