L2 Buyer – Specialty Veg (12 month FTC)

L2 Buyer – Specialty Vegetables (12 month FTC)

Contract type: Fixed Term Contract (12 months)

Location: Hatfield (Hybrid working – 3 days in the office)

Working hours per week: 40 hours – Full-Time

Level: Level 2

Application Closing Date: Friday 7th November

About Us

Our mission is to deliver joy in every shop, through unbeatable choice, unrivalled service, and reassuringly good value. We’re Ocado Retail , a market-leading joint venture between Ocado Group and M&S, and the world’s largest dedicated online supermarket, ocado.com . Not only is Ocado.com the only place to shop a full range of M&S food online, it’s also the home to the widest online supermarket range in the UK and champion of small, independent brands. We’re also the brains behind Zoom by Ocado , our same-day grocery delivery service.

About The Team And The Role

We're looking for a Buyer to support our Produce department. In this role, you will be responsible for ensuring your supply base and the product range are optimised, proactively using data and analysis to maximise performance and drive sales, profitability, and share growth to support the overall Ocado Retail strategy and goals. Working as part of the Vegetable buying team, you will play an important role in delivering for the customer, alongside becoming the expert in the nuances of procurement in the fresh supply chain. Based within the Produce buying team, this role is at the forefront of delivering great value & quality on key customer essentials. Most of the category is own-label products and you will be working closely with our technical teams, a few strategic supply partners, as well as the M&S Buying Team. This is an ideal opportunity for a great buyer to develop their own label end to end sourcing skills.

What You’ll Do

• Manage supplier performance, identifying potential new suppliers, and provide support to build long-term supplier relationships
• Use insight tools to analyse and understand performance issues and opportunities
• Conduct regular competitor website visits and review customer insight and food trends, helping shape our future product and range requirements for our customers
• Source customer/market insight-led ranges and product innovation
• Negotiate with suppliers to agree and deliver, market-leading joint business plans for your areas aligned to the customer plan & category strategy, as well as negotiating on supplier-funded media and delivering against the target

Who You Are

• Experience in Produce or Fresh preferred
• Substantial experience in a buying role
• Strong negotiation skills
• Good commercial acumen
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Strong planning and organisational skills
• Communicate and influence a wide range of audiences

What’s In It For You

By joining Ocado Retail, you’ll have the chance to experience life at the world’s largest online retailer, work with an amazing bunch of people who challenge what’s possible each day, and grow your skills and career in online retail. If that’s not enough to tempt you, you’ll also get access to loads of great benefits to sweeten the deal. Here’s a taste of what we offer:

Health & Wellbeing: Private medical insurance with option to add your family, Digital GP appointments, market-leading family policies, mental health support, discounted gym memberships, dental insurance, and more.

Spend & Save: Annual bonus scheme split between personal and business objectives, recognition with reward platform, up to 7% matched pension contributions, 15% Ocado discount, 20% M&S discount, free breakfast every day in the office, electric vehicle leasing scheme, and free shuttle bus from Hatfield station to the office.

Never miss the moments that matter: Hybrid working, 26 days holiday plus 8 flexible bank holidays, options to buy extra holiday, 2 weeks work from anywhere, and lifestyle break opportunities.

Our Hiring Process

Lucky for us, we receive a high volume of applications and genuinely appreciate the time and effort invested by every candidate. To ensure a fair and thorough process, every application is reviewed by a member of our team. If your skills and experience are a strong match, a Talent Partner will contact you to discuss the role and guide you through the next steps of our hiring process.

Your Application and AI

In the spirit of innovation, we welcome you to use AI tools in your application, just as we use them in our own business at Ocado Retail. However, as you leverage this technology, please don't lose sight of the most important element: your unique self. Your experiences, passions, and personality are what truly set you apart. Ensure that your application still authentically conveys who you are and why you're a great fit for us.

Everyone’s welcome

We’re an equal opportunity employer. That means that we make sure all potential colleagues are treated fairly and equally. If you require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know on the application form.