Buyer - Grocery

kff have a fantastic opportunity for a **Buyer** to join the Grocery team on a full-time permanent basis based at our Aylesford office, reporting to the Head of Procurement. This is a Monday - Friday role offering a hybrid working contract, and you will be required to work in the Aylesford office 3 times per week.

As a Grocery Buyer at kff, it is your responsibility to manage the supply base in line with agreed strategy for category and business in compliance with company policy and procedures. You will work with internal stakeholders and suppliers to ensure required costs, quality and service standards are met or exceeded at all times.

We are looking for someone who is comfortable with cost saving strategies through driving change and proactively looking to find solutions. You will conduct product and category panels to deliver continuous improvement in our product ranges, quality, and pricing of products. The role will also involve controlling the cost of goods, (ensuring we source responsibly and support our CSR credentials), whilst managing terms and business planning effectively with our supplier base, including Sysco & European buying alliance partnerships.

kff is a regional food wholesaler with c.270 colleagues based near Maidstone, Kent. We are part of Sysco, the world’s largest foodservice provider with over 65,000 colleagues globally. kff has a family feel with a close-knit team, supplying both fantastic local pub and restaurant customers as well as delivering direct to the caterer.

**Key responsibilities and accountabilities**:

- Negotiate contract terms (e.g. pricing, rebates, promotional support etc.) with suppliers to achieve optimum commercial benefit
- Conduct regular gap analysis, benchmarking, range reviews and market research to ensure opportunities are identified and evaluated
- Liaise and attend meetings with other departments and external stakeholders to ensure continuity of supply and successful execution of new product launches
- Conduct regular review meetings and build strong relationships with suppliers to monitor product/supplier performance and ensure commercial targets are hit
- Liaise with Brakes head office and other Sysco members for shared deals, market insight, product and supplier information
- Off-site visits including but not limited to; Exhibitions, Suppliers, Sysco meetings, Sales accompaniment days and Networking events
- Running of reports to recognise areas of underperformance within supply base with the ability to identify appropriate solutions
- Manage relations, engagement and partnerships across the supplier base
- Customer interaction: working with key customers to talk about market and crop conditions. More significantly working to develop our range and that of our customers. This will create a USP with our customers and support to mitigate inflation and protect margin
- Cost tracker measuring cost of goods and better than market inflation/deflation, which enables Brakes & Fresh Direct to compete within the marketplace, driving NOBC and share of wallet
- Work on contributions to annual buying income KPI through rebates, supplier terms, cost saving initiatives
- Deliver compliance of contract terms through engagement and commitment of stakeholders and senior management team. Both parties to have fully signed, accurate terms, filed ahead of contract start dates

**About you**:
**What you’ll receive**:

- A competitive salary
- 25 days holiday + bank holidays (Increase with length of service)
- Pension scheme
- Life Assurance
- Hybrid working contract
- Discounts on cycle to work scheme, and retail outlets/supermarkets/restaurants and days out through kff staff sales shop.
- Access to kff Health Care policy.
- Staff sales shop.
- Career progression opportunities - being part of Sysco, the world’s leading foodservice business, opens up a world of possibility.