Purchasing Manager

Senior Purchasing Manager – Mandarin Speaking About the Role

Freshasia Foods is seeking an experienced and commercially focused Senior Purchasing Manager – Mandarin Speaking to lead and develop our Purchasing Department.

Reporting directly to the General Manager and Company Director, this role will take ownership of the purchasing function, including procurement strategy, supplier relationships, new product sourcing, cost control, team development, and supply chain improvement.

The successful candidate will play an important role in supporting business growth by developing strong supplier partnerships, improving purchasing efficiency, controlling costs, and ensuring reliable product availability.

• Lead and manage the Purchasing Department and oversee daily procurement activities.
• Develop and implement purchasing strategies to support company growth and profitability.
• Manage the full purchasing process, including supplier sourcing, quotations, negotiations, contracts, purchase orders, and delivery performance.
• Identify opportunities to improve purchasing efficiency, reduce costs, and increase profitability.
• Provide purchasing recommendations, supplier updates, and market insights to senior management.
• Monitor market trends, supplier developments, and new product opportunities.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with existing suppliers and manufacturing partners.
• Identify, evaluate, and develop new supplier relationships locally and internationally.
• Review supplier qualifications, capability, quality standards, commercial terms, and compliance requirements.
• Negotiate supplier agreements including pricing, payment terms, minimum order quantities, lead times, and service levels.
• Review and manage supplier contracts and commercial agreements.
• Monitor supplier performance including quality, cost, delivery, and reliability.
• Attend supplier meetings, exhibitions, and industry events to identify new opportunities.

• Identify and source new products and suppliers to support business growth.
• Research market trends and customer requirements.
• Arrange product samples and coordinate internal product evaluations.
• Work closely with Sales, Marketing, Quality, and Operations teams on new product development.
• Manage product costing, specifications, packaging requirements, supplier approval, and launch processes.
• Support the development and maintenance of product catalogues.

• Manage purchasing activities for existing products, ingredients, packaging materials, and operational supplies.
• Maintain strong relationships with existing suppliers.
• Ensure product availability while achieving competitive purchasing costs.
• Review supplier pricing and negotiate improvements.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities and support margin improvement.
• Conduct regular product cost and profit reviews.

• Build, manage, and develop the Purchasing team.
• Recruit, train, coach, and support purchasing team members.
• Develop department structures, procedures, training materials, and job responsibilities.
• Set team objectives and monitor performance against departmental targets.
• Encourage continuous improvement and efficient working practices.

• Work closely with Warehouse, Operations, Sales, and Finance teams to ensure effective supply planning.
• Monitor stock levels, purchasing requirements, and supplier deliveries.
• Support inventory optimisation and reduce risks of shortages or excess stock.
• Improve purchasing and supply chain processes.
• Ensure smooth supply continuity to support business operations.

• Manage supplier expenditure and purchasing budgets.
• Analyse purchasing costs, supplier performance, and market trends.
• Identify opportunities to improve profitability through procurement strategies.
• Prepare purchasing reports and recommendations for senior management.
• Support business planning and commercial reviews.

• Proven experience as a Senior Purchasing Manager, Purchasing Manager, Procurement Manager, or similar senior procurement role.
• Minimum 7 years’ experience in purchasing or procurement.
• Experience managing suppliers and negotiating commercial agreements.
• Previous experience leading and developing a purchasing team.

Experience in one or more of the following sectors is preferred:

• Food manufacturing
• FMCG
• Food import/export
• Food wholesale or distribution

Experience managing international suppliers, particularly Asian suppliers, is highly desirable.

Essential:

• Fluent Mandarin Chinese (spoken and written)
• Fluent English (spoken and written)

Additional language skills are advantageous.

• International sourcing experience.
• Knowledge of import/export procedures and international logistics.
• Understanding of food safety requirements and supplier compliance.
• Experience using ERP or…