Location: Erith / Belvedere, South East London
Salary: Up to £40,000, dependent on experience
Job Type: Full-time, Permanent
Hours: Monday to Friday
Working Pattern: Office based
We are recruiting for a proactive and commercially minded Mandarin-Speaking Buyer to join a growing food manufacturing business based in South East London.
This is a hands-on purchasing role supporting a busy production environment. The successful candidate will be responsible for sourcing and purchasing raw materials, ingredients, packaging and production consumables, ensuring stock availability, supplier performance and cost control across the business.
This role would suit someone with experience in purchasing, procurement, sourcing, supply chain or buying, ideally from a food, FMCG, manufacturing, import/export, wholesale or international supply chain background.
The Role
As Mandarin-Speaking Buyer, you will be involved in:
Purchasing raw materials, ingredients, packaging and production consumables in line with production requirements
Raising, managing and tracking purchase orders
Liaising with suppliers regarding prices, delivery schedules, shortages, delays and quality issues
Sourcing and assessing new suppliers, including international suppliers where required
Monitoring stock levels to help prevent shortages and production disruption
Supporting cost-saving activity through price comparisons, supplier negotiation and market awareness
Maintaining accurate supplier records, pricing data, purchase information and cost reports
Working closely with production, warehouse, quality and finance teams
Supporting new product launches through sourcing of new ingredients, products or packaging
Ensuring purchasing activity supports traceability, audit and food safety requirements
What We're Looking For
Previous experience in buying, purchasing, procurement, sourcing or supply chain
Fluent Mandarin / Chinese language skills, alongside strong English communication
Experience within food, FMCG, manufacturing, wholesale, import/export, packaging or ingredients would be highly beneficial
Confident supplier communication and negotiation skills
Good Excel and data management skills
SAP or ERP system experience would be advantageous
Strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities
A proactive, practical approach and the confidence to chase suppliers and resolve issues
Comfortable working in an office and factory-based environment
Why Apply?
This is a great opportunity to join a growing manufacturing business where you can make a real impact across purchasing, supplier management, stock control and production support.
The role offers long-term development opportunities within purchasing, supply chain, production planning and operations
Salary description
£40000.00 - £40000.00 per year