Purchasing Agent

Freixenet Copestick are looking for a Buyer to join their Newbury team. As a Buyer, you'll collaborate with design and technical teams to lead new product development and process improvement, ensuring that products remain innovative and competitive in the marketplace. You'll also need to develop and maintain close working relationships with global market-leading wine producers, including key agency partners, to ensure timely delivery of purchased goods.

**Salary**: £45k - £55k (_dependent on experience_)
- We are dedicated to creating an open and inclusive working environment, and this starts with our recruitment practices. We try to ensure that everybody who is interested in joining our team has equal opportunity and ability to start that journey with us. We intend to have flexible and accessible hiring practices and will make every attempt to adapt to your needs throughout. We welcome any requests for adjustments in our processes._

**Key Responsibilities**
- Develop and deliver a proactive supplier strategy, including group and third party suppliers. Review our current supplier base to ensure they remain relevant and competitive.
- Manage the relationships with all FXC suppliers, including key third party agencies, to ensure maximum supplier investment so their brands are brought to life in the UK & Irish market working in conjunction with the Portfolio Brand Manager.
- Look and drive synergies for suppliers and products within Slurp and Jascots, where appropriate
- Review profitability and product consistency of the iheart brand to meet consumer needs.
- Ensure compliance of group purchasing policies ensuring all suppliers pass audits and EU legislation. Collaborate with the Head Office (Germany) buying team to benefit from the global procurement process
- Seek to lower cost base on wine, dry goods and materials without reducing quality.
- Collaborate with wider buying team to ensure full product selection is market leading in terms of price and quality
- Ensure the new products (branded and customer own label) in the business are managed accordingly through the Innovation and NPD Project Manager and are delivered on time and on cost from a wine and packaging perspective.
- Drive improvements in product quality through the development and implementation of a technical strategy.
- Work collaboratively with group and third party bottling facilities.
- Manage the pricing of our bulk wine products.
- Work with technical and wine making to ensure the continuous improvement in the quality of all wines.

**Working Environment**
- Monday to Friday, 37.5 hours per week
- Office and hybrid working
- Working in a Buying team of 9
- Primary working location has free, onsite parking and step-free access
- International travel, on average four times per year

**Interview Process**

Stage 1

Stage 2

Interview with hiring manager and HR via Teams. Interview questions may be issued in advance, upon request.

Stage 3

Interview with hiring manager and senior manager onsite.

Presentation to be briefed prior to second interview.
- Please tell us if you require a practice interview or adjustments at any stage of the interview process._

**Requirements**:

- Significant experience in wine buying. Wine industry experience is required and WSET level 3 and above required (or equivalent experience)
- Ability to balance building strong supplier and stakeholder relationships with highly commercial acumen and decision making
- Highly organised, able to work autonomously, plan effectively and anticipating future trends
- Able to understand and manipulate data collated from multiple platforms
- Specific experience in creating supplier JBP’s and bringing new products to market

**Benefits**

25 days holiday + 1 day off for birthday + public holidays

Additional Company Pension Contributions

Discretionary Annual Bonus

Private Health Cover

Employee Assistance Programme

Life Assurance - 4 x basic salary

Income Protection Insurance

Group Accident Insurance

Company Maternity Pay - 13 weeks at full pay

Paternity Pay - 2 weeks at full pay

Time off for Volunteering

Generous staff discount