Purchasing Officer

About the role

The Purchasing Officer supports the Procurement Manager in the day-to-day execution of purchasing activity across Kitchen Food Company, ensuring ingredients, packaging materials, manufacturing consumables, and selected indirect items are ordered accurately, delivered on time, and received correctly. Reporting to the Procurement Manager, this role partners closely with Planning, Production, Warehouse, QA, NPD, and Finance to keep production supplied without excess stockholding, and to maintain compliance with food safety and purchasing policy requirements.

The Purchasing Officer is also responsible for the accuracy of day-to-day purchasing transactions and supporting master data within Net. Suite ERP.

Key Responsibilities

1. Purchase Order Management Raise, issue, and track purchase orders in Net. Suite for raw materials, packaging, consumables, and indirect items in line with MRP recommendations, the production schedule, and the Company's purchasing policy and approval authority matrix. Review MRP-generated purchase requisitions and planned orders daily; validate quantities, pricing, supplier, and delivery dates before conversion to purchase orders. Confirm orders with suppliers, obtain order acknowledgements, and follow up promptly where confirmations, pricing, or delivery dates differ from the purchase order. Manage the open purchase order book; amend, close, or cancel outstanding orders to maintain an accurate view of inbound supply. Raise urgent and out-of-cycle orders as required, escalating shortages and supply risks to the Procurement Manager and Planning team without delay.
2. Supplier Coordination & Delivery Management Act as the day-to-day contact for suppliers on order status, delivery scheduling, lead times, and service issues. Chase overdue deliveries, expedite critical materials, and communicate confirmed delivery dates to Planning, Production, and Warehouse. Coordinate delivery bookings and inbound freight with suppliers, carriers, and the Warehouse team, including imported materials where applicable. Record supplier delivery performance (on-time, in-full, and quality issues) to support the Procurement Manager's supplier performance reviews. Log and follow up supplier claims for short deliveries, damaged goods, incorrect product, and quality non-conformances in coordination with Warehouse and QA.
3. Inventory & MRP Support Monitor stock levels of raw materials and packaging against safety stock, reorder points, and forecast demand; flag potential shortages and excess stock early. Support the Procurement Manager in maintaining MRP parameters in Net. Suite including lead times, minimum order quantities, and order multiples; identify and raise parameter anomalies. Work with the Planning team to align purchasing with the production schedule and updated demand forecasts. Identify slow-moving, excess, and near-expiry stock and raise with the Procurement Manager and Planning team so corrective action can be taken. Support monthly stocktakes and cycle counts by investigating variances and assisting with stock adjustment documentation.
4. Cost & Price Support Ensure purchase orders reflect current agreed pricing, terms, and units of measure; investigate and resolve price discrepancies before orders are issued or invoices are paid. Obtain and compare quotations for ad hoc and low-value purchases in line with the purchasing policy. Support the Procurement Manager with purchase price variance (PPV) analysis by providing accurate price, quantity, and supplier data. Maintain supplier price lists and update pricing in Net. Suite promptly when changes are approved. Assist in preparing supporting data for sourcing projects, tenders, and cost savings initiatives as directed.
5. NPD Support & New Item Set-up Support the Procurement Manager and NPD team by sourcing samples, trial quantities, and initial orders of new ingredients and packaging.Request and track supplier specifications and food safety documentation for new materials in coordination with QA. Assist with the set-up of new items in Net. Suite, including vendor assignments, lead times, minimum order quantities, and purchasing units, ahead of production trials. Communicate lead times and minimum order quantities for new materials to Planning and NPD to support launch timelines.
6. Net. Suite ERP – Purchasing Transactions & Master Data Maintain accurate vendor and item-supplier purchasing data in Net. Suite, including pricing, lead times, minimum order quantities, and vendor contact and payment details, in accordance with data governance standards. Ensure goods receipts, purchase orders, and supplier invoices are aligned to support three-way matching; investigate and resolve discrepancies with Warehouse, Finance, and suppliers. Support new vendor set-up and vendor detail changes in line with approved procedures and verification controls. Build and run Net. Suite saved searches and reports to monitor open orders, overdue deliveries, and inventory coverage. Raise system issues and suggest process improvements to the Procurement Manager.
7. Reporting & Data Analysis Produce regular purchasing reports including open purchase orders, overdue deliveries, supplier delivery performance, and inventory coverage using Net. Suite and Excel. Prepare supporting data for spend analysis, PPV reporting, and the savings register as requested by the Procurement Manager. Maintain accurate purchasing records, trackers, and files to support audit and traceability requirements. P resent clear, accurate data and summaries to the Procurement Manager and wider supply chain team.
8. Compliance, Food Safety & Documentation Comply with the Company's purchasing policies, approval authority matrix, and financial controls. Collect and maintain supplier compliance documentation including food safety certificates, specifications, insurance, and regulatory approvals; flag expiring or missing documents to the Procurement Manager and QA. Support compliance with HACCP, GMP, SQF, and BRC requirements as they relate to purchasing, supplier approval, and material receipt. Support internal and external audits relating to purchasing, supplier management, and inventory processes. Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Champion a culture of safe working. Ensure all company safety, wellness and environmental policies and procedures are adhered to in accordance with OHSA (Occupational Safety and Health) and EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) requirements. Ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers while they are at work. Ensure consultation with employees on safety and health issues. Food Safety Ensure operations are according to our food safety policies and processes including FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and USDA (US Department of Agriculture) compliance plus our HACCP and GMP programs. Ensure control of any food safety risks. Qualifications, Skills & Experience: Ensure operations are according to our food safety policies and processes including FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and USDA (US Department of Agriculture) compliance plus our HACCP and GMP programs. Minimum 2 years' purchasing or procurement experience, preferably in food manufacturing, fresh food, or FMCG. Exposure to ingredient, packaging, and consumable categories is highly regarded. Demonstrated ability to manage a high volume of purchase orders, follow up supplier deliveries, and resolve order and delivery issues accurately and efficiently. Working understanding of MRP, safety stock, reorder points, and lead times in a multi-SKU manufacturing environment. Experience with Net. Suite purchasing and inventory modules is highly preferred. ERP experience in an equivalent platform (SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, MYOB Acumatica) is essential, including raising purchase orders and maintaining vendor and item data. Intermediate to advanced Excel skills essential: pivot tables, lookups (XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP), and data analysis. Power Query experience is an advantage. Clear, professional written and verbal communicator. Able to prepare supplier correspondence and concise internal updates with confidence. Ability to work effectively with Planning, Production, Warehouse, QA, NPD, and Finance to align purchasing activity with operational needs. Working knowledge of HACCP, GMP, SQF, and BRC food safety standards as they apply to purchasing and supplier documentation. Experience with imported materials is advantageous. High attention to detail and data accuracy. Organised, proactive, and reliable. Able to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. Strong follow-through, integrity, and ownership of tasks. Physical Requirements: Primarily sedentary office work involving prolonged computer use. Must be able to occasionally walk through production and warehouse areas, conduct inventory stocktakes, bend, reach, and lift up to 25 lbs (11 kg). Ability to safely work in both office and warehouse environments is required. May require flexibility to support off-shift operations, weekends, or emergency situations. This statement of duties is intended to give an indication of the scope and nature of work that an employee at this level may be expected to perform. However, the statement does not restrict the employer’s right to require the employee to perform any task that is within the employee’s competency and skill which is reasonably incidental to or associated with the position held. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal or Kentucky state law. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and to applicants with disabilities during the recruitment process, in accordance with applicable laws. About Kitchen Food Company Kitchen Food Company is a leading manufacturer of high-quality food products, serving customers across the country. We pride ourselves on our commitment to excellence, innovation, and sustainable practices. Join our team and be part of our continued success.