Purchasing Manager

About this role

SPAR is hiring a Purchasing Manager in Gauteng on a permanent basis. The role is about buying the right stock at the right time, so that SPAR and its retail members make a strong profit and meet retailer needs.

What you’ll do

• Plan promotions and lead the promotional calendar.
• Hit sales and gross profit targets for your categories.
• Keep product prices competitive against rivals while protecting the margins set for members.
• Make sure service levels to retailers are met.
• Build internal controls to track and report on buyer performance.
• Drive new product development.
• Monitor warehouse stock levels against budget.
• Manage supplier performance on price, product range and service.
• Control department admin and expenses.
• Give category and marketing leadership to the marketing team and SPAR retail members.

What you need

• National Senior Certificate (Matric).
• A Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, or a tertiary qualification in marketing or advertising.
• At least 5 years of management experience in an FMCG environment.
• A proven record of developing suppliers at grassroots level into compliant SPAR suppliers.
• Experience working across functions in the supply chain.
• Strong negotiation skills and the ability to lead high-level meetings with retailers and suppliers.
• Strong leadership, people management and mentoring skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strategic decision-making, planning and organising skills.
• Good computer literacy.
• Advantageous: a good understanding of the SPAR model and retailer needs.
• Advantageous: experience handling conflict and reaching outcomes that suit all parties.

Is this job for you?

This job suits an experienced FMCG manager who likes buying, pricing and promotions. You should enjoy leading a team and negotiating with both retailers and suppliers. A strong commercial mindset will help you here.

Tips before you apply

• Have your Matric certificate and degree or diploma certificates ready to upload.
• Show your FMCG management record with clear numbers, such as sales growth, margin improvement or supplier results.
• Give concrete examples of supplier development and negotiation wins in your CV.