Job title: Buyer

Department: Procurement

Responsible to: Head of Procurement

Salary: A competitive salary is available plus great company benefits

Location: Can either be based in London, Farringdon or Kettering, England with flexible hybrid working

Hours: Monday – Friday, 40 hours per week

Little Moons are frozen and chilled mochi, a fusion of Eastern and Western cuisine – soft and chewy rice flour dough wrapped around balls of ice cream, cheesecake, or chocolate ganache to create a distinctive, bite-sized, and delicious dessert that’s bursting with flavour.

Their rollout across Europe has been pioneered by sister and brother duo Vivien and Howard Wong, who founded Little Moons in 2010. The product’s roots are in high-end restaurants, but over the last five years retail packs have swept the ice cream category in grocery and food service.

The business has rapidly established mochi, and snacking ice cream across Europe. In FY22 we generated more than £50m in revenue, and in FY23 we are targeting +50% YoY growth. Based on experience in the USA, mochi ice cream is likely to make up 2-3% of the total ice cream category within 1-2 years.

We are very proud of the culture that we have built at Little Moons. Not to stroke our own egos, but we are a great bunch of people—smart, passionate, interesting, and funny—who work hard to support and live our values, all the while keeping our mission in our forethoughts.

The Role:

 We're seeking an experienced Buyer to join our dynamic team. The ideal candidate will thrive in a collaborative environment, working cross-functionally and building strong relationships both internally and with external suppliers to drive performance.

We're looking for a highly organised professional with a proven track record in supplier and contract negotiations, who can deliver significant cost savings whilst solving complex commercial challenges. Your experience should demonstrate a keen eye for detail and a strategic approach to procurement.

The successful candidate will possess excellent planning and prioritisation skills, coupled with the ability to remain composed under pressure. You'll be adept at managing conflicting priorities and have great time management abilities.

If you're a motivated Buyer with a talent for maximising value and fostering productive partnerships, we'd be keen to hear from you. This role offers an exciting opportunity to make a real impact in a fast-paced, rewarding environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Responsible for the development and delivery of buying plans for key direct and indirect materials, executing a long-term vision to deliver sustainable improvements in cost, quality, service, innovation and sustainability

•   Submitting monthly reports focusing on performance, market developments, risk mitigation plans and budget performance

• Conduct full assessment of supply base to ensure suppliers compliance to Little Moons Procurement requirements.  Utilising tools to assist with analysis and benchmarking within the market

• Working closely with the supply chain teams to report supply concerns, support supply resolution and ensure suppliers perform in line with expectations

• Identify risks within portfolio’s assessing against criteria to ensure true procurement risk, develop and deliver risk mitigation plans and manage communication on high risk areas

• Deliver negotiation plans for key ingredients and packaging and successfully negotiate terms with suppliers to achieve optimum commercial benefit

• Liaise and attend meetings with other departments and external stakeholders to ensure continuity of supply and successful execution of product launches

• Drive adherence to the Little Moons Sustainability strategy within the supply base and working with cross functional teams to deliver the sustainability targets

• Develop and implement cost based reduction strategies capable of delivering annual target savings

• Deliver against agreed Budget standards, monitoring PPV monthly and reporting on variances

• Develop supplier relationships and manage performance in line with agreed KPI’s

• Support NPD & Innovation strategy ensuring materials are sourced in a timely manner ensuring suppliers and materials comply to Little Moons Procurement, Sustainability and Innovation Strategy

• Contribute to the business' Sustainability strategy by delivering your Brighter Future Sustainability objectives

Some of the benefits of working here include

Little Moons is a fast-growing and dynamic business, the nature of which means roles and responsibilities can change and grow quickly and at scale. We never stand still for long, and for the right person this represents an opportunity to grow and evolve your role and responsibilities with us and to develop your career at pace.

We will provide you with as much support, guidance, and training as you need, and offer the below benefits to boot:

• Medicash, Private Health Scheme & Life Insurance

• Enhanced New Baby Leave available.

• We understand that mental health matters. We partner with Health Assured to provide remote emotional support to team members.

• Discretionary annual bonus based on personal & company performance.

• Up to 4 weeks of paid sick leave

• Respect, trust, and honesty. Personal and professional maturity is important to us, and we keep each other honest

• Your holidays – We believe in finding your work-life alignment and encourage all staff to use their 25 days, plus public holidays

• Additional days off with long service

• Personal CPD budgets & team volunteer days

To be engaged, you must feel included and valued, so we have built, and nurtured, a culture where inclusiveness is not a buzzword, but a way of being.

Our approach to diversity is simple —it’s about embracing everyone, and everyone is welcome at Little Moons. We are committed to welcoming everyone, regardless of gender identity, orientation or expression. We are diverse in age, race, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, and perspective. Our diversity fuels our innovation, bring diversity of thought, and connects us closer to our customers and the communities we serve.

All applicants must have the right to work in the United Kingdom.