Purchasing Executive

**Job Purpose**
- To building successful relationships in identified areas for JacTravel Groups, in co-ordination with the management of the department
- To place ad hoc groups buying in defined regions
- To work on and manage gaps buying in defined regions
- To work towards ensuring the department is buying at the best possible rates to maximise margins
- To manage carefully, all Re-use (RU) space, liaising with the Sales & Key Accounts teams to ensure maximum usage and releasing unsold space back to the hotels in a timely fashion, which supports the wider relationship
- To negotiate and secure the best working commercial Terms & Conditions, in line with our sales offering to clients
- To provide Admin support to the Purchasing team as required
- To vary duties to contract across our product portfolio (e.g. hotels, restaurants, guides and coaches) if needed

**Key Responsibilities**
- To place qualified group requests and to ensure that the right hotel product has been offered at the best possible rates
- To improve supplier relationships by representing the company at appropriate supplier events
- Working with the RCM (Regional Contracts Manager) and Head of Contracting to collate, manage and maintain the key events calendar
- To work with the RCM and Head of Contracting to collate pre buying series dates for key clients in key locations
- To send options, confirmations, amendments and cancellations to suppliers and follow up where necessary ensuring paperwork accurately reflects requirements
- To ensure maximum usage of allocation and RU space is being implemented where relevant
- Attending familiarisation trips, networking events, trade shows and supplier meetings in order to enhance existing supplier relationships as well as create new relationships
- To arrange visits to allocation and other key hotels as required ensuring that all staff are aware of the product that we offer
- To understand the needs of the clients and the markets in which the company is operating, obtaining this information through discussions with colleagues
- To work with your Line Manager and Groups Support to create, manage and distribute booking updates/reports to active hoteliers in Scotland, both allocation and ad hoc hotels
- To negotiate and book space to be sold for events where the department is pro-actively promoting a date for group travel, or a series, and to manage this space
- To take a proactive reaction to issues/errors such as book outs and present to your Line Manager a solution for consideration
- Assisting with training for new joiners to the business, along with refresher training / cross training where needed

**Required Experience and Knowledge**

**Essential**

**Qualifications & Knowledge**
- Strong negotiation skills
- A solid working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook
- Highly accurate with an excellent attention to detail
- Well-developed written and verbal communication skills
- Professional approach to work
- Full clean driving license
- Able to travel at short notice

**Experience, Skills and Behavioural Requirements**
- Previous contracting experience ideally within a tourism/tour operator background
- Strong team player but comfortable working on own initiative
- Approachable and positive individual with a ‘can do’ attitude

**Desirable**

**Qualifications & Knowledge**
- Knowledge of the inbound tourism industry
- Key contacts within the UK tourism industry / hoteliers

**Experience, Skills and Behavioural Requirements**
- Experience working within the travel industry
- Fluency in an additional European language would be desirable

**About WebBeds**

Launched in 2013, WebBeds is the world’s fastest growing B2B travel intermediary, or ‘bedbank’, providing accommodation and ground product distribution services to the travel industry. We source content from travel suppliers, aggregate and merchandise that content in the WebBeds platform, then distribute it to our global network of travel trade clients, who sell to the travelling public.

**Our clients** - online travel agencies, retail travel agents, corporate travel managers, tour operators, wholesalers, tourism boards, super apps, DMC’s, group providers, airlines and more - access the company’s huge global inventory of more than 368,000 hotels (comprising 30,000+ direct contracts, 70+ integrated third-party providers and 60+ major hotel chains) through market-leading, trade-only booking websites or via simple and seamless API connectivity. In addition to hotel product, clients can also book over 5,500 transfer services in 1,200 destinations along with thousands of guided excursions and tickets for attractions.

**Our supplier partners** - global hotel chains, independent hotels, apartments, resorts, attractions, transfer and sightseeing companies and more - benefit from our global distribution network of over 44,000 travel companies in more than 145 source markets and are supported by a local dedicated point of contact foc