Job Information

Our client is one of the UK's leading trade-only distributors of IT products. They deal directly with a range of manufacturers to bring our customers an extensive range of quality products at extremely competitive trade pricing.

To continue their growth, they are currently recruiting within their purchasing department for a professional buyer with the ability, enthusiasm, and the right attitude to help us - and our customers - succeed.

The Buying Role
Reporting to the Head of Purchasing you will be responsible for all aspects of product sourcing and promotion within your designated areas including:

Negotiating with vendors to achieve:
• Best pricing.
• Competitive delivery and payment terms.
• Maximised vendor support including marketing funds and rebates.

Product promotion:
• Liaison with vendors to arrange promotions, agree marketing support funds, Spif events, customer prizes and other incentives.
• Liaison internally with Sales and Marketing to ensure your products are fully and accurately described, set up and then correctly managed through the Target system to be promoted effectively.
• Full support to the Sales department to ensure that they are able to effectively promote products to our customers and to provide all necessary advice and support to enable our customers to similarly promote products.
• Liaison as necessary with marketing to ensure accurate pricing information and complete and accurate representation of your products both on our website and in any other form of Target produced material.

Responsibility for all aspects of performance for your product areas:
• Production of weekly updates on performance of your product areas highlighting particular areas of Sales interest for the Sales and Marketing departments.

Product Sourcing:
• Identification and evaluation of both new product opportunities and new suppliers for either existing or new products.
• Responsibility for all aspects of stock management for your product areas:
• Maximisation of stock turnover.
• Minimisation of out of stocks and shortages.
• Minimisation of slow moving lines and obsolescent products through pro- active approach to either stimulating demand on slow moving lines or clearance action on obsolescent products.

Pricing
• Review of pricing of all products to confirm Target’s competitiveness to prescribed parameters on a daily basis.
• Review of market pricing and replacement pricing, where appropriate, on a daily basis.
• Review of price objections as they arise, and taking any required corrective action.

Responsibility for all aspects of vendor relationship in your product areas:
• Ongoing liaison with vendors to maintain strong relationships to ensure that they are providing the best possible levels of support for both Target and our customers.
• Resolution of any commercial, service or supply issues with vendors as they arise.

Other Purchasing duties:
• To ensure compliance of products with relevant quality standards and all legal requirements through provision of all appropriate certification.
• To maintain accurate and up to date supplier records
• To create purchase orders and all documentation relating to order placement and confirmation.
• To track orders through to full and successful completion and monitor supplier performance.
• To monitor and chase where necessary receipt of all due supplier refunds, rebates, marketing support funds etc.

The Candidate

Experience required
• Minimum of 18 months FMCG/Retail experience within a Buyer or Junior Buyer’s role
• Experience of personal accountability for profit or margin maintenance and growth.
• Experience of sourcing products from Far East preferred but not essential.
• Experience of working in a demanding and fast paced environment

The successful candidate will be
• Enthusiastic, confident and determined.
• Articulate, numerate, able to think logically and to argue persuasively.
• Computer literate with good skills in Microsoft applications
• A strong negotiator at all levels : and be able to demonstrate this effectively
• A self-starter but a good team player who appreciates that team success is the key goal.

And should possess
• Strong analytical skills demonstrable both orally and in written work.
• Strong communication, organisational and prioritisation skills.
• Knowledge of and experience of applying purchasing tools and techniques
• The personal credibility to develop and maintain strong relationships both internally and externally.
• Technical/IT hardware knowledge either through previous work or through ‘hobbyist’ interest definitely advantageous.