Operational Buyer Ad Interim

at  Ardo

BE - Ardo Headquarters
Procurement
Temporary contract
Your Scope
We are looking for an interim Operational Buyer Frozen Foods for our Group Procurement team in Europe. Group Procurement is responsible for the central strategic purchasing/sourcing of a large volume of frozen vegetables-fruits & ingredients, services, raw materials and packaging for all Ardo factories and locations. Within Group Procurement, a specialized team in Frozen Foods is responsible for the external sourcing of frozen foods, frozen vegetables and frozen fruits with external suppliers. The Operational Buyer Frozen Foods (ai.) has responsibility to support the company’s operational sourcing for a certain range of frozen foods, mainly in the frozen fruits category for our sites in Europe.
The Lead Buyer Frozen Foods will work closely together with colleagues in the Frozen Vegetables, Frozen Ingredients and Frozen Fruits categories such as Group and local Supply Chain, Finance, Sales and Group QA/Technical. Working location Ardooie-Belgium, Ashford-UK or Hybrid. This is a temporary position for 1 year.

Execute buying (plans) and contracts for Fruits as a share of the company’s Group sourcing portfolio ensuring transparency of spending and cost
Manage day-to-day vendor relationships and maintain ongoing solid partnerships with vendors
Analyze and calculate costs of procurement and suggest methods and solutions to decrease/avoid cost and/or expenditure
Support executing and optimizing sourcing processes for frozen Fruits, Vegetables, Ingredients and packed Fruits and Vegetables to attain maximum efficiency and service levels.
Maintaining procurement ethics in accordance with Ardo’s global values.
Cooperate with internal stakeholders to align agreement on specs, terms and sourcing processes
Report significant shifts, constraints and/or market trends if needed
Perform and support cost and purchase price analysis for frozen foods and externally packed products
Execute, manage and maintain sourcing contracts, master data and pricing using Group ERP systems (incl. SAP) and internal processes
Support handling of quality complaints with vendors
Work closely with the supply chain teams / Replenishment in planning and execution of contracts and ordering
Determine quantity and timing of contracting/buying in close collaboration with Supply Chain and/or the business / sites / Group Director Sourcing & Development Fruits etc.
Your profile
Proven work experience ( 5 yrs +) as a Buyer, Lead Buyer, Strategic Buyer in food products
Familiarity with food sourcing, vendor management and relevant processes / systems
Multi experience in (frozen)foods, preferably (frozen) Fruits or Vegetables
Project (management) skills
Strong skills and ability to negotiate and sustaining networking relationships
Strong analytical skills. Comfortable with Excel and in collecting, analyzing and interpreting complex data
preferably master degree in supply chain management, (food) engineering, logistics, economics or business administration
Customer focused and team player
Excellent communication skills and ability to produce clear and well-organized documents
Hands-on and creative problem solving
Flexibility and ability to work on multiple tasks and projects simultaneously
Experience in sourcing/procurement (ERP) systems, preferably SAP
Language skills : Native language + minimum English (L4 – full professional proficiency) as second language.
We offer
We offer you the opportunity to be part of an authentic and sustainable international company, with real growth opportunities and the freedom to actively participate in shaping the business and the opportunity to develop professionally. You will receive a full remuneration package in line with the level of this position. We care for our people and create family-friendly surroundings by offering you the flexibility to work 2 days/week from home