Purchasing Manager

Who we are:

Lumie is a British brand of light therapy devices with a single purpose: to boost the sense of well-being of our customers by helping them feel great during the day and sleep tight every night. Our products have been carefully developed to regulate the body’s natural circadian rhythms, delivering the best user experience and swift results – right out of the box and for the years to come.

For over three decades we’ve been specialising in light therapy and light therapy only - we even invented the world’s very first wake-up light in 1992! We have since spent many years refining and growing our product ranges using the best scientific knowledge available. Fast forward to today, our lights have been chosen and trusted by hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.

All of our devices meet rigorous medical and quality standards. We never compromise on aesthetics, durability and quality of our designs, meaning our lights fit very well within various environments and are built to last.

Who you are:

We’re looking for a self-motivated, results-orientated and agile individual with strong commercial awareness, as well as outstanding communication skills. Your organisational skills are second to none, and you have a proven track record of successful negotiations and managing the logistics of bringing in stock to match rapid changes to demand in our seasonal business. You love a challenge, and don’t shy away from tackling problems or managing evolving needs and business conditions. With no task too small, you are keen to proactively contribute to optimising our business, as well as fuel our continued growth and drive improvement to our purchasing processes and operations. Experience in procuring finished goods from the Far East, ideally within the electrical consumer goods sector, would be an advantage, as would a working knowledge of SAGE systems.

What you’ll be doing:

Reporting to the CEO, you will take charge of and further develop Lumie’s purchasing processes. You will manage the supply of materials and finished goods to meet customer demand, maintain quality and optimise cost and cash flow. You will own all aspects of the purchasing function in accordance with Lumie’s business requirements, both on a large scale as well as on a day-to-day basis, including supporting procurement for Finance, Marketing, Brand, HR, Facilities, Sales etc.

Where you’ll be based:

In our office in Bar Hill, Cambridge (hybrid-working model possible).

Main responsibilities:

• Manage and optimise finished goods deliveries to support on-time delivery of high quality product at lowest cost compatible with Lumie’s quality objectives.

• Create and maintain purchasing, delivery and supplier payment forecasts for finished goods and for critical components.

• Prepare, place and monitor approved purchase orders for finished goods, components, services, office supplies and other consumables with approved suppliers.

• Ensure that at all times there is sufficient stock to meet demand in each market whilst avoiding excessive stock levels and optimising cashflow.

• Co-ordinate shipment of finished goods from suppliers, negotiate quotations for freight rates and schedule with forwarders.

• Prepare , provide and process import tariff related document for customs clearance.

• Monitor shipments of finished goods and keep relevant departments advised.

• Monitor delivery of orders and quality of goods received, and request credit notes for faulty goods received.

• Goods delivery note processing in Sage and invoice verification in Sage.

• Update the Sage system when required, ensuring information relating to stock codes, descriptions, pricing and quantity is up to date and accurate.

• Undertake annual quality and service reviews for all suppliers and maintain up-to-date supplier records.

• Identify, develop and maintain good relationships with dependable, competitive contract manufacturers who meet our requirements for quality, lead-time, flexibility, technical and production capabilities.

• Ensure an optimal spread of reliable contract manufacturers to create competition and for security of supply, and that our product designs are safeguarded from unauthorised copying.

• Evaluate and negotiate quotations including prices and delivery timescales from suppliers for new projects; liaise with chosen supplier and Technical Manager in scheduling and co-ordinating production ready for the project launch deadline.

• Negotiate pricing for mature products and for components on an ongoing basis. Obtain updated costed BOM’s from suppliers when there are significant changes in components or cost and in any case at least annually

• Continuous sourcing of new suitable suppliers for components, freight and other purchasing requirements.

• Monitor and coordinate rolling and year end stock takes carried out by the Warehouse with input from the Sales Office, and prepare and finalise stock take valuations.

• Ensure purchasing procedures are followed and necessary permissions obtained for all purchases.

• Manage utilities contracts, source providers with the best service and prices.

• Assist the Technical department to analyse bills of materials for existing and new products to check costs against the market and parts commonality.

• Occasional overseas travel may be required

Skills and experience:

• High level of integrity, accuracy and attention to detail

• Ability to prioritise and work efficiently to deadlines

• A can-do attitude

• Experience working in a purchasing department

• Excellent communication skills

• Excellent administrative and organisational skills

• Good negotiating skills

• Conversant with Microsoft Office

Desirable Skills & Experience (beneficial but not essential)

• Experience in dealing with Far East suppliers

• Working knowledge with Sage system would be an advantage

• Knowledge/experience in electronic components would be an advantage

• Knowledge of customs imports procedures would be an advantage