Procurement Lead

Procurement Lead

Locations: Witney, Oxfordshire
Job Type: Full-time, Office-Based
Hours: Monday - Friday, 08:30-16:30
Salary: £40,000 - £45,000 (DOE)

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced and commercially minded Procurement Lead to join a growing manufacturing business in Witney, Oxfordshire.

This is a hands-on procurement role with responsibility for the performance and continuous improvement of the procurement function. The position will involve a combination of operational procurement, supplier management, data analysis, MRP optimisation and process improvement.

The successful candidate will be highly organised, analytical and proactive, with strong MRP/ERP and Excel experience.

Key Responsibilities

Take ownership of the day-to-day performance and control of the procurement function.
Support purchasing activity, supplier issues and procurement prioritisation.
Identify current and future supply risks before they impact Production.
Monitor procurement KPIs and implement recovery plans where required.
Lead regular procurement meetings, reviewing KPIs, shortages, supplier performance and actions.
Provide procurement updates to senior management and internal teams.
Take ownership of improving MRP accuracy and effectiveness.
Maintain supplier information, lead times, pricing, reorder points and purchasing parameters.
Identify opportunities to automate purchasing and reduce manual administration.
Analyse historic component usage, current orders and future demand.
Plan purchasing requirements around supplier lead times, MOQ, stock levels and supply risk.
Identify potential component shortages and excess stock.
Develop and maintain strong relationships with existing and potential suppliers.
Identify alternative suppliers to improve cost, quality and supply resilience.
Obtain and compare quotations and negotiate pricing, lead times, MOQ and commercial terms.
Support supplier quality issues and corrective actions.
Monitor purchasing spend, pricing and supplier performance.
Identify cost-saving opportunities without compromising quality or supply.
Monitor supplier payment commitments and support cash-flow planning.
Own and develop procurement KPIs, including supplier performance, delivery, cost, shortages and MRP accuracy.

Skills & Experience Required

Strong previous experience within procurement, purchasing or supply chain.
Ideally, experience within a manufacturing or engineering environment.
Excellent knowledge and practical experience of MRP/ERP systems.
Advanced Excel and analytical skills.
Strong understanding of demand forecasting and inventory planning.
Experience managing and developing suppliers.
Strong commercial awareness and negotiation skills.
Experience analysing purchasing spend, pricing and supplier performance.
Ability to interpret data and turn it into clear actions.
Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
Confident communicating with suppliers and internal stakeholders.
Self-sufficient and highly proactive approach.

Desirable Experience

Experience purchasing engineering components, machined parts or raw materials.
Experience with SAGE 50, SAP Business One or similar ERP/MRP systems.
Experience improving or automating MRP and purchasing processes.
Global sourcing experience.
Experience with supplier quality and new component introduction.
Mandarin/Chinese language skills would be advantageous.

The Ideal Candidate

We are looking for someone who is self-sufficient, highly analytical, commercially minded and extremely organised.

You will need to be comfortable working hands-on when required, while also being able to look at the bigger picture and identify longer-term purchasing, supplier and supply chain risks.

Benefits

Competitive salary of £40,000 - £45,000 depending on experience.
Monday - Friday, 08:30-16:30.
Permanent, full-time position.
Opportunity to join a growing manufacturing business.
Hands-on role with responsibility for procurement and supplier performance.
Opportunity to improve and develop procurement systems and processes.
Professional working environment.
Long-term opportunity with opportunities for development.

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