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. Their customers are Governments of various countries and other International Organisations such as the United Nations and NATO. 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 Purchasing Manager within the Commercial Department for their food wholesaling operation based in Dubai.

Reporting into the General Manager :Commercial with a dotted line relationship to the Supply Chain function, the Purchasing Manager will be responsible for the development of a purchasing strategy to create competitive advantage for the new business operation.

In addition they will be responsible for providing clear direction to the purchasing team and other cross : functional teams and ensure effective demand planning for all items by achieving SOH levels.

Key responsibilities will be:

§ Total management of the products throughout the supply chain from origin to warehouse
§ Accurately maintain all records relevant to product and shipment changes
§ Track quality compromises daily, provide recommendations and implement rectification plans
§ Evaluate the warehouse SOH reports each day for sales outside the standard deviation and make the necessary revisions
§ Monitor global supply trends and potential issues, provide recommendations and implement changes
§ Regularly provide to management new product and range extension opportunities and recommendations
§ Prepare and implement the business promotional program.
§ Assist the Sales team in preparation of commercial bids
§ 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 and grow the volumes with our client?s preferred suppliers

As in any successful managerial position, the development and motivation of the team around you is essential, as is the ongoing strengthening of customer and supplier relationships.

Knowledge and Skills:

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

Experience of purchasing fresh produce, meat and seafood would be an ideal background.

In addition to being an experienced Buyer you must 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 possess excellent communication skills in English 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 and database spreadsheets.