Buyer / Material Planner

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Buyer / Material Planner to join a global manufacturing business with multiple sites across the UK. Based in High Wycombe, this role offers a salary of up to £35,000 along with the flexibility to work from home two days per week.

The Purchasing & MRP Coordinator is responsible for coordinating operational purchasing, material requirements planning, supplier performance and inventory availability across the manufacturing sites. The role combines hands-on purchasing with materials planning. The successful candidate will use ERP/MRP systems, analyse production demand, interpret bills of materials, maintain accurate planning data and ensure materials are available to support production and customer requirements. Working closely with the Group Purchasing & Supply Chain Manager, the role holder will take ownership of day-to-day purchasing as well as material planning.

The role requirements of the Buyer / Material Planner:

Purchasing

Take operational responsibility for day-to-day purchasing Manage purchase requisitions, purchase orders, supplier acknowledgements, delivery schedules and expediting. Maintain supplier relationships and support alternative-source identification and evaluation. Support supplier negotiations, sourcing exercises and purchasing cost reductions

Material Resource Planning (MRP)

Review MRP recommendations and planned orders to determine material requirements and required dates. Interpret bills of materials (BOMs), including component quantities, sub assemblies and multilevel structures. Calculate component requirements against production orders, forecasts, stock, open purchase orders and allocations. Identify material shortages and production constraints; take proactive action to secure supply. Maintain lead times, minimum order quantities (MOQs), order multiples, safety stock and reorder points. Maintain accurate MRP data and improve planning processes.

Inventory Management

Maintain material availability while minimising excess inventory and working capital. Analyse consumption, purchasing history, lead times and forecast demand to support replenishment. Identify slow-moving, obsolete and excess stock and recommend corrective actions. Escalate potential shortages before they affect production or customer demand.

Data Analysis

Use Microsoft Excel to analyse purchasing, inventory, supplier and manufacturing planning data. Extract, clean, reconcile and analyse ERP/MRP exports to identify shortages, discrepancies and requirements. Prepare purchasing, supplier delivery, stock and material availability reports. Use formulas, lookup functions, PivotTables and other Excel tools to support planning decisions.

Skills and experience required of the Buyer / Material Planner

At least three years' practical experience in purchasing, materials planning or supply chain operations, including direct purchasing responsibility. Hands-on use of an ERP/MRP system in manufacturing, assembly or engineering Experience reviewing MRP recommendations and converting requirements into purchase orders or delivery schedules. Ability to interpret BOMs, including quantities and multilevel assemblies. Understanding of demand, stock, open orders, lead times and safety stock in material planning. Intermediate proficiency in using Excel (SUM, SUMIF, COUNTIF) using XLOOKUP & VLOOKUP and creating PivotTables Experience purchasing components, raw materials, manufactured products or assemblies. Understanding of lead times, MOQs, purchasing costs and inventory management.

This role would suit an individual who has worked in manufacturing / engineering environments in purchasing or material departments and in positions such as Buyer, Senior Buyer, Junior Buyer, Material Planner, Material Coordinator, MRP Planner, MRP Controller