Head of Buying - Northamptonshire

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 Northamptonshire

Situated in the East Midlands, Northamptonshire is a ceremonial county that shares a border with eight others, including Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire and Oxfordshire.

A number of large communities are located within Northamptonshire, making the county a good place for those seeking Head of Buying opportunities. These include Kettering, Corby and Wellingborough. There's also the county seat, Northampton, which is less than 70 miles from London and about 50 miles from Birmingham.

The region has long been known for shoemaking and the manufacture of leather goods. A number of factories in Northampton were established in the 19th century and still exist today, making fine specialty footwear. These include Edward Green shoes, Trickers, Church's and Crockett & Jones.

Many of the old shoe factories in the region that are no longer used for manufacturing have now been converted to residential accommodation or office space. Indeed, much of Northamptonshire has gone through significant redevelopment since the 1970s and the local economy is now based in the service sector and retail.

Other companies located in the region, or with large facilities, include Avon, Weetabix, Barclaycard, Panasonic, Travis Perkins, Coca-Cola, Schweppes, Timsons, Cummins UK, Carlsberg, Nationwide Building Society and Texas Instruments.

Popular locations

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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