The posting
1. Job Summary
We are seeking a qualified and experienced Procurement Officer to manage purchasing activities and coordinate the procurement of raw materials, food ingredients, packaging materials, production supplies, equipment, and other operational requirements for a food manufacturing facility.
The successful candidate will be responsible for sourcing suppliers, obtaining quotations, negotiating prices and contractual terms, monitoring inventory requirements, coordinating purchase orders, and ensuring the timely delivery of materials to support uninterrupted production operations.
The role requires strong procurement planning, supplier management, cost-control, analytical, and negotiation skills, together with an understanding of food manufacturing processes, ingredient specifications, quality requirements, and supply chain management.
The candidate must possess a recognised bachelor's degree and a minimum of five years of relevant procurement experience, preferably in food manufacturing, food processing, or a related manufacturing environment.
2. Key Responsibilities
A. Procurement Planning and Purchasing
- Plan, coordinate, and execute procurement activities according to production schedules, inventory requirements, and approved purchasing budgets.
- Purchase raw materials, food ingredients, spices, meat, seafood, vegetables, oils, dairy products, packaging materials, cleaning supplies, and other production-related items, as applicable.
- Prepare purchase requisitions and purchase orders based on approved material requirements.
- Coordinate with production, warehouse, quality assurance, and finance departments to ensure timely availability of materials.
- Monitor outstanding purchase orders and follow up with suppliers on order confirmation, delivery schedules, and outstanding quantities.
- Ensure procurement activities are conducted in accordance with company policies, approval limits, and purchasing procedures.
B. Supplier Sourcing and Management
- Identify, evaluate, and develop relationships with reliable suppliers and manufacturers.
- Obtain and compare quotations based on pricing, quality, specifications, delivery lead times, payment terms, and supplier reliability.
- Negotiate competitive prices, discounts, credit terms, minimum order quantities, and delivery arrangements.
- Conduct supplier assessments and review supplier performance against established standards.
- Maintain an approved supplier database containing supplier profiles, contact details, product specifications, quotations, and commercial terms.
- Resolve supplier-related issues involving delayed deliveries, shortages, incorrect quantities, damaged goods, and quality discrepancies.
- Identify alternative suppliers and sourcing options to reduce supply risks and improve purchasing efficiency.
C. Inventory and Materials Planning
- Monitor inventory levels of raw materials, ingredients, packaging materials, and production consumables.
- Coordinate with production planners and warehouse personnel to forecast material requirements.
- Review stock movement, consumption rates, production forecasts, and replenishment schedules.
- Establish appropriate reorder levels and safety stock requirements in accordance with operational needs.
- Monitor expiry dates and ensure appropriate first-expiry-first-out (FEFO) and first-in-first-out (FIFO) stock rotation, where applicable.
- Investigate stock discrepancies, excess inventory, material shortages, and obsolete stock.
- Recommend inventory optimisation measures to reduce holding costs and prevent production interruptions.
D. Food Safety and Quality Compliance
- Ensure purchased materials meet approved product specifications, quality standards, and food safety requirements.
- Coordinate with suppliers to obtain relevant product specifications, certificates, declarations, and other required supporting documentation.
- Verify ingredient information, allergen declarations, expiry dates, shelf life, packaging integrity, and traceability information, where applicable.
- Work with the quality assurance team to address non-conforming materials, rejected deliveries, and supplier quality complaints.
- Ensure materials are sourced from suppliers meeting the company's approval and compliance requirements.
- Maintain procurement records supporting supplier traceability, product identification, and food safety audits.
- Escalate any suspected contamination, undeclared allergens, damaged packaging, or documentation discrepancies for investigation.
E. Cost Control and Commercial Negotiation
- Analyse purchase prices, historical expenditure, supplier quotations, and market trends to identify cost-saving opportunities.
- Prepare cost comparisons and procurement recommendations for management approval.
- Monitor material price fluctuations and assess their impact on manufacturing costs.
- Negotiate favourable commercial terms without compromising product quality or supply reliability.
- Identify opportunities for bulk purchasing, consolidated orders, alternative sourcing, and improved payment arrangements.
- Monitor procurement expenditure against approved budgets.
- Prepare reports on purchasing costs, price variances, supplier performance, and cost-reduction initiatives.
F. Purchase Order and Delivery Management
- Prepare, issue, and maintain accurate purchase orders and purchasing documentation.
- Verify purchase order details, including quantities, specifications, prices, delivery dates, and agreed terms.
- Coordinate delivery schedules with suppliers and warehouse personnel.
- Monitor shipment and delivery status and follow up on delayed or incomplete orders.
- Ensure delivered quantities and supporting documents correspond with approved purchase orders.
- Coordinate with warehouse and quality personnel on goods receiving, inspection, acceptance, and rejection procedures.
- Resolve discrepancies between purchase orders, delivery orders, invoices, and received quantities.
G. Supplier Contracts and Documentation
- Maintain supplier contracts, quotations, price lists, purchase orders, delivery records, and related correspondence.
- Review supplier terms and conditions and highlight commercial or operational risks to management.
- Track contract expiry dates, agreed pricing periods, and supplier performance obligations.
- Ensure procurement documentation is properly filed and available for internal review and audit.
- Coordinate with finance on invoice verification, payment documentation, and supplier account discrepancies.
- Maintain confidentiality of supplier quotations, negotiated prices, and commercial information.
H. Procurement Risk and Supply Chain Management
- Identify potential supply chain risks, including shortages, price volatility, transport delays, and supplier reliability issues.
- Develop alternative sourcing arrangements for critical raw materials and production supplies.
- Monitor supplier capacity and lead times against factory production requirements.
- Recommend contingency purchasing plans to minimise disruptions to manufacturing operations.
- Investigate recurring procurement issues and implement preventive measures.
- Support management in improving procurement procedures, supplier diversification, and supply chain resilience.
I. Reporting and Interdepartmental Coordination
- Prepare periodic procurement reports covering purchase expenditure, outstanding orders, inventory availability, supplier performance, and cost savings.
- Coordinate with production, warehouse, quality assurance, finance, and management teams to resolve material supply issues.
- Provide updates on expected deliveries, shortages, price changes, and purchasing commitments.
- Analyse procurement data to identify spending trends, inefficiencies, and opportunities for process improvement.
- Assist in developing procurement budgets, purchasing forecasts, and annual sourcing plans.
- Recommend improvements to procurement systems, documentation, and internal controls.
3. Job Requirements
- Educational Qualification: A recognised bachelor's degree is compulsory. Applicants must provide documentary evidence of their qualifications.
- Work Experience: Minimum of five (5) years of relevant experience in procurement, purchasing, sourcing, or supply chain operations, preferably in food manufacturing or a related manufacturing industry.
- Procurement Knowledge: Demonstrated experience in supplier sourcing, quotation evaluation, purchase order processing, price negotiation, and supplier relationship management.
- Manufacturing Experience: Understanding of raw material planning, production requirements, inventory replenishment, and manufacturing supply chains.
- Food Industry Knowledge: Familiarity with food ingredients, packaging materials, product specifications, expiry dates, and food safety documentation is preferred.
- Analytical Skills: Ability to analyse quotations, purchasing expenditure, price movements, stock requirements, and supplier performance.
- Negotiation Skills: Ability to negotiate competitive prices, delivery arrangements, payment terms, and other commercial conditions.
- Documentation Skills: Ability to maintain accurate purchasing records, supplier databases, contracts, and procurement reports.
- Communication Skills: Strong coordination and communication skills when dealing with suppliers and internal departments.
- Computer Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, email, and procurement or inventory management systems.
- Integrity and Accountability: Ability to maintain confidentiality, follow purchasing approval procedures, and uphold ethical procurement practices.
4. Application Requirements
Interested applicants should submit a detailed resume outlining their educational qualifications, procurement experience, previous employment history, supplier management responsibilities, and relevant manufacturing industry experience.
Educational certificates and supporting employment records may be requested during the recruitment process.
Only applicants who meet the stated essential educational and experience requirements will be considered.
