Buyer

Zeelandia UK, part of the Royal Zeelandia Group, are a leading supplier of high-quality bakery ingredients, serving both Industrial and Craft bakeries across the UK. With a strong heritage in the food ingredients sector and a reputation for innovation, service and collaboration, we partner with our customers to develop ingredient solutions that drive profitable growth.

We are now looking to recruit a Buyer into our team, to support delivery of the next stage of our strategy.

You will be commercially astute Buyer to own direct and indirect procurement across our food manufacturing sites. You will set category strategies, secure supply, and partner with Operations, NPD, Technical and Finance to deliver quality, value and service. A hands‑on role for an assertive individual who can negotiate brilliantly, build supplier partnerships, and drive continuous improvement.

• Develop and execute category strategies for key spend areas (ingredients, packaging, logistics, engineering spares and services).  Negotiate pricing, payment terms, and delivery schedules with suppliers to secure advantageous agreements for the organization.

• Deliver year‑on‑year savings, value improvements and cost transparency (PPV, TCO), while safeguarding service, quality and sustainability. 

• Manage inventory levels by analysing sales data and coordinating with logistics to ensure optimal stock without overstocking.

• Own supplier selection, onboarding and SRM: run RFx events, negotiate contracts/SLAs, and manage performance (OTIF, quality, service, risk). Cultivating and maintaining relationships with existing suppliers while actively seeking out and vetting new potential vendors.

• Collaborate with internal departments, such as marketing and sales, to ensure that product selection aligns with promotional strategies and sales goals.

• Partner with Operations and Planning to ensure material availability and the right inventory levels; minimise write‑offs and obsolescence. 

• Support NPD and Commercial on launches, trials and value‑engineering; secure specifications, MOQ/lead‑time agreements and first‑article approvals. 

• Ensure compliance with food safety and ethical standards (e.g., BRCGS/retailer codes, HACCP/traceability, allergens, RSPO/UTZ/organic if applicable). 

• Monitor markets and cost drivers (commodities, FX, logistics); recommend hedging or forward cover where appropriate. 

• Lead supplier risk management and continuity planning: dual sourcing, capacity checks, contingency stock and incident response. 

• Use data to drive decisions: material costed BOMs, KPI dashboards and monthly reporting to SLT. 

• Continuously improve P2P process with Finance (PO compliance, invoice matching, vendor master governance). 

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) 

• Cost improvement vs budget (PPV/TCO savings). 

• Supplier OTIF and quality right‑first‑time (RFT) / non‑conformance rates. 

• Material availability to plan; production downtime due to supply. 

• Inventory health: stock turns, days cover, write‑offs/obsolescence. 

• Contract coverage and compliance (critical categories 100%). 

• Sustainability/ethical compliance (e.g., audit scores, declarations on file). 

Compliance & Safeguarding 

All colleagues share responsibility for food safety, health & safety and ethical trading. This role must uphold company policies, BRCGS/retailer requirements, modern slavery and anti‑bribery standards, and data protection (GDPR). 

Skills, experience & qualifications

• Proven procurement experience in food manufacturing or FMCG (ingredients and/or packaging). 

• Strong negotiation and SRM skills; confident in running tenders and closing contracts. 

• Good understanding of food safety, quality and technical standards (e.g. BRCGS, HACCP, allergen controls, traceability). 

• Commercially savvy with costed BOMs, should‑cost and TCO thinking; strong Excel and ERP/MRP skills. 

• CIPS qualified or working toward is preferred, degree or equivalent experience. 

• Excellent stakeholder management; able to influence cross‑functionally and present to the SLT.