Purchasing Planner Assistant

Purchasing Planning Assistant

Package: £25,000-£26,000, 20 days holiday per year + bank holidays + birthday day off and death in service benefit

Location: Millennium House/Unit 2, King Business Centre, Reeds Lane, Sayers Common, West Sussex, BN6 9LS

About us

First Natural Brands is one of the UK’s leading experts in essential oil sourcing and blending. Following a period of strong growth in sales and customers over the past few years, we are currently recruiting for a Purchasing Planning Assistant at our HQ in Sayers Common, West Sussex.

First Natural Brands owns the multi-award-winning aromatherapy brand, Tisserand Aromatherapy, which was originally founded in 1974 by aromatherapy pioneer Robert Tisserand. Today our dedicated team of experts continue to share this knowledge and are the pioneers of modern aromatherapy, providing wellness solutions using 100% natural aromatherapy. Whether single essential oils in a bottle or part of our creatively blended ranges, they are all carefully selected and are sourced from all over the globe. Consumers of Tisserand are of all ages and gender, who not only care for their natural wellbeing, but also that of the planet.

Tisserand Aromatherapy products are available online through our website, although, most important is our great relationships with retailers that help provide the brand with an omni-channel route to market. Retailed internationally in over 20 markets, our customers include Boots, Holland & Barrett, Amazon, Ocado, Waitrose, Lloyds Pharmacy, Sainsbury’s, Planet Organic, Wholefoods and leading independent health stores, pharmacies and online retailers.

First Natural Brands also category manage aromatherapy products for major retailers.

The Role

We are looking for a Purchasing Planning Assistant to join our team. As a Purchasing Planning Assistant, you will be the point of contact working with suppliers to help achieve targets and actively address queries.

Key responsibilities include:

• Monitor materials availability to ensure the production plan is always met.
• Updating key information in Sage.
• Managing the OTIF reporting for inbound supply and sharing this information with internal contacts.
• To review:
  • Purchase Order upcoming, progress where issues have been found in the past.
  • Purchase Order outstanding, chase orders that have not been delivered.
• To address invoice queries from the Accounts department from FNBL suppliers and approve invoices in relationship to quotations and purchase orders.
• To issue updated artworks to Suppliers, and where needed work with Design.
• Ability to evaluate suppliers using OTIF, the quantity of invoice queries & quantity of delivery issues (including missing documentation).
• To actively assist with:
  • The network of suppliers, identifying opportunities to consolidate and improve supply through processes.
  • To help the management of supplier meetings, ensuring strong relationships are maintained and meetings are documented, and all agreed actions are completed for the department.
  • Management of Change process, ensuring that stock is ordered according to current, upcoming agreed artwork.
  • Where product / materials availability may not meet dates required by the business from opportunities to improve availability and ensure good communication is maintained with key internal contacts.

About you

We are open to experience levels but we are looking for a candidate with a willingness to learn to execute and gain knowledge both from a personal and business view. Some experience working in a purchasing office is preferable but candidates who are highly organised, enjoy problem-solving and have broad experience working in a fast-paced environment will also be considered.

Please note, this role is being managed by our retained HR Consultants at HRCentral Limited.