Senior Buyer

**Senior Buyer, reporting to the Purchasing Manager. **You will deliver added value to the business through best-in-class procurement activities including responsibility for direct spend categories, sourcing of new products, driving our responsible sourcing programme as part of our ESG agenda.

*** What the Day Job Looks Like**
- Crafting and executing sourcing and category strategies in alignment with business objectives.
- Delivering annual procurement strategy thorough supplier evaluation, selection, and managing supplier contracts.
- Leading negotiations to achieve market-beating contract terms with suppliers.
- Driving an increase in the proportion of spend under contract with managed suppliers.
- Spearheading efforts to continuously enhance supplier performance, ensuring alignment with business goals.
- Maintaining accuracy and relevance of forward forecast costs.
- Serving as the escalation point for supplier-related issues for other teams at Belazu.
- Providing regular market analysis, insights, and benchmark data to inform category planning and mitigate risks.
- Facilitating the resolution and management of supplier claims.
- Championing key Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives within the Purchasing team.

**About Belazu**

Belazu has been a pioneer of supplying high quality, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Ingredients for over 30 years. We are an innovative leader in our field, with an energetic and high performing working culture. We have ambitious plans to grow over the next 5 years and take great pride in the values that form the spine of our business. This is a great opportunity to join a business with an impressive set of accreditations, from B Corp status to Gold standard Investors in People. We are a diverse team with a shared set of professional goals and social values that drive a hugely satisfying working experience.

**This Role Will Suit You If**:
✔️ You have a solid amount of experience in a buying role.

✔️ You're adept at fostering strong relationships with suppliers and internal stakeholders. Engaging with a diverse range of individuals energises you

✔️ You’re comfortable in the art of negotiation and with thinking on your feet. Our suppliers will throw a lot of questions and challenges your way and you will need to be able to handle these effectively, maintaining realistic expectations and getting the best deal.

✔️ You possess a deep-seated passion for the food industry, you embody a can-do attitude that fuels your contributions to our team. Embracing our love for food is essential, and we seek someone who shares this enthusiasm.

✔️ You’re committed to continuous professional development, and you stay abreast of industry trends, remaining at the forefront of procurement practices and methodologies.

**This Role Won't Suit You If**:
You shy away from taking initiative and problem-solving. We're seeking someone eager to join our journey, contributing to growing Belazu by suggesting recommendations to generate and improve procurement solutions.

Struggle with managing several projects at once and remaining calm in a busy and demanding department. There are lots of stakeholders with this role, and our Purchasing team are busy driving business so being able to prioritise and manage expectations is essential.

You struggle with analysing and effectively communicating meaningful category data, hindering informed decision-making processes. We want someone who understands the importance of presenting data-driven insights in a clear and concise manner, making it easy for stakeholders to grasp the implications for procurement strategies.

**What’s in it for you?**
- Discretionary annual bonus scheme, of up to 10% of basic
- 30 days annual plus 3 public holidays per annum, building with length of service
- Enhanced pension option
- Life assurance from day one
- Employee benefits portal with retail discounts, EAP and GP service and financial support tools
- Volunteer days and active CSR programme
- Up to 40% discount on Company products
- Socials and internal awards
- Subsidised Canteen

**Terms**
- 40 hrs/wk i.e. 8.00am-4.30pm Mon-Fri (start and finish times flexible) with a hybrid working model.
- Probationary period 3 months
- 10% KPI related bonus based around challenging but achievable tasks related to the role

**Contact information**:
Gemma Doyle