Head of Purchasing

Location: Luton, Bedfordshire

Working Pattern: Minimum 4 days onsite (5 preferred initially)

Salary: £70,000 £ 75,000 + bonus

Reporting to: Operations Director

This is a senior, hands‑on Purchasing leadership role within a growing UK‑based distribution and supply chain organisation. The function has undergone significant transformation over the past 612 months. With foundations reset, the business is now rebuilding its purchasing and inventory management capability to support growth, improve availability, and strengthen operational performance.

This is not a large‑scale, corporate procurement role focused purely on strategic sourcing programmes. Instead, it is a commercially focused, operational Purchasing leadership position centred on:

• Inventory optimisation
• Stock availability
• Supplier performance
• Operational process improvement
• Team capability building

Onsite presence is essential. A minimum of four days per week in Luton (five preferred during the initial phase) is required to rebuild the team, embed structure, and work closely with warehouse, supply chain, product category, and sales colleagues.

For at least the first six months, the role will be highly hands‑on close to day‑to‑day purchasing activity, stock planning, MRP outputs, and supplier management while laying the groundwork for longer‑term stability and performance.

As Head of Purchasing, you will take ownership of purchasing execution, inventory control, supplier relationships, and team development.

• Leading and developing a purchasing team responsible for day‑to‑day ordering, stock management, and supplier coordination.
• Improving stock availability while controlling working capital and reducing excess or obsolete inventory.
• Strengthening MRP discipline, forecasting alignment, and purchasing accuracy.
• Working closely with Product Category, Sales, and Supply Chain to align demand, promotions, and customer requirements.
• Managing both stocked SKUs and back‑to‑back / bespoke customer orders.
• Improving inbound standards, pallet compliance, booking‑in processes, and stock turnaround times in partnership with Warehouse teams.
• Driving practical process improvements across purchasing systems, reporting, and controls.
• Building strong, pragmatic supplier relationships focused on service, reliability, and cost control.
• Embedding clear KPIs around availability, OTIF, supplier performance, and stock health.
• Providing clear, data‑driven reporting to senior leadership.

This role blends leadership with operational ownership; you will be expected to lead from the front.

We’re seeking a Purchasing leader who understands the realities of distribution‑led environments and inventory‑driven businesses.

• Strong experience in purchasing and inventory management within distribution, wholesale, or supply chain‑led environments.
• A track record of improving stock accuracy, availability, and supplier performance.
• Confidence using ERP / MRP systems to drive purchasing decisions.
• Experience managing SKU complexity and balancing availability with working capital.
• A hands‑on, pragmatic leadership style.
• Resilience and the ability to operate at pace during periods of change.
• Strong cross‑functional collaboration skills, particularly with Sales and Operations.

This will suit someone who enjoys building structure, stabilising teams, and improving operational discipline, not someone seeking a purely strategic or corporate procurement remit.

• A genuine opportunity to shape and stabilise a purchasing function.
• High visibility within the senior leadership team.
• A business investing in systems, process, and people.
• A role that combines leadership, delivery, and operational improvement.
• Long‑term progression once the function is fully embedded.