Purchasing Assistant
The Authentic Food Company · Gatley, Cheadle
Our estimate of how close this job is to decisions about what protein a business sources, specifies, buys and serves. How we score
Why this role matters
How close this job is to real sourcing and menu decisions.
This is an entry point into food procurement, not a seat that currently decides sourcing standards. The advert describes raw material and ingredient sourcing in general terms, with no mention of meat, dairy, eggs or seafood specifically. What you would build here is real: you would touch tenders, supplier specifications, the supplier database and the Technical Department's assurance protocols, all administration that sits directly next to where sourcing decisions get made, even though this role supports rather than decides them. If The Authentic Food Company's raw materials include animal-derived ingredients, the specification and supplier-approval processes you help run are exactly the mechanism through which sourcing standards do or don't make it into a contract, whether that's welfare requirements, environmental criteria or traceability. But you'd need to confirm that scope before treating this as a lever rather than a training ground. Where this leads matters more than what it does today: administration like this is how people learn tender processes, supplier relationship management and specification-writing well enough to later hold the pen themselves, in a Procurement Manager or Category Manager seat with actual sign-off over what standards suppliers must meet.
Where this role can take you
What this job teaches you, and the jobs it can lead to.
What you'd build
- Tender preparation and management
- Supplier specification process
- MRP system administration (Tropos)
- Ingredient forecasting
- Supplier relationship development
Where it can lead
- Procurement Manager
- Category Buyer
- Sourcing Specialist
Roles like these typically set supplier specifications and tender criteria, deciding what raw material standards suppliers must meet before contracts are awarded.
About the role
This is a Purchasing Assistant role at The Authentic Food Company, reporting to the Procurement Manager, based in Gatley, Cheadle, full-time Monday to Friday 8.30am–5.30pm with some flexibility on start and finish times. The role exists to support the Procurement Manager in executing short, medium and long-term purchasing strategies that maximise TAFC's competitiveness, and to develop internal and external stakeholder relationships while handling procurement administration. Key tasks include supporting tender preparation and ensuring information is accurately recorded, managing Contract Balance Management and stock cover updates, administering the Tropos MRP platform (inputting and maintaining contract data), and ingredient forecasting for tenders and forward demand. The postholder manages new ingredient sample approvals with a view to taking ownership of and developing that process, and manages all NPD requests coming from chefs and the NPD team. With guidance from the Procurement Manager, they initiate and manage tenders, build and develop the supplier database, and manage sleeve price matrices, investigating anomalies and root causes. They manage the specification process with suppliers — forwarding and retrieving specifications and sending them to the TAFC Technical Team for approval — and support raw material forecasting through supplier communication. Further responsibilities include identifying and investigating new suppliers and products, general procurement administration including supplier contracts, supporting the development of relationships with key strategic/critical suppliers, sourcing quality and cost-effective raw materials, liaising with the Technical Department on supplier assurance protocols and SLAs, and working with the Planning Department to reduce stock write-offs to an agreed yearly minimum. Essential skills listed are strong administration skills, good communication skills, ability to use own initiative and multitask, ability to work independently and take long-term projects through to completion, being driven and eager to learn, strong data organisational skills, a firm commitment to accuracy and attention to detail, excellent IT and Excel skills, previous experience of working in a similar environment, and being a good team player who works well with others. Salary is £30,000 a year.
This is an extract. Read the full advert on the employer's site.
Key terms to include in your CV and cover letter
What this employer is asking for, in their words. Applications are often screened by software looking for exact phrases, so if these describe your experience, use their wording.
- tender preparation
- contract balance management
- ingredient forecasting
- supplier database management
- supplier specification management
- new product development coordination
- supplier relationship management
- raw material sourcing
- supplier assurance protocols
- procurement administration
- stock management
- data organisation
- Excel
- attention to detail
How to position yourself
The language that works with hiring managers for this kind of job.
Position this as gaining hands-on fluency in supplier management, contract administration and specification processes, skills that transfer directly to more senior procurement roles with sourcing standards responsibility. Build familiarity with MRP/ERP systems (the advert names Tropos), supplier specification and approval workflows, and basic procurement vocabulary (CIPS is worth exploring) to strengthen your route toward a Responsible Sourcing or Category Manager role later.
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