Job Title: Junior Buyer – Food & Ingredients
Salary: Up to £30,000 + Benefits (dependant on experience)
Location: Leeds Head Office (with UK travel)
About the Role
We are looking for an experienced and commercially driven Junior Buyer to join our Procurement team within a fast-paced, multi-site food manufacturing business.
This is a fantastic opportunity to take ownership of key ingredient categories within a £70M procurement function, supporting a high-volume operation across 7 manufacturing sites. You’ll play a critical role in ensuring continuity of supply, driving cost efficiencies, and maintaining strong supplier performance.
What You’ll Be Doing
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Managing procurement of food ingredients and raw materials across defined categories
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Negotiating pricing, contracts, and commercial terms with suppliers
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Building and maintaining strong supplier relationships, ensuring performance on cost, quality, and delivery
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Identifying and delivering cost-saving initiatives
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Monitoring market trends and managing supply risks
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Supporting New Product Development (NPD) through sourcing of new ingredients
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Ensuring compliance with food safety, regulatory, and customer standards
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Working cross-functionally with Technical, Operations, Logistics, and Commercial teams
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Managing procurement data and systems (SAGE MRP or equivalent)
What We’re Looking For
Essential:
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Proven experience in a Buyer/Procurement
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role within food manufacturing or FMCG
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Strong negotiation and commercial skills
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Experience managing significant spend and supplier portfolios
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Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-volume environment
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Strong organisational and stakeholder management skills
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Experience with MRP/ERP systems (SAGE or similar) and Microsoft Office
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Full UK Driving Licence
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Right to work in the UK
Desirable:
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Experience sourcing across UK and EU markets
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Knowledge of commodity-driven ingredient markets
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Understanding of food safety standards (e.g. BRC, HACCP)
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MCIPS qualification (or working towards)
What Success Looks Like
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Delivery of cost savings against targets
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Consistent continuity of supply to manufacturing sites
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Strong supplier performance (OTIF, quality compliance)
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Accurate and efficient procurement processes
Why Join Us?
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Be part of a well-established, growing food manufacturing business
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Work within a large-scale, complex supply chain environment
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Opportunity to influence supplier strategy and category performance
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Collaborative, cross-functional working culture
If you're a proactive Buyer who thrives on pace, ownership, and making a tangible commercial impact — we’d love to hear from you