Our Client is a multi- national food logistics and facilities provider. Founded in 1957 its headquarters are in Europe and are renowned as a market leader and an innovative distributor of wholesale food products and food logistics concepts. They are experts in the handling of customs procedures, cross border transactions and dealing with local cultures, languages and bureaucracy.

They distribute food products across all temperature spans including fresh produce and also deliver soft drinks and bottled water. They have sites in Europe, Africa, Middle East and Near Asia, a fleet of 40 foot multi : temperature trucks and vans delivering to sites on a daily basis, many of which are difficult to reach or in dangerous areas!

Over the years the business has developed from food logistics to include the provision of complex service solutions. They now provide catering operations- both military feeding and commercial catering, they operate bakeries, coffee shops, hairdressing and beautician salons and PX / Duty Free retail stores which sell groceries, electrical and other duty free items etc. They also have a Site Services Division which provides construction of buildings and offices, general facilities management, fuel management, vehicle and plant maintenance services.

The role:

Our client has a Regional Service Centre in Dubai which along with an office in Sharjah provides a range of central support services to the various business units.
Our client is seeking a Category Manager for their Purchasing Department based in Dubai with experience buying and trading in fruit and vegetables

Key responsibilities will be:

§ Determination of suppliers
§ Ensure that the suppliers meet specifications / standards as laid down by the different customers
§ Negotiations with suppliers of terms and conditions
§ Preparing calculations/ gross profit analysis etc
§ Regularly provide to management new product and range extension opportunities and recommendations
§ Manage with QA to ensure the accurate handling and storing of products
§ Control and improve the Tri-Wall packaging for airlifts into Afghanistan
§ Ensure that buying prices are the lowest in the market according to the business volumes and quality specifications
§ Effectively manage vendors to ensure deliveries are carried out according to agreements and the promised specifications
§ Evaluate all suppliers on a quarterly basis, consistently challenging quality and pricing variables
§ Maintain a vendor file for each supplier which will consist of weekly performance reports, monthly evaluations, quality issues, etc.
§ Develop, implement and ensure compliance of SOP?s

Knowledge and Skills:

Of graduate calibre, you will need to be an accomplished Purchasing / Category Manager with your fruit and vegetables purchasing experience gained in the retail or wholesale sector.

In addition to being an experienced Buyer you should have some experience of managing a purchasing / buying team.

You should be familiar with computer based stock, WMS and ERP systems.

Knowledge of HACCP and ISO 9000 standards would be extremely useful.

Superb communication and negotiation skills and instant credibility are essential supported by high personal energy levels and enthusiasm.

You should have strong commercial acumen with the ability to present arguments and influence business decisions.

You should possess excellent communication skills in English and ideally one other language and be able to adapt to rapid changes in a positive manner and work to tight deadlines.

Superb communication skills and instant credibility are essential as you will be inter-facing with a number of people from different backgrounds, nationalities and religions.

You will be resourceful with a flexible outlook, have the ability to multi-task in order to handle competing priorities and be able to fit in to an international dynamic and multi-cultural environment.

Finally you should possess a Drivers Licence and be IT / PC literate in MS Office particularly in Excel and database spreadsheets.

This position brings with it fantastic scope and the right candidate would be expected to be capable of significant personal development and career growth within the business

This is an outstanding challenge within a vibrant state of the UAE, for an accomplished Purchasing Manager looking for something different.

In addition to the tax free basic salary an annual bonus is payable which is equal to an additional month?s salary.

You will receive 25 days annual leave per year and will be entitled to 1 paid return economy flight per year.

Services advertised by rpc international recruitment, a Division of Resource Planning Consultants Ltd are those of an Employment Agency and / or Employment Business as defined under The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003.