Buyer - Food & Ingredients

Job Title: Buyer – Food & Ingredients

Salary: Up to £40,000 + Benefits (dependant on experience)

Location: Leeds Head Office (with UK travel)

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced and commercially driven Buyer to join our Procurement team within a fast-paced, multi-site food manufacturing business.

This is a fantastic opportunity to take ownership of key ingredient categories within a £70M procurement function, supporting a high-volume operation across 7 manufacturing sites. You’ll play a critical role in ensuring continuity of supply, driving cost efficiencies, and maintaining strong supplier performance.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Managing procurement of food ingredients and raw materials across defined categories
• Negotiating pricing, contracts, and commercial terms with suppliers
• Building and maintaining strong supplier relationships, ensuring performance on cost, quality, and delivery
• Identifying and delivering cost-saving initiatives
• Monitoring market trends and managing supply risks
• Supporting New Product Development (NPD) through sourcing of new ingredients
• Ensuring compliance with food safety, regulatory, and customer standards
• Working cross-functionally with Technical, Operations, Logistics, and Commercial teams
• Managing procurement data and systems (SAGE MRP or equivalent)

What We’re Looking For

Essential:

Proven experience in a Buyer/Procurement role within food manufacturing or FMCG
Strong negotiation and commercial skills
Experience managing significant spend and supplier portfolios
Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-volume environment
Strong organisational and stakeholder management skills
Experience with MRP/ERP systems (SAGE or similar) and Microsoft Office
Full UK Driving Licence
Right to work in the UK

Desirable:

Experience sourcing across UK and EU markets
Knowledge of commodity-driven ingredient markets
Understanding of food safety standards (e.g. BRC, HACCP)
MCIPS qualification (or working towards)

What Success Looks Like

Delivery of cost savings against targets
Consistent continuity of supply to manufacturing sites
Strong supplier performance (OTIF, quality compliance)
Accurate and efficient procurement processes

Why Join Us?

Be part of a well-established, growing food manufacturing business
Work within a large-scale, complex supply chain environment
Opportunity to influence supplier strategy and category performance
Collaborative, cross-functional working culture

If you're a proactive Buyer who thrives on pace, ownership, and making a tangible commercial impact — we’d love to hear from you.