Senior Buyer / Supply Chain Planner - Plastic Raw Materials - Flexible Packaging Manufacturing - Cape Town

SUMMARY:
A well-known and established flexible packaging manufacturing company providing packaging for the food and beverage industry requires the above to manage purchasing against production requirements and ensure that approved materials are available in the correct specification and quantity, at the required time and procured at a commercially sound total cost.

POSITION INFO:
Minimum requirements for the role: A diploma or degree in Procurement or Supply Chain Management, or a related qualification, is preferred for the role. Previous experience having worked in a procurement role procuring plastic raw materials for the flexible packaging industry is essential for the role. The successful candidate must have procured plastic raw materials for the flexible packaging manufacturing industry, with direct responsibility for relevant raw materials and production continuity. Experience sourcing imported materials, managing shipment lead times and comparing landed costs is preferred but not essential. Previous experience working on Syspro and\/or Vision or Radius ERP systems is preferred but not essential. The successful candidates must demonstrate practical purchasing knowledge of flexible packaging materials and how material specifications affect extrusion, printing, lamination and conversion. Management experience is not essential as long as the person has the ability to manage a team. Must be able to manage supplier lead times, material shortages, production requirements and inventory levels in a demanding factory environment. Must have strong negotiation, supplier management, commercial analysis and working capital awareness. The successful candidate will be responsible for: Managing purchasing against production requirements and ensure that approved materials are available in the correct specification and quantity, at the required time and procured at a commercially sound total cost. Anticipating shortages, challenging unreliable supplier commitments and coordinating procurement with production planning, quality assurance, sales and finance. Material availability must support customer delivery dates while keeping inventory and working capital under control. Tracking purchase orders from supplier acknowledgement through dispatch, delivery and acceptance, obtaining credible commitments and following up before deliveries become overdue. Managing local and imported supply lead times, including freight, customs coordination and shipment visibility where applicable. Developing a sourcing strategy for critical materials, supplier concentration risks and approved alternative sources. Negotiating prices, minimum order quantities, lead times, payment terms, delivery schedules and service commitments. Comparing total landed costs, including freight, applicable duties, foreign exchange exposure, yield and quality losses, and coordinating exchange decisions with Finance. Putting supply agreements in place where appropriate, covering specifications, delivery expectations, call-offs, claims and escalation. Running supplier performance reviews and corrective actions and resolving shortages, late deliveries, quality claims, returns and credits. Coordinating payment priorities and supplier account holds with Finance to protect supply continuity. Reviewing slow-moving stock and customer-specific materials before further purchases and coordinating customer demand and call-off assumptions with Sales. Providing weekly procurement reporting on shortages, late orders, stock cover, supplier performance, purchase cost movements and actions required. Leading and developing the procurement team, setting priorities and ensuring follow-through on supplier commitments. Participating in production planning meetings and maintaining a practical factory presence to understand material constraints. Working closely with Production, Planning, Quality Assurance, Stores, Sales, Finance and Maintenance. Managing maintenance and capital procurement where assigned, using technical specifications supplied by the responsible department and approved budgets. Salary package, including benefits, is highly negotiable depending on experience gained.