Head of Buying jobs
As a departmental lead, Head of Buying is a role involving supporting, designing and implementing market-leading strategies.
With strong commercial acumen, this person will manage relationships with suppliers and oversee revenue and cost budgeting. Effective negotiation will ensure ROI and Head of Buyers will constantly be reviewing new sourcing opportunities as well as being involved in new product development. As a profit centre in its own right, the buying department is central to an organisation’s commercial gain.
A Head of Buying will have a multi-disciplinary role, looking after short, mid and long-term projects, chairing monthly divisional operational meetings and advising the business on key developments. The individual will typically work with other areas of the business to ensure individual brand objectives, as well as group objectives, are met.
The skills required
As an experienced manager, you will require at least 5 years’ proven track record of overseeing a team. Strong negotiation skills are mandatory, with experience of strategic purchasing.
An ability to lead, influence and coach others is vital for this role as well as the capability to work in a fast-moving, demanding environment that requires strong organisational skills. Highly numerate, IT literate and analytical, you will be someone who remains calm under pressure and be an adept communicator.
Flexibility is key as well as being self-driven, honest and capable of driving team member development. It’s important you are confident to challenge accepted ways of buying, and continually strive to innovate.
You will be an experienced project manager with excellent presentation skills and able to effectively report to all parts of the business, including company directors.
Head of Buying Jobs in Weston-super-Mare
Located 18 miles (30 km) south east of Bristol and directly across the Bristol Channel from Cardiff, Weston-super-Mare is a popular seaside resort that benefited hugely when the railways came its way in the 1800s. Its strange name comes from the Anglo-Saxon “west tun” (west settlement) and the Latin “super mare” meaning upon sea. One of the most influential engineers of all time, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, also used to live there, proving that peculiar names must be in the water – and probably explaining why a sleepy village got a railway!
The town did have some industry in the past. The Westland aircraft company, which was based in Yeovil, had its helicopter manufacturing and maintenance plant in Weston-super-Mare. The company is famous for its Wessex, Sea King, Puma and Lynx military, coastguard and rescue helicopter. One of the most famous helicopter pilots in the world (no, not Noel Edmonds), Prince William, pilots Sea Kings. The factory closed down in 2002, and Weston-super-Mare is now home to The Helicopter Museum.
Weston-super-Mare’s economy is mainly focused on tourism, but there is some industry and distribution activity in the area, partly due to its location as the gateway to the South West. Discount supermarket Lidl has its southern distribution centre there, and there is some other light industry in the town. While it may not seem the first place you’d look for a Head of Buying job, they do come up from time to time, and there will always be a demand in nearby Bristol too.
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Search for Head of Buying opportunities with Cast UK
As market leading recruitment specialists for professional level buying roles across the sectors, Cast UK is committed to building long-term relationships with our clients, enabling us to understand their business models and the roles they are recruiting.
We get to know the personalities and objectives of each candidate; understanding what motivates them, and the appropriate cultural fit for them. This attention to detail means that we are able to make excellent matches between applicants and employers, making placements that are lasting and mutually rewarding.
To find out more about how Cast UK can help you recruit a Head of Buying role for your business or find you a job as Head of Buying, contact one of our consultant team on 0161 825 0825
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