Commodity Lead jobs
To get the most value out of a procurement operation, a commodity lead is often employed to deal directly with suppliers on behalf of the purchasing company. They will have a multitude of specific roles, but in essence they will be expected to keep costs as low as possible while maintaining the expected level of supply as per the business’s production requirements.
The commodity lead will need to keep a keen eye on the industry as a whole, checking out prices from a range of suppliers as a matter of routine. Identifying savings elsewhere will put the company in a stronger negotiating position with existing suppliers, creating a win-win situation as long as the competitor can meet delivery expectations. However a well negotiated long-term deal that saves future time and expense of seeking out new suppliers is far preferable.
Of course, it’s not all about saving money in simple terms; a good deal is about much more than that. Supplier might charge more for reasons that could prove highly advantageous to your own business, that save you more than they cost the supplier (perhaps because of their buying power in the sector, for example). So delving deep into bids from potential suppliers and modelling their propositions against your own company’s projections will form a key part of the job.
The skills required
The ideal commodity lead will have had some experience in procurement and will know their way around a negotiating table, representing their employer. They might well accompany superiors to such negotiations, where their in-depth knowledge of the particular deals in question will be used to strengthen the company’s position. Because negotiations are often fast-paced, a good grasp of maths, particularly mental arithmetic, will be vital for instinctively taking the temperature of a deal in progress.
Great communication skills and the ability to easily work in a team will be essential, as will competence at problem solving and forming firm, assertive decisions based on the best available data.
Commodity Lead Jobs in Newcastle-under-Lyme
The Staffordshire town of Newcastle-under-Lyme (not to be confused with Newcastle-upon-Tyne) adjoins the city of Stoke-on-Trent along all of its eastern edge; without looking at a boundary map it would be difficult to discern where one ends and the other begins. The town did have a similar industrial history to Stoke, namely pottery and porcelain manufacture, until the mid-1700s when it all but stopped, giving way to brick making, clothing, cotton milling, coal mining and engineering. Engineering and clothing manufacturing still dominate the town’s industries; many military and police uniforms are made here.
In the early 1900s, the Stoke area was an amalgamation of a number of moderately sized towns, chief among them Stoke, Hanley, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Burslem, Fenton, Tunstall, Longton, Smallthorne, Kidsgrove, and Audley. A motion was put to parliament to amalgamate them all into one city in what was known as the Federation of Stoke-on-Trent. Newcastle-under-Lyme was the only one to reject the plan, partly because the others were heavily involved in the pottery industry and Newcastle no longer was. Newcastle’s opposition was recognised and so it came to be that the town now exists almost engulfed by Stoke-on-Trent.
With a population of about 75,000 and a huge regeneration effort recently being completed, Newcastle-under-Lyme has undergone something of a rebirth of late, after a few decades of gradual decline. We do see more Commodity Lead jobs appearing in the town, which is often indicative of renewed economic activity.
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Cast UK’s procurement opportunities
Cast UK were founded by specialists in the logistics, supply chain and procurement trade, and our consultants are also drawn from these backgrounds, so we know what employers and candidates are looking for.
If you’re looking for a job in procurement, whether you’re relocating for personal reasons or are simply looking for more job fulfilment, there could well be an employer who’s looking for the skills you have, so please get in touch with Cast UK. At any given time, we have jobs all over the UK, so wherever you live, or plan to live, we are well placed to find work that suits your skills. Employers often approach us to find managerial and executive candidates, so if you’re in logistics, we’d be delighted to hear from you.
To find out more about how Cast UK can help you recruit a Commodity Lead for your business or find you a job as a Commodity Lead then contact one of our consultant team on 0333 121 3345.
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