Senior Buyer (Farming Operations) – Contract Position

SUMMARY:
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POSITION INFO:

Contract Period: 1 December 2025 – 31 May 2026
Location: Work from home (Candidate must reside in North West, Free State, Gauteng, or Mpumalanga)

The Senior Buyer (Farming Operations) will play a pivotal role in driving strategic sourcing initiatives that support long-term programmes for services and goods within the Farming Operations in South Africa. The position requires strong negotiation abilities, analytical thinking, and a strategic mindset to ensure that procurement aligns with operational and financial objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure procurement strategies align with business needs.

• Use deep industry knowledge to forecast market trends and assess their impact on sourcing strategies.

• Lead complex supplier negotiations, focusing on total cost of ownership (TCO), innovation, and operational flexibility.

• Design and implement procurement strategies that mitigate risks, enhance supplier performance, and promote sustainability.

• Collaborate with internal departments and legal teams to ensure contracts comply with regulatory and company standards.

• Serve as an escalation point for contractual or performance disputes, applying advanced problem-solving and negotiation skills.

• Consolidate and analyse global procurement spend data to produce monthly procurement reports.

• Ensure compliance with all administrative and regulatory procurement requirements, particularly those related to Farming Operations.

Key Result Areas

• Achieve year-on-year cost efficiencies through improved quality, pricing, and process optimisation.

• Ensure high internal stakeholder satisfaction and alignment with business goals.

• Deliver consistent and accurate global procurement reporting.

• Meet or exceed savings and cost avoidance targets.

• Improve contract coverage and optimise payment terms.

• Reduce procurement cycle times to enhance operational efficiency.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics, Commerce, Marketing Management, Risk Management, Accounting, or Finance.

• Postgraduate or Master’s qualification in a relevant field will be advantageous.

• 5–10 years’ experience in the Agricultural Industry, with proven ability to evaluate products and suppliers to secure optimal outcomes.

• Experience in the grains and oilseed environment will be advantageous.

• Working knowledge of SAP/ERP procurement systems (S/4HANA MM, Ariba) will be beneficial.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong ability to work effectively in a cross-functional, international corporate environment.

• Excellent stakeholder engagement and customer relationship management skills.

• Fluent in both Afrikaans and English; additional European languages advantageous.

• Strong analytical, communication, and presentation skills.

• Self-motivated, adaptable, and solution-oriented approach.

• Proven negotiation, planning, and organisational skills.

• Ability to persuade, influence, and deliver measurable results in dynamic environments.