Full job descriptionSenior Buyer - Ingredients & Packaging Procurement
Location: Berkshire
Food Manufacturing - Multi-Site - High-Impact FMCG Environment
Salary: £40-50,000 + benefits + career opportunities + CPD (CIPS)
A highly respected and rapidly evolving UK food manufacturing business is seeking an exceptional Buyer to take ownership of strategically critical procurement categories across ingredients and packaging (approximately £20m portfolio) within a fast-paced FMCG manufacturing environment.
The organisation operates within a dynamic food manufacturing environment supplying both retail and B2B channels, where procurement plays a central role in protecting margin, maintaining continuity of supply, driving innovation, and supporting wider commercial performance.
This is not a transactional buying role.
It requires a commercially astute, strategically minded procurement professional capable of operating across supplier markets, manufacturing operations, finance, planning, technical, NPD, and commercial teams to deliver measurable business impact.
The Opportunity
*Develop and execute category strategies aligned to wider business objectives
*Manage supplier performance, cost control, and security of supply across critical spend areas
*Operate confidently within volatile commodity and ingredient markets
*Lead commercial negotiations with both UK and international suppliers
*Identify opportunities for value creation beyond simple cost reduction
*Support working capital and inventory optimisation initiatives
*Drive supplier innovation into the wider business
*Partner closely with operational stakeholders to support service, production, and customer requirements
*Build robust procurement governance whilst maintaining pace and agility
*The role requires someone capable of balancing strategic thinking with operational execution.
Key Areas of Responsibility
Strategic Procurement & Category Management
*Develop robust procurement category strategies across allocated areas of spend
*Create short, medium, and long-term sourcing plans aligned to business growth and operational requirements
*Continuously analyse supplier markets, commodity movements, inflationary pressures, & broader market dynamics
*Identify opportunities to reduce total cost of ownership whilst protecting quality and service
*Lead strategic sourcing activity including tendering, benchmarking, supplier rationalisation, and contract negotiations
*Deliver procurement savings, value improvement initiatives, and margin enhancement opportunities
*Build contingency planning and mitigation strategies for supply chain risk
*Ensure continuity of supply across critical operational categories
*Support procurement transformation and continuous improvement initiatives
Supplier Management & Commercial Leadership
*Build strong strategic relationships with key suppliers and manufacturing partners
*Lead supplier negotiations
*Conduct supplier performance reviews and drive accountability through structured KPIs
*Introduce joint business planning approaches with strategically important suppliers
*Drive supplier-led innovation into the business
*Challenge underperformance and implement corrective action where required
*Collaborate with suppliers on cost engineering and value optimisation initiatives
Operational & Cross-Functional Partnership
*Work closely with manufacturing, planning, technical, finance, commercial, and NPD functions to support business objectives
*Support service continuity and minimise operational disruption through proactive supplier and inventory management
*Participate in business-critical operational and supply chain meetings
*Contribute to working capital reduction initiatives
*Ensure procurement decisions balance commercial objectives with operational realities
*Support launch activity, customer requirements, and business growth initiatives
Market Intelligence & Risk Management
*Monitor commodity and ingredient markets continuously
*Forecast pricing movements and supplier market trends
*Assess geopolitical, agricultural, economic, and supply chain risks
*Provide commercial insight and market intelligence to internal stakeholders
*Support budget planning and forecasting activity with accurate procurement analysis
*Develop proactive risk mitigation strategies across categories
The Candidate
*Degree educated and a minimum of CIPS Level 3 or 4
*This role requires an experienced FMCG procurement professional with strong food manufacturing or FMCG exposure
*Progressive procurement and category management experience within FMCG manufacturing
*Experience purchasing ingredients, raw materials, commodities, and packaging
*Experience operating within food manufacturing or complex manufacturing supply chains
*Strong negotiation capability across supplier relationships
*Excellent commercial acumen and analytical capability
*Experience managing volatile commodity-driven categories
*Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills
*The ability to operate with pace, resilience, and accountability
*A highly collaborative approach combined with the confidence to challenge constructively
*Strong understanding of procurement governance, supplier management, and category strategy
*The ability to balance strategic thinking with operational responsiveness
Personal Attributes
*Commercially sharp and analytically minded
*Proactive and solutions focused
*Comfortable operating within fast-moving manufacturing environments
*Highly organised with strong attention to detail
*Confident influencing cross-functional stakeholders
*Capable of managing competing priorities effectively
*Collaborative whilst able to challenge appropriately
*Driven to continuously improve processes, performance, and outcomes
*Resilient under pressure and calm within operationally demanding situations
Why This Opportunity?
*Significant exposure across the wider business
*The opportunity to influence strategic procurement direction
*Ownership of commercially important categories
*A collaborative and fast-paced FMCG environment
*Strong long-term career development potential
*The ability to make a visible and measurable impact