Head of Purchasing

Campbells is a family owned business with a history that stretches back over 100 years. Today, Campbells is a thriving and growing business, currently employing 340 staff and achieving a turnover of £57m. The company supplies the finest fresh meat, fresh fish and delicatessen products across Scotland and Northern England, for customers predominantly in the foodservice sector.

The business offers a high level of service, as well as a high quality and wide range of products which is a market leading combination in Scotland. The business has over 2,000 customers ranging from the NHS, schools and universities, to large catering providers, pub groups and independent hotels and restaurants.

Campbells is seeking to hire a modern, forward-looking and highly commercial Head of Purchasing to lead the team and to drive the purchasing strategy. The successful candidate will lead and develop the team, which currently has a headcount of four people, to deliver an annual purchasing spend in excess of £35m. They will create and implement a purchasing strategy to take the business from its current relatively short term product buying cycles and leverage the volumes that it purchases over longer periods to drive efficiencies and savings.

Candidates will ideally have experience in the food sector, or at least purchasing short shelf-life products, where supply and demand need to be closely aligned. It is likely that the successful candidate will have gained experience in a larger, more corporate environment and will be able to bring a structured, strategic and professional approach to Campbells. It is important however that the successful candidate is ready and keen to move to a smaller, more entrepreneurial environment where there is a great deal of autonomy and freedom but also accountability.

The successful candidate will have experience of modern sourcing principles and a track record of delivering significant savings, including through negotiating large value tenders. Underpinning all of this is the requirement for excellent leadership skills, not only to develop and mentor the team at Campbells but also to build effective relationships with suppliers.

This is a significant and possibly career-defining opportunity for an ambitious purchasing professional who has developed their career and is now ready to test themselves in a leadership role in an entrepreneurial and growing business.

To apply please send your CV with details of current remuneration to Adam Brown, Director at FWB Park Brown at applications@fwbparkbrown.com