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 Wakefield
Wakefield is a city just south of Leeds that comprises the five towns of Pontefract, Castleford, Normanton, Featherstone and Knottingley, as well as other minor towns. With a population of around 325,000, it’s a moderately sized city that is overshadowed by its northern neighbour and Sheffield, which is 20 miles (31 km) to the south. Wakefield is well connected by rail and road, with the M62 and the M1 passing by its north and west respectively.
The city and its constituent towns boomed during the Industrial Revolution when vast seams of coal were discovered beneath them. The area dug hundreds of mines and this remained the key industry in the area until the 1980s when they were closed down one by one. The last remaining one is Kellingley Colliery, located at Knottingley, just east of Pontefract.
The city remains industrial, however, although the days of heavy industry are largely gone. The city’s excellent communications and central location have made it an ideal place to site warehouses, factories and distribution centres, so Commodity Lead jobs regularly appear in the Wakefield area. There are also regeneration projects going on in the city designed to diversify and stimulate the economy, and this looks set to bring further growth to an area that has had to reinvent itself completely in thirty years.
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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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