Purchasing Manager

Jackson Hogg Procurement division are delighted to be exclusively partnering with a well-established and growing manufacturing organisation in Chester-le-Street on the appointment of a Purchasing Manager to join their team.

This is a full-time and permanent role offering circa £45,000-50,000 per annum depending on experience.

As Purchasing Manager, you would predominantly work on site but with some WFH available after probationary period if preferred. Working hours are Monday to Friday 08.30-17.00.

The Purchasing Manager is responsible for the end-to-end procurement of raw and finished materials, ensuring supply continuity, cost efficiency, and quality across the product range. The role leads a small purchasing team, manages key supplier relationships, contributes to product development initiatives, and acts as the internal lead for the ERP system within the purchasing function.

The Role:

Procurement & Purchasing

• Manage the ordering of raw materials and finished goods to meet production, stock, and customer demand requirements.
• Plan and place purchase orders in line with forecasted demand, lead times, and stock targets.
• Monitor order status, delivery performance, and resolve supply issues proactively.
• Negotiate pricing, terms, and contracts with suppliers to secure best value without compromising quality.

Supplier Management

• Identify, evaluate, and onboard new suppliers as required, including due diligence on quality, capacity, and reliability.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with existing suppliers, conducting regular reviews of performance, pricing, and service levels.
• Manage supplier risk, including single-source dependencies and geopolitical/logistics disruption.
• Lead or support supplier escalations relating to quality, delivery, or commercial disputes.

Product Development

• Work closely with the Commercial Director and technical teams on new product development, including sourcing components and materials for new lines.
• Support product specification, costing, and feasibility assessments during development.
• Liaise with suppliers on samples, trials, and validation of new products prior to launch.

Team Management

• Manage, develop, and support a team of two Purchasing Administrators, setting clear objectives and priorities.
• Oversee day-to-day workload allocation, ensuring purchase orders and administrative tasks are processed accurately and on time.
• Conduct regular 1:1s, performance reviews, and identify training/development needs within the team.

ERP Lead (Microsoft Dynamics)

• Act as the purchasing department's lead user/champion for Microsoft Dynamics, ensuring the system is used effectively and accurately across the team.
• Act as first point of contact for purchasing-related ERP queries, liaising with IT/system administrators where needed on issues or upgrades.

General

• Provide accurate purchasing data, reporting, and forecasts
• Monitor market trends, pricing movements, and supply chain risks relevant to raw materials and finished parts.
• Ensure purchasing activity complies with company policy and relevant regulatory requirements.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of purchasing processes and systems.

The Person/Requirements:

• Proven experience in a purchasing/procurement role, ideally within manufacturing, engineering, automotive, or industrial sectors.
• Experience managing or supervising a small team advantageous but not essential.
• Hands-on experience using an ERP system for purchasing.
• Experience in supplier negotiation and management, ideally including international/overseas suppliers.
• Strong negotiation and relationship management skills.
• Good commercial and analytical acumen, comfortable working with pricing, costings, and forecasts.
• Clear communicator, able to work cross-functionally with technical, commercial, and operational teams.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel; confident with ERP systems.
• Problem-solving mindset, able to resolve supply issues quickly and effectively.

For more information on this exciting new role to the market, please get in touch with Gemma Yeadon - Sector Lead | Procurement at Jackson Hogg Recruitment. Early application is highly recommended for this role.