Senior Buyer Direct Materials

ASR Group; London; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 80,000

Job description

ASR Group is the world’s largest refiner and marketer of cane sugar, with an annual production capacity of more than 6 million tons of sugar. The company produces a full line of grocery, industrial, food service and specialty sweetener products. Across North America, ASR Group owns and operates six sugar refineries, located in Louisiana, New York, California, Maryland, Canada and Mexico. In Europe, the company owns and operates sugar refineries in England and Portugal. ASR Group also owns and operates mills in Mexico and Belize. The company’s brand portfolio includes the leading brands Domino, C&H, Redpath, Tate & Lyle, Lyle’s, Sidul and Whitworth’s.

Job Title: Senior Buyer

Date: March 2025

Location: London (3 days office, 2 days home based)

Reports To: Senior Manager, Procurement Europe

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

ASR Group is the world’s largest refiner and marketer of cane sugar, with an annual production capacity of more than 6 million tons of sugar. The company produces a full line of grocery, industrial, food service and specialty sweetener products. Across North America, ASR Group owns and operates six sugar refineries, located in Louisiana, New York, California, Maryland, Canada and Mexico. In Europe, the company owns and operates sugar refineries in England and Portugal. ASR Group also owns and operates mills in Mexico and Belize. The company’s brand portfolio includes the leading brands Domino, C&H, Redpath, Tate & Lyle, Lyle’s, Sidul and Whitworth’s.

OVERVIEW

Working in a collaborative team environment, the Senior Buyer is responsible for leading the strategic sourcing for Ingredients & packaging categories. Alongside this, you'll also have the opportunity to work on continuous improvement & projects such as New Product Development which is undergoing a large push at present.

DETAILED ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop, own and present the category strategy applying knowledge of supply, demand, capacity, market outlook, risks, external benchmarking, budget and competitive landscape.
• Conduct strategic sourcing events, category purchasing management and day-to-day buying.
• Conduct forecasting and modelling on an 18-month time horizon.
• Independently negotiate and prepare contracts, pricing and supplier agreements ensuring full compliance with company policies and procedures.
• Evaluate, qualify and select suppliers based on quality, service, cost and capability to support overall company manufacturing processes with total cost ownership including working capital optimization.
• Responsible for developing and delivering annual budget of assigned categories, targeting optimal purchase price variance.
• Deliver cost saving and process improvement initiatives.
• Utilise Company software systems and external market knowledge to effectively consolidate, analyse and report.
• Process a high volume of purchasing requisitions.
• Execute all standard operating procedures to secure materials and services required.
• Collaborate effectively with internal and external customers/suppliers to deliver business priorities.
• Contribute to the overall Procurement team performance by delivering KPIs and SLAs, completing continuous improvement projects and any other duties as required.

WORK EXPERIENCES

• Relevant experience in a comparable purchasing environment within the Food & Beverage industry, purchasing direct materials or packaging, ingredients and/or process chemicals.
• Relevant experience using enterprise resource planning software (SAP preferred) for buying, researching, reporting & analysis.
• Demonstrable knowledge of standard purchasing practices and legislation.

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

• Degree level qualification (or equivalent) in Supply Chain, Business or related field.

Core Competencies:

• Analytical Thinking & Decision Making: Identifies and understands trends and/or issues; connects data points through analysis to arrive at a logical conclusion.
• Business & Financial Acumen: Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the financial, accounting, marketing and operational functions of our organization; interpreting and applying understanding of key financial indicators to make better corporate decisions.
• Effective Communication: Expresses ideas and information in a clear and concise manner by tailoring one's message to fit the interests and needs of the audience.
• Customer Orientation: Keeps internal and/or external customer(s) in mind at all times. Strives to proactively address customer concerns and needs. Assists business partners and customers to achieve their work goals via application of their own skills and knowledge; strives to provide consistent customer satisfaction.
• Establishes Trust: Gaining the confidence and faith of others by actions and words that promote being honest, forthcoming, integrious and vulnerable.
• Problem-Solving: Anticipates, evaluates, diagnoses, and resolves problems in a systematic and fact-based manner.
• Results Orientation & Accountability: Takes accountability, identifies, executes and drives actions to consistently achieve desired results.
• Teamwork & Collaboration: Creates a climate that fosters commitment to a common vision and shared values that promote cooperation and working together through trust and support of others.
• Adaptability/Flexibility: Maintaining effectiveness in varying environments and with different tasks, responsibilities and people.
• Continuous Improvement: Establishes methods and utilizes specialized techniques to monitor and improve performance of systems and processes.
• Self-Development: Seeks feedback on one’s strengths and weaknesses and initiates activities to increase or enhance their knowledge, skills, and proficiency in order to perform more effectively or enhance their career.

At Tate & Lyle Sugars, our goal is to be the most admired sweetener Company.

Service Excellence: Be the industry's Gold Standard by a relentless focus on reliability, providing products with superior quality and excellent customer services.

Efficiency and Sustainability: Eliminate inefficiency to be a sustainable, low cost producer and to generate fuel for reinvestment.

Value-Add: Create strategic advantage and enhanced profitability through value-added products and services. The foundation of our values is Talent and Culture as we aim to build, retain and motivate a winning team.