Food Purchasing Jobs

Where are the best purchasing professionals?

The UK food retailers like Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury, Asda, Wm Morrisons and the Co-op would suggest they have many of the best buyers or purchasers around.

Maybe this view is upheld by an article that appeared on foodjobblog.com that described Tesco as The University of Management because staff there learn the very best in management practices and are then unleashed into the employment market to take on other food jobs. However many manufactruing organisations would not see it that way believing their procurement and purchasing teams have to be of as high if not a higher calibre to give them any chance of prospering in the challenging food sectors.

Indeed salary levels on offer within manufacturing and food service sectors frequently beat those on offer within the retailers which is perhaps an indication of their worth, or perhaps it is a consequence of the fact that retailers are such attractive places to work they do not have to pay the same levels of remuneration.

Focus Management Consultants was founded by two purchasing professionals who recognise the importance of excellence in this discipline. Both had buying careers in Marks & Spencer and many of the core skills and experiences have stood them in good stead in their management of recruitment projects. This includes taking a good brief of what is needed by the client, and thinking through the bigger picture and longer term view. Gaining an understanding of the market the supply and demand of the "product", cost or salary positioning, making the right approaches to the market place with real attention to detail and strong analysis of the facts to make a validation. Equally important in recruitment as in all good purchasing deals you are also looking for a win / win deal so both parties are content with what they have got - eg. the candidate with the role and package, and the employer with the calibre of person, their potential and their cost.