Junior Buyer

Junior Buyer

Permanent full-time position at UCOOK 

BUSINESS OVERVIEW:

UCOOK is a tech enabled dinner-kit delivery service based in Paarden Eiland (Head Office). We deliver perfectly-portioned, locally-sourced, fresh ingredients to our customer’s door – from farm-to-fork! We have been delivering nationwide since 2013. We have since grown into much more than a dinner-kit only business. Our range also includes frozen meals, desserts, wine and a market selection of pantry staples.

UCOOK is part of the Silvertreebrands group of companies, which includes UCOOK, Faithful to Nature, SKOON. Skincare, Pet Heaven, Sprout Performance Partners and PriceCheck. Silvertreebrands focuses on building amazing customer experiences that are “Good for you, good for the planet.” We trust our employees with full accountability and autonomy from day one. This unique entrepreneurial and performance-driven culture enables us to achieve executional excellence.

This role is ideal for a young and energetic junior buyer eager to contribute and learn within a fast-growing company.

JOB OVERVIEW:

The buyer is responsible for and not limited to the purchasing, planning and supplier management of all dry goods procured at UCOOK. It is the responsibility of the buyer to use historical usage data to manage inventory accordingly in aims of avoiding stock build up and waste.  It is the responsibility of the buyer to maintain sources of supply through regularly conducting risk assessments, raising purchase orders as per supplier lead times, and managing the delivery process through to the end. This individual is expected to be a collaborative team player, and must have the ability to work alongside multiple departments in the interest of a common goal. The buyer will be expected to source product at the best price whilst maintaining the best quality and conduct margin analysis post production week.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Forecasting & ordering - use usage data to compile purchase orders as well as forecast plans for suppliers that adhere to their lead times. Including but not limited to:
  
  
  
  • Managing stock transfer between UC warehouses (Johannesburg & Cape Town)
  
  
  • Supporting stock teams with correctly receiving, counting and putting away orders
  
  
  • Ensuring that production teams have enough stock to portion at all times
  
  
  
  


• Supplier management - ensure effective communication with suppliers that encourages a collaborative approach to business, while also prioritizing UCOOK’s operational requirements. This includes:
  
  
  
  • Onboarding suppliers
  
  
  • Terms negotiation
  
  
  • Ensuring suppliers adhere to UCOOK’s Quality Management Systems
  
  
  • Measuring supplier performance through regular check ins
  
  
  • Ensure financial queries are addressed timeously to allow for an easy financial month end closure.
  
  
  
  


• New product development - Work closely with the UCOOK NPD team on NPD, EPD and continuous improvement within meal kit. This includes:
  
  
  
  • Suggesting/sourcing new products to encourage innovation
  
  
  • Planning timelines from a buying perspective when considering the launch of new products
  
  
  • Supporting the food team in terms of pricing and specification requests where required
  
  
  
  


• Stock health - Ensure that stock is utilized within its designated shelf life.
  
  
  
  • Add products to the product usage guideline as they onboarded
  
  
  • Ensure products are planned as per the product usage guideline to avoid accumulation of waste
  
  
  • Review short shelf life stock as per the kit stock count
  
  
  
  


• Reporting - report weekly on:
  
  
  
  • Margin Investigations
  
  
  • Red pallet report actions & follow up
  
  
  • Waste write offs and reasoning
  
  
  
  


• Project Work
  
  
  
  • From time to time project work is required to increase efficiencies or support new business ventures
  
  
  
  

Reports To: Procurement Manager

KPI’s

• Maintain vendor pricing and preferred vendors to ensure less margin discrepancies


• Keep waste under 0.34% of net revenue


• Control food cost target


• Manage OTIF deliveries from relevant suppliers


• Root cause analysis & reduction of operational shortages


• Ensure rebates have been implemented where possible and that strategic purchasing is taking place

REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor's degree and/or 1-2 years of experience in the food industry.


• A valid Driver’s licence with experience driving


• Computer literacy with advanced Word and Excel skills/experience


• Strong administration skills


• Strong numerical skills and attention to detail


• Ability to work in a team-oriented environment while maintaining an individual workload


• Good communication and interpersonal skills


• Ability to take initiative on tasks and projects


• Eager to work and enthusiastic

OUR CULTURE AND TEAM

• We're close-knit and encouraging


• We are self-motivated and have an ethos of seeing projects through to completion


• We innovate as we grow


• We welcome teamwork and participation


• We've created a relaxed but professional working environment


• We're respectful of all people and cultures


• We believe in keeping our team happy so that work produced is of the highest quality

What’s in it for you?

• Be part of something meaningful – Play a key role in one of South Africa’s most exciting and fast-growing startups, with plenty of room for growth, learning, and support from a passionate and experienced team.


• 50% off UCOOK meal boxes – Enjoy our delicious meals at half the price, delivered to your door.


• Pension fund contributions – We’ve got your future in mind with a solid retirement benefit.