Senior Buyer

Company: COFCO International South Africa (Pty) Ltd

Vacancy:  Senior Buyer (Technical): South Africa – Farming Division

Location:  Gauteng, Northwest surrounding area (South Africa)

Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract

We are looking for an experienced and dynamic Senior Buyer on a Fixed Term Contract bases, to oversee the Procurement function within our South African Farming division. This role is responsible for ensuring accurate and timely procurement practices are applied, while supporting the application of best practices across the Farming operations withing South Africa.

PURPOSE OF ROLE:

Support Strategic sourcing initiatives to deliver long term programs for services and goods categories which support the business requirements of Farming Operations in South Africa.

Responsible for leveraging negotiation skills to secure beneficial terms, employing data analytics for strategic decision-making, and ensuring the alignment of procurement activities with our company’s operation and financial objectives.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop and maintain effective relationships with internal and external key stakeholders to align procurement strategies.
• Utilize deep industry knowledge to forecast market trends and assess their potential impact on procurement strategies.
• Lead complex negotiations with vendors, focusing on total cost of ownership (TCO), innovation, and flexibility to adapt.
• Design and implement procurement strategies that mitigate risks, enhance supplier performance, and support sustainability objectives.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders and legal departments to ensure contracts comply with regulatory requirements and company policies, with a strong focus on data security and intellectual property rights.
• Act as an escalation point for contractual and performance issues, demonstrating advanced problem-solving skills and effective dispute management.
• Consolidate and analyse global procurement spend data/ KPIs for the preparation of monthly global procurement reporting, using data analytic skills.
• Ensure that all administrative and regulatory requirements regarding procurement have been met and align with Company Policies and be able to resolve any potential items that, due to the nature of Farming Operations, are difficult to align with current Company Policy, thereby enhancing the hands-on nature of the Policy to be industry specific and effective.

KEY RESULTS AREAS (KPA):

• Deliver year on year total cost efficiencies - a mix of cost, quality, and speed improvements for the spend/vendor relationships,
• Internal client satisfaction,
• Create consistent and accurate global reporting data,
• Savings / Cost Avoidance,
• Payment terms optimization,
• Increase contract coverage,
• Procurement Cycle time.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: 

• Bachelor’s degree, post-graduate in Agricultural Economics, 
• Bachelor of Commerce Marketing Management, Risk management / Accounting / Finance.
• Masters in related qualification is an advantage.
• 5 – 10 years working experience in the Agricultural Industry, and more specifically featuring in functional areas focusing on evaluating different products to select the best options.
• Experience in the grains and oilseed environment will be an advantage.
• Experience in SAP/ERP Procurement solutions (S/4HANA MM, Ariba…) will be beneficial,

 SKILLS:

• Ability to work in a cross functional international complex corporate environment,
• Stakeholder engagement skills, coupled with a customer-oriented profile,
• Fluent in Afrikaans and English.
• Any other European languages will be an advantage.
• Communication, analytical and presentation skills
• Open-minded self-starter with the ability to adapt, improvise and solve problems.
• Deciding and initiating action
• Persuading and Influencing skills
• Negotiation skills.
• Planning and organizing
• Adapting and coping with change
• Delivering and meeting expectations, Results orientated

General:

• Reports to the Regional Procurement Manager (Global) and General Manager: Farming: SSA
• Market related base salary.
• Work model - Monday to Friday
• Seasonal activities / harvest run from April to August.
• December is financial year end.
• Support to the South Africa Farming Division - Procurement function

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 exciting career growth opportunities for the right candidate.

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

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

If you do not hear from us within 14 days of the date of application, please regard your application as unsuccessful.  Only short-listed candidates will be moved through the Talent Pipeline and contacted. The company is arranged in line with our employment equity plan.

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.