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 Royal Tunbridge Wells
As the name suggests, Royal Tunbridge Wells gained its popularity as a place to take on mineral spring water which in days gone by was believed to have health benefits. Like several other spa towns across the nation, this soon attracted well to do folk with disposable income to visit and take the waters, particularly during the nineteenth century, although in this case the spa status began rather earlier. Roads and eventually railways would allow greater numbers of people to come, and the population grew as hotels and other services sprung up to accommodate and pamper them. From an early stage, Royal Tunbridge Wells was designed to be architecturally striking, and it remains so today.
Nowadays, however, the importance of the spa and the waters is negligible to the local economy, although the tradition started by it, and which earned it the Royal prefix, remains important to the town’s atmosphere. Royal Tunbridge Wells is a wealthy town with almost zero unemployment, and although it has thriving financial and tourism industries, acts as a commuter town for London. Part of its success is its relative isolation from other large settlements, which makes it a draw for all the villages in the region. The centre of London is 30 miles (50 km) to the north west, and about the same distance to the south is the South Coast.
Such towns, where tourism and commuting are dominant, might not seem like ideal candidates for Commodity Lead jobs, but wherever there is an affluent population and a half-decent transport network, they do occasionally emerge, usually with a retail employer.
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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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