Head of Procurement & Supply Chain
About Freshly Prep’d
Freshly Prep’d is a fast-growing food manufacturing business based in Belfast, producing fresh, high-protein, chef-prepared meals for retailers, wholesale partners and direct consumers.
Founded on a simple belief that convenience should never mean compromise, we create nutritious meals that help busy individuals and families eat well without sacrificing taste, quality or convenience.
Since launching, we have grown from a small local operation into one of Northern Ireland’s fastest-growing chilled meal manufacturers. We now supply leading retailers and foodservice partners, including SPAR, Tesco, Centra, SuperValu, Lidl and Aldi, while continuing to invest in innovation, quality and operational excellence.
Today, our team produces thousands of meals each week from our Belfast facility. With ambitious plans to expand our product range and market reach across the UK and Ireland, this is an exciting time to join the business.
We are not a large corporate manufacturer. We are an entrepreneurial, ambitious and fast-moving business where decisions are made quickly, improvement is encouraged, and great ideas can make a real impact.
As we enter our next phase of growth, we are investing significantly in our people, systems and infrastructure. This is a unique opportunity to help shape the future of the business, build operational excellence and play a key role in our journey to become one of the leading fresh prepared meal manufacturers in the UK and Ireland.
The Opportunity
Reporting to the Managing Director, the **Head of Procurement & Supply Chain** will provide strategic and operational leadership across procurement, supplier management and supply-chain performance.
This is a highly visible role with the opportunity to make a measurable commercial impact. You will lead purchasing across direct and indirect categories, strengthen supplier relationships, improve purchasing controls and support the business in building a more resilient, efficient and commercially focused supply chain.
You will be responsible for negotiating and managing high-value supplier contracts, improving payment terms and supporting a stronger working-capital position. You will also design and implement a dual-sourcing strategy for critical materials, ensuring continuity of supply and reducing supply-chain risk.
Alongside the strategic remit, you will oversee the day-to-day execution of purchasing activity and establish clear purchase-order and approval processes to standardise buying behaviours, improve compliance and increase budget control.
Working closely with Sales, Operations and New Product Development, you will ensure procurement activity is aligned with demand planning, promotional activity and future product launches. You will also play a key role in improving inventory performance, reducing aged and obsolete stock, enhancing ERP data integrity and providing timely, reliable information to support effective decision-making.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead procurement and supply-chain strategy across direct and indirect spend.
- Negotiate, manage and renew high-value supplier contracts.
- Deliver cost savings while protecting quality, service and supply continuity.
- Improve supplier payment terms and contribute to improved cash conversion.
- Develop and implement dual-sourcing strategies for critical materials.
- Lead Supplier Relationship Management, including supplier onboarding, performance reviews and supplier-development activity.
- Rationalise and consolidate the supplier base where appropriate.
- Establish robust purchase-order, approval and purchasing-control processes.
- Reduce emergency purchasing, minimise cost volatility and improve budget predictability.
- Work closely with Sales, Operations and NPD to align purchasing with forecasting, promotional activity and product launches.
- Improve stock-turn ratios and reduce aged, slow-moving and obsolete inventory.
- Strengthen ERP data integrity across procurement, supplier and inventory information.
- Lead, develop and support the procurement and supply-chain team.
- Communicate effectively with operational teams, senior leaders and executive stakeholders.
Success in Your First 12 Months
- Deliver measurable cost savings across direct and indirect spend.
- Improve supplier payment terms and contribute to a stronger cash conversion cycle.
- Reduce and optimise the supplier base through effective consolidation.
- Implement a robust dual-sourcing strategy for key materials.
- Embed a formal purchase-order and approval process across the business.
- Fully embed a Monthly Approved Purchase Ledger process.
- Improve inventory control, stock turns and purchasing visibility.
- Establish stronger supplier performance management and procurement governance.
About You
You will be a commercially minded procurement and supply-chain leader who is comfortable operating in a fast-paced, hands-on environment. You will be confident influencing stakeholders at all levels, capable of balancing strategic priorities with day-to-day operational requirements, and motivated by the opportunity to build and improve processes within a growing business.
Essential Experience and Skills
- At least five years’ experience in procurement and supply chain, including sourcing, materials management and cost analysis.
- Demonstrable experience negotiating supplier contracts and delivering commercial savings.
- Strong supplier relationship-management and stakeholder-management skills.
- Experience improving purchasing processes, controls and compliance.
- Experience managing, coaching and developing teams.
- Strong commercial awareness, analytical ability and attention to detail.
- An effective communicator, comfortable working across departments and presenting to executive-level stakeholders.
- Ability to operate effectively in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment.
Desirable Experience
- Experience within FMCG, food manufacturing, chilled food, retail or foodservice.
- Experience managing supply-chain risk, stock control and demand planning.
- CIPS qualification, or actively working towards one.
Pay: £50,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company events
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- UK visa sponsorship
Work Location: In person
