Our client in the food industry is growing and looking for a hands-on Buyer – Procurement to support their expanding operations. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment and enjoys owning the full purchasing cycle for packaging, non-food materials, and select fresh ingredients. You’ll play a key role in keeping production running smoothly, strengthening supplier relationships, and supporting ongoing improvements as the company scales.
Key Responsibilities
Inventory & Supply Coordination
- Monitor stock levels across multiple sites and ensure critical materials are always available.
- Manage items with varying lead times and maintain healthy inventory levels.
- Prevent stockouts through proactive planning and consistent follow-up.
Purchasing & Supplier Management
- Place purchase orders, confirm details, and negotiate pricing and terms.
- Build strong supplier partnerships to ensure reliable, on-time delivery.
- Quickly resolve delivery issues, quality concerns, or inventory discrepancies.
Data & Decision Support
- Analyze purchasing and inventory trends to inform buying decisions.
- Forecast upcoming needs and adjust order plans based on demand.
- Maintain accurate procurement data and track key vendor metrics.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Work closely with operations, product development, inventory, and finance.
- Support new product initiatives by researching materials and identifying sourcing options.
- Recommend improvements that reduce cost, enhance quality, or streamline processes.
Continuous Improvement
- Explore new products, packaging solutions, and supplier alternatives.
- Contribute ideas to strengthen procurement processes and build a more resilient supply chain.
Key Qualifications
- A confident negotiator with strong communication skills.
- Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple priorities.
- Comfortable analyzing data and spotting risks or opportunities early.
- Proficient in Excel and familiar with procurement or inventory systems.
- Energized by fast-moving, growth-oriented environments.
- 3–5+ years of procurement or purchasing experience, ideally in food manufacturing, fresh production, meal kits, or CPG.
- Managed a meaningful purchasing spend (around $5M+ annually).
- Experience within a high-growth or entrepreneurial environment is an asset.
- Priority will be given to candidates with experience in food manufacturing.