We're recruiting a Purchasing Assistant on behalf of a well-established engineering and manufacturing business based in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. This is a six-month temporary position, reporting to the Procurement Manager, and a solid opportunity for someone with a purchasing or supply chain background looking to get stuck into a varied, hands-on role within a technical manufacturing environment.
You'll be supporting the purchasing and supply chain function day to day — raising purchase orders, chasing suppliers, monitoring deliveries and working closely with internal teams to keep materials flowing and production on track. This isn't a passive admin role. The business is looking for someone who, when faced with an overdue order, picks up the phone, understands the problem and sees it through to resolution. If that sounds like you, this is worth a closer look.
Main Responsibilities:
- Reviewing MRP and stock requirements and raising purchase orders accordingly
- Monitoring open purchase orders and proactively expediting overdue and at-risk deliveries
- Maintaining accurate supplier promised dates within the ERP system
- Liaising with suppliers on orders, deliveries, pricing, quantities and documentation
- Identifying potential material shortages and escalating issues that could affect production
- Processing purchase requisitions and maintaining accurate purchase order records
- Working closely with Planning, Stores, Production, Quality and Finance teams to resolve purchasing issues
- Supporting management of supplier and consignment stock where applicable
- Assisting with supplier performance reporting including OTIF and overdue order tracking
- Attending regular purchasing KPI reviews and following up on agreed actions
Skills/Experience:
- Previous experience in purchasing, procurement, supply chain or a manufacturing environment
- Experience using an ERP or MRP system
- Good Excel and general IT skills
- Strong organisational and time-management skills with excellent attention to detail
- Confident communicating with suppliers and internal stakeholders
- Proactive and persistent — able to manage multiple priorities and follow actions through to completion
- Comfortable working with a degree of autonomy and minimum supervision
Salary & Working Hours:
Salary is £15.38/hour over a 37.5 hour working week
Benefits:
- Competitive salary dependent on experience
- Six-month contract with an established, growing engineering business
- Varied, hands-on role within a collaborative supply chain team
- Opportunity to gain experience across a broad range of purchasing activities
- Supportive team environment with exposure to a technical, specialist manufacturing operation