Head of Purchasing (Fresh Produce)

Overview

The Head of Purchasing will be integral in refining procurement operations to improve cost-effectiveness and enhance the quality of products. This role involves strategic leadership over sourcing efforts and supplier negotiations.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee all procurement activities involving fresh produce, dry goods, packaging, and consumables.
• Build and maintain a comprehensive supplier network by onboarding new partners, optimizing existing relationships, and managing supplier performance effectively.
• Plan and implement cross-border sourcing strategies between Malaysia and Singapore, including oversight of logistics.
• Set pricing standards for various product groups and lead contract negotiations, considering seasonal purchasing and future buying plans.
• Increase utilization of spare import capacity through improved warehouse inventory management and selling unused shipment space.
• Minimize product waste by enhancing product specifications, shelf-life standards, and ordering procedures.
• Ensure procurement decisions result in accurate and complete deliveries on the first attempt to customers.
• Negotiate improved payment arrangements and consignment terms with suppliers.
• Maintain supplier evaluation scorecards focused on quality, delivery reliability, credit terms, and compliance.
• Document a reliable sourcing procedure to support business continuity during absences.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification is required.
• Between 4 to 7 years of purchasing experience, specifically dealing with fresh produce or food ingredients, ideally within distributors, hotel groups, restaurant chains, caterers, or large food service entities.
• Well-established connections with producers, packers, or importers in at least two of these markets: Singapore, Malaysia, China, Australia, Africa, or the Netherlands.
• A proven track record of delivering significant cost savings via negotiation and managing supplier relationships.
• Excellent commercial negotiation skills accompanied by strong judgment on product quality and specifications.
• Experienced in creating and managing price monitoring tools, preferably using Google Sheets or equivalent software.
• Availability to travel to Johor Bahru approximately once every month.

Additional Information

Interested applicants should note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Submission of personal data and CV indicates consent to data collection and usage in line with company privacy policies. EA License No: 01C4394 (PERSOL SINGAPORE Pte Ltd).