Purchasing Administrator jobs
While the procurement managers and buyers go about their work sourcing raw materials and other goods to wring out the highest possibly levels of efficiency, the purchasing administrator will be tasked with much of the “paperwork” of the transactions they arrange. They will have to compare deliveries with the agreed orders, not only in terms of quantity and timeliness but also quality, as there can be great variation in many products.
The purchasing administrator will spend much of his or her time using spreadsheets to log all the gathered data and perform basic accounting tasks to make sure the figures tally up. There will also be extensive analysis of figures which will be fed back to the buyers and to head office to ensure the purchasing effort, particularly with regard to price, is running as planned.
Should the buyers successfully find deals with alternative suppliers that are better than the current deals in force, it will be up to the purchasing administrator to make contact with the potential supplier and ensure that the goods they intend to supply are exactly as required by the company in terms of quality, and that they can deliver on time.
The skills required
As with any administration role, a full understanding of the aims of the business, the particulars of the sector in which they operate, and quite possibly a good level of knowledge of the legal aspects of the sector will be required. whether these will be expected as entry requirements or given by the company will depend on the employer, but there can be no disadvantage in having some background experience that would help with the job.
Great analytical skills will be required for purchasing administrators who are required to perform more complex calculations on the figures, as they will be acting as intermediaries between the board and the buyers themselves, and thus their conclusions will carry great weight in any future forecasting performed by the company.
And finally, being able to gather data and deliver findings to both senior management and the buying team will require above average communication skills, be it verbally, electronically or graphically.
Purchasing Administrator Jobs in Oxford
The county town of Oxford and famous throughout the world for its university, Oxford is actually a thriving, self-contained city with a diversity of industries not directly related to its county status or education sector. It has been a successful city for so long that its architecture spans the millennia, and since much of the most important buildings were churches, it got the name “city of dreaming spires”.
Without doubt the university and its related activities (bars, cafes, hotels, shops, theatres etc.) is the key single employer of the city, and the university heritage also plays into its thriving tourism industry. All this contributes to the thriving nature of the city, which is busy all the year round.
But a major industry just to the south east of the city centre is car manufacturing, at the Cowley BMW plant, home of the new Mini. The plant used to be the Morris Motors plant during the First World War, and this attracted a railway and other communications to serve it. During World War Two the plant made training planes for the RAF. After the war mergers and acquisitions changed the company to BMC, then British Leyland, Austin Rover, the Rover Group and finally BMW (but locals still call the factory Morris’s).
With a thriving, ever changing population and various high-tech and heavy industries, Oxford often throws up Purchasing Administrator positions to help oil the wheels of commerce. It’s certainly an exciting place to live and work.
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Cast UK’s procurement opportunities
Cast UK was founded by logistics, procurement and supply chain specialists, and our consultants are all from these backgrounds too, so we have in-depth knowledge of what employers and candidates are looking for. Employers come to us to find candidates because they’re confident that we’ll help them find the most appropriate managers and executives.
We have jobs all over the UK, so are well placed to find you work in wherever you are located or plan to locate. If you’re moving house, please see if there are any positions available in the area you’re moving to; and if you’re simply looking for more fulfilment in your working life, there could be an employer looking for the skills you have.
Once we have your details, we’ll be able to start matching you with positions as soon as they arise, so do get in touch if you’re looking for a job in procurement.
To find out more about how Cast UK can help you recruit a Purchasing Administrator for your business or find you a job as a Purchasing Administrator then contact one of our consultant team on 0333 121 3345.
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