Procurement Specialist

Procurement Specialist  
Site Based – Golborne, Warrington WA3 (Supporting all UK Operations)

Starting salary from £35,000 - £55,000 (Depending on experience) + Salary Reviews, Annual Performance related Bonus + Additional Benefits

At ALPLA, we stand for high-quality plastic packaging throughout the world. Around 22,000 colleagues produce quality packaging for foodstuffs, cosmetics and industrial cleaning brands for many blue-chip clients across 182 ALPLA sites in 45 countries - an opportunity to work for a true independent market leader and part of an established global group

We’re looking for a hands-on Procurement Specialist to join our team and support the day-to-day purchasing needs of our UK manufacturing operations.

This is a great opportunity for someone who enjoys getting things done, working with suppliers, negotiating costs and solving problems. You’ll play an important role in making sure the materials, services and equipment our sites need are available when they’re needed — helping to keep our manufacturing operations running smoothly.

You’ll manage a mix of direct and indirect procurement, giving you the opportunity to work across a wide range of categories and with teams throughout the business.

Tasks & responsibilities:

You’ll take ownership of the purchasing process from request through to delivery, making sure orders are placed accurately, suppliers deliver on time and any issues are dealt with quickly.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Raising and managing purchase orders and ensuring they are processed accurately and on time.
• Following up outstanding orders and chasing suppliers when deliveries are delayed.
• Resolving issues such as late deliveries, pricing discrepancies, invoice queries and order changes.
• Working closely with Production, Planning, Engineering, Maintenance, Warehouse, Finance and Operations.
• Managing suppliers and building strong working relationships.
• Obtaining quotes and negotiating pricing and commercial terms.
• Finding opportunities to reduce costs and improve value.
• Supporting sourcing and supplier selection for locally managed categories.
• Monitoring supplier performance across cost, quality, delivery and service.
• Maintaining accurate purchasing and supplier information within our ERP system.
• Ensuring procurement activity follows company policies, contracts and approval processes.
• Supporting procurement projects, process improvements and sustainability initiatives.

We’re looking for someone who is organised, proactive and commercially minded, with the confidence to work independently and build good relationships with both suppliers and internal teams.

Ideally, you’ll have:

• 2–5 years' procurement experience, preferably within a manufacturing, industrial or similar environment.
• Experience managing purchase orders and the Purchase-to-Pay process.
• Experience working with suppliers and resolving delivery or commercial issues.
• Confidence negotiating pricing and commercial terms.
• Experience using an ERP system such as SAP, D365, Oracle or similar.
• Good working knowledge of Excel and Microsoft Office.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Good communication and stakeholder-management skills.
• A practical, proactive approach to problem solving.

A degree in Procurement, Supply Chain, Business or a related subject is desirable, as is CIPS Level 3 or above or a willingness to work towards it.

Experience in plastics, packaging, FMCG, automotive or another manufacturing environment would be an advantage, but we're interested in transferable procurement experience too.

ALPLA UK offer career development and progression opportunities – we support and upskill, a perfect opportunity for someone looking to enhance their career within a Global Manufacturing organisation

Due to the high volume of applications we receive you will only be contacted if your skill set and experience match the requirements of the position.

Contact Kerry McCormick – UK Talent Lead – for more information