Temp Buyer

COFCO International is a global agri-business with a clear vision, strong values and a positive culture, focused on being a leader in the global grains, oilseeds and sugar supply chains. We provide the food the world needs in a responsible way. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, we are ambitious, with the right structures and culture to meet the world's increasing and changing needs. With 12,000+ people in 35 countries, our global portfolio includes assets across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. We trade with over 50 nations, while providing farmers unique direct access to the growing Chinese market.

Company: COFCO International South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Vacancy:  Temp: Buyer (6 MONTHS)

Location: Standerton, South Africa

Department: Procurement

Job purpose:

Standerton Oil Mills is seeking an experienced, commercially astute and technically capable Buyer to support the strategic and operational procurement of materials, equipment and services required by the business. The Buyer will develop and execute sourcing strategies aligned with business requirements and the Global Procurement Strategy. The role will manage competitive sourcing processes, supplier evaluation, commercial negotiations, contract implementation and supplier-performance management.

The successful candidate will apply spend analysis, market intelligence and total-cost-of-ownership principles to deliver sustainable cost efficiencies, supply continuity, improved commercial terms, quality performance and long-term value. The role requires strong collaboration with Engineering, Maintenance, Production, Quality, SHEQ, Finance, Stores, Logistics and other business stakeholders to ensure goods and services are procured at the required quality, cost, delivery and compliance standards.

Key Performance Areas:

1. Procurement Strategy and Category Sourcing

• Develop sourcing strategies and category plans for assigned materials, equipment and service categories.
• Align local sourcing initiatives with Global and Regional Procurement strategies.
• Analyse category spend, supplier concentration, market conditions and business demand.
• Identify opportunities for competitive tendering, supplier consolidation, localisation and standardisation.
• Develop annual sourcing plans aligned with operational, maintenance, shutdown and project requirements.
• Identify supply-market risks and implement appropriate mitigation plans.
• Maintain a sourcing pipeline and monitor implementation progress.
• Conduct market and supplier benchmarking to support sourcing decisions.

2. Technical and Operational Procurement Execution

• Review approved purchase requests and clarify scope, specification, quantity, budget and delivery requirements.
• Partner with Engineering, Maintenance, Production, Quality and other users to ensure sourcing requirements are complete.
• Prepare and manage requests for quotation, requests for proposal and competitive tenders.
• Identify suitable suppliers and coordinate commercial and technical evaluations.
• Prepare comprehensive bid-comparison reports and supplier recommendations.
• Ensure budget availability, procurement-route compliance and required approvals before supplier award.
• Support purchase-order placement and resolve sourcing-related order discrepancies.
• Monitor critical procurement requirements through supplier confirmation and delivery.
• Escalate specification gaps, urgent requirements, sole-source requests and supply risks.

3. Supplier Evaluation, Performance and Relationship Management

• Identify and prequalify suppliers according to Company requirements.
• Coordinate supplier due diligence, onboarding and approval processes.
• Evaluate suppliers against technical, quality, cost, capacity, delivery, compliance and financial-risk criteria.
• Maintain a competitive, capable and sustainable supplier base.
• Monitor supplier delivery, quality, service, responsiveness and commercial performance.
• Conduct performance reviews for strategic and critical suppliers.
• Resolve supplier complaints, delivery failures, quality concerns and commercial disputes.
• Develop and monitor supplier corrective-action and improvement plans.
• Identify alternative supply options for high-risk or single-source requirements.
• Maintain ethical and professional supplier relationships.

4. Commercial Negotiation, Contracting and Total Cost Management

• Develop negotiation strategies for material, strategic and high-value sourcing events.
• Lead negotiations on price, payment terms, lead time, service levels, warranties and commercial conditions.
• Apply total-cost-of-ownership principles when evaluating supplier proposals.
• Consider transport, installation, commissioning, operating, maintenance, energy, consumable, downtime and lifecycle costs where relevant.
• Coordinate contract development and review with Legal, Finance, Technical and other stakeholders.
• Ensure contracts clearly define scope, deliverables, pricing, responsibilities, service levels, risks and performance measures.
• Monitor contract implementation, expiry and renewal requirements.
• Identify and deliver savings, cost avoidance and working-capital improvements.
• Challenge supplier price increases and commercial claims using evidence and market information.
• Support resolution of contractual and commercial disputes.

5. Procurement Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Conduct procurement activities in accordance with the Global Procurement Policy and applicable regional procedures.
• Apply delegated authority, segregation-of-duties and approval requirements.
• Maintain ethical, transparent and auditable sourcing processes.
• Declare and manage actual or potential conflicts of interest.
• Ensure supplier selection is free from favouritism, collusion or inappropriate influence.
• Maintain complete sourcing, evaluation, negotiation, approval and award records.
• Support compliance with anti-bribery, anti-corruption, sanctions and Supplier Code of Conduct requirements.
• Monitor supplier, contract, operational and supply-continuity risks.
• Support internal and external procurement audits.
• Track and close procurement-control findings.
• Report suspected fraud, misconduct or unethical behaviour immediately.

6. Spend Analytics, Reporting and Value Delivery

• Analyse procurement spend, supplier data and category performance.
• Maintain procurement KPIs and monthly reports.
• Track savings, cost avoidance, payment terms and contract coverage.
• Identify spend fragmentation, off-contract spend and supplier concentration risks.
• Identify sourcing, demand-management and specification-improvement opportunities.
• Monitor relevant market movements, price trends and supply risks.
• Maintain accurate initiative records and supporting evidence.
• Provide recommendations that improve cost, delivery, working capital and supply resilience.
• Support Global and Regional Procurement reporting.
• Ensure reported procurement benefits are supported, validated and not duplicated.

7. Stakeholder Partnership, Project Support and Continuous Improvement

• Build effective relationships with internal stakeholders and category leaders.
• Understand operational, technical, project and service requirements.
• Provide professional procurement guidance to cross-functional teams.
• Participate in project planning, technical sourcing and supplier meetings.
• Communicate sourcing timelines, commercial risks, constraints and decisions clearly.
• Manage procurement service levels and stakeholder expectations.
• Support shutdowns, capital projects and urgent operational requirements.
• Identify improvements to procurement systems, templates and workflows.
• Support regional collaboration, standardisation and global sourcing initiatives.
• Capture lessons learned from significant sourcing events and projects.

Minimum Criteria:

• Grade 12 / Matric.
• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Procurement, Engineering, Business Administration, Commerce or a related field.
• At least five years’ progressive procurement or strategic-sourcing experience, preferably in a manufacturing, automotive, agricultural-processing or technical industrial environment.
• Demonstrated experience in strategic sourcing, supplier evaluation, commercial negotiation and procurement-strategy implementation.
• Experience procuring technical materials, equipment and services.
• Experience using SAP or a comparable ERP procurement solution.
• Strong understanding of competitive sourcing, contract administration and supplier-performance management.
• Advanced computer literacy, particularly in Microsoft Excel and procurement reporting.
• Strong commercial, analytical, negotiation and stakeholder-management capability.

Advantageous Requirements

• CIPS or an equivalent recognised procurement qualification.
• Experience in oilseed processing, food manufacturing, FMCG, agricultural processing or heavy industry.
• Experience using SAP S/4HANA MM, SAP Ariba or a similar electronic sourcing platform.
• Regional or international procurement experience.
• Project-management exposure.
• Experience developing total-cost-of-ownership models.
• Exposure to global category-management structures and cross-border sourcing.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience required:

• Strategic sourcing and category-management principles.
• Technical and operational procurement.
• Competitive tendering and commercial evaluation.
• Commercial negotiation and contract administration.
• Total cost of ownership and cost analysis.
• Supplier evaluation, performance and risk management.
• Spend analysis and procurement reporting.
• Procurement governance, ethics and compliance.
• SAP, ERP and electronic sourcing systems.
• Project coordination and stakeholder engagement.
• Strong commercial writing, reporting and presentation.
• Market research and supplier benchmarking.
• Cost-saving and working-capital improvement methods.

Competencies

• Strategic sourcing and category planning.
• Commercial negotiation and value delivery.
• Technical-commercial evaluation.
• Supplier-performance and relationship management.
• Contract and procurement-risk management.
• Spend analysis and evidence-based decision-making.
• Cross-functional business partnering.
• Procurement governance and ethical compliance.
• Planning, prioritisation and project coordination.
• Problem-solving and continuous improvement.

General

Reports to Procurement Lead: SSA

Salary and Benefits: Market related salary

CLOSING DATE: 19 November 2026

How to apply

The company is offering a competitive salary with provident and medical benefits.  Exciting incentive opportunities, a rewarding work environment, product and supply chain knowledge and career growth opportunities for the right candidate.

Interested parties should please submit a comprehensive CV and covering letter, outlining why you feel that you are best suited to the position on the COFCO Careers website https://www.cofcointernational.com/careers/ by searching for vacancies in South Africa, clicking on the listed positions available, and following the prompts when clicking “Apply” on the job description, and answering all related questions in full to complete your application.

Only applications submitted direct on the COFCO Careers website will be considered.

If you do not hear from us within 21 days from date of application, please regard your application as unsuccessful. Only short-listed candidates will be moved through the Talent Pipeline and contacted.

The company appoints in line with our employment equity plan and preference may be given to previously disadvantaged individuals.

Privacy Policy

By contacting COFCO International South Africa (Pty) Ltd., you acknowledge and agree that COFCO International South Africa (Pty) Ltd. has a legitimate business purpose to collect and process your personal information (as defined in Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 and any amendments thereto (“POPIA”)) to review your personal information and to comply with its legal obligations. COFCO International South Africa (Pty) Ltd will process your personal information in accordance with POPIA and in accordance with and the purposes described in COFCO International South Africa (Pty) Ltd.’s privacy policy available at https://www.cofcointernational.com/data-privacy-policy/  You hereby confirm that you have read, understood and agree with the terms of COFCO International South Africa (Pty) Ltd.’s privacy policy, and consent to the processing of your personal information.

COFCO International is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Please refer to our Candidate Privacy Notice to know how COFCO collects and processes your personal data during your job application: https://www.cofcointernational.com/data-privacy-center/global-candidate-privacy-policy/