Production Buyer

Job title:                              Production Buyer

Department:                           Planning

Reporting to:                          Production Buying Manager

Staff reporting:                 0

Salary:                                     Competitive

Working week:                   40 hours per week

About us

We make bikes that move differently. Every fold, every ride, every detail matters. At Brompton, engineering and craft meet freedom of expression. Each bike invites you to explore your city, your routine, and yourself in new ways.

We don’t just make bikes. We shape possibilities. Over fifty years of innovation flow through every frame, and every team member helps shape what comes next. We are looking for a Production Planner to help us keep moving differently.

The role

We are looking for a Production Buyer to join Brompton in London. This role is suited to an experienced production buying professional who can take ownership of strategic and high-risk suppliers, lead complex recovery activity and support the development of the wider buying team.

Working within the Production Buying team, you will manage material supply and supplier performance to support production requirements for quality, cost and delivery. Alongside core purchasing responsibilities, you will provide operational support on complex supply, logistics and GITW issues and help drive continuous improvement across Production Buying processes.

This is an opportunity to play a experienced operational role across Brompton Bicycle's global supply chain. You will manage an assigned supplier portfolio, lead recovery and improvement activity where supply performance is at risk and represent Production Buying in cross-functional meetings and projects. You will also coach buyers on best practice, issue resolution and process improvement.

  Main duties and responsibilities       

Supplier Portfolio Management

• • Daily management of global supplier and subcontractor portfolio using existing business tools and future digitalisation.
  • Own the management of strategic and high-risk suppliers, establishing clear priorities, governance and risk-mitigation plans.

Proactively operate in a procurement community as partner to Planning, Logistics, Quality and NPI team.

• • Represent Production Buying in cross-functional meetings and supplier-related projects as required.
  • Demand and forecast control, challenge internally MRP demand and unusual consumption.

• Review weekly/monthly/quarterly delivery schedule and forecast with suppliers.

• Monitor and manage delivery forecasts and 'line of balance' through regular interaction with suppliers.

• • Anticipation of operational risks and issues to drive proactive and mitigation action plans with supplier and transversal departments.

• Analyse delays, prioritise urgencies, ensure clear and regular communication to all internal customers and that the escalation process is initiated in a timely manner where required to avoid impacts to build through late supply.

• PO release planning throughout the year.

• Requirement of potential supplier visit or anticipation of trade show.

Logistics

• Use of appropriate logistic and ordering solutions, arranging shipping with 3PL.

• • Driving the reverse logistics flows (quotes, return parts, followed removals).

• Follow-up and support troubleshooting for delivery issues, Goods receipt, Technical/Administrative quality notice and invoices.

• Manage & optimise airfreight cost and oversee the airfreight approval process.

• • Drive a sustained reduction in airfreight dependency through proactive supplier control, forward planning and early escalation of material risks.
  • Act as an escalation point for complex logistics issues, coordinating timely containment, root-cause resolution and stakeholder communication.

Master Data & PDM Update

• In line with influencing factors (Delivery performance, quality performance, demand fluctuation, Economic Order Quantity);

• Maintain and optimise the ordering parameters (batch size, MOQ, Leadtime, Kanban, etc.) on both INFOR and PDM system.

• Support optimisation of inventory parameters (Safety stock, reorder point) with Supply planner.
• Transactions accuracy

• Raise, release, monitor and adjust Purchase orders within supplier leadtime and requirements.

• Confirm and update Purchase order data (Promise date, Brompton arrival dates) in Infor as per the supplier’s confirmations.

• • Manage reordering tasks after rejection, scrap/damages.
  • Maintain MRP/APS/Control Tower requirements filled with promised orders sufficient to replenish stock and cover both demand and safety stock, Analyse MRP and Supply External Product exception messages.
  • Complete handover of new parts purchased items from development phrase (Category buyer) to support production phrase.

Monitoring

• Monitoring and improvement of first tier Supplier relationships.

• • Monitoring of the Supply Chain's performance (reception, shops, internal transport, shipping).
  • Lead supplier recovery plans, capacity ramp-ups and OTIF improvement activity, coordinating actions across suppliers and internal stakeholders.

• Measure Supply Chain KPIs such as OTD and OTIF, OQD , Missing parts, Ordering measures, VMI Level of Service, Stock KPI’s, Supplier rating (confidence level) including collaboration process.

• Support NPI for Supplier selection by providing data such as OTD/OTIF/OQD ratings and supplier knowledge.

• Participate in supplier performance reviews/provide performance feedback to supplier where required.

• • Providing oversight of the number of inventories and implement action plans with suppliers to control the level.

• Monitor transit and transit delays.

• • keep accurate records of payment and delivery of goods and services.

Projects

• • Create the future: Support Supply chain and Logistics Transformation projects and processes, Contributing or leading projects that improve the current way of working and/or prepare the future of (digital) supply management.
  • Identify gaps and inefficiencies in internal processes, using data to provide practical insights, recommendations and measurable improvement actions.
  • Support and coach Production Buyers on best practice, issue resolution, supplier management and process improvement, without formal line-management responsibility.

Key skills required

·       Self-driven, proactive and practical, with the confidence to take ownership of complex supply risks

·       Strong communicator and influencer, able to coordinate suppliers and cross-functional stakeholders

·       Strong purchasing skills, including supply planning, supplier recovery, RFQs, negotiation and supplier relationship management

·       Competent in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, with the ability to translate operational data into clear insights and actions

·       Experience in purchasing or supply chain within a manufacturing environment, including ownership of complex or high-risk suppliers

• • Demonstrable experience of leading supplier performance improvement, recovery planning or capacity ramp-up activity.
  • Able to coach colleagues, share best practice and lead through influence without formal line-management responsibility.

• Eligible to work in the UK

Desirable Skills

• CIPS qualification
• Experience of ERP/MRP systems in a production environment;
• INFOR experience is advantageous.
• Experience of international logistics,
• GITW processes and supplier capacity management.  

Education

Degree qualified or equivalent in a relevant field, e.g., Business Management, but non-essential 

Why Brompton?

Because we make bikes that surprise and delight, we want people who do the same. Your work matters. You’ll get hands-on, tackle real problems, and see the results on the streets, on the train and across cities around the world. At Brompton, craft, curiosity and community come together every day and you’ll be part of it.

Benefits at Brompton:

Brompton offers you an excellent working environment with enthusiastic colleagues who get along, communicate and co-operate well with each other. The working climate is informal, but we work hard. Next to good terms of employment, Brompton offers you the opportunity to work in a responsible and challenging job within a dynamic, international and ambitious environment. We are all proud to be part of Brompton Bicycle Ltd; we all share the same passion and dedication to the company and the product, despite any differences in cultural backgrounds and skills.

• 9 Day Fortnight – This is a flexible working pattern which individuals can opt in for where an employee works their contractual hours across 9 days instead of 10 days. (i.e. 80 hours across 9 days instead of 10 days). This mean the individual would work an additional hour across Monday to Thursday (across the 2 week period) to gain their Friday off
• Annual Leave – 25 days annual leave, plus all UK bank holidays, prorated
• Competitive Salary – Plus workplace pension scheme and profit share bonus.
• Brompton Discount - Get ready to bike in style, as all employee’s receive up to 60% off their very own bike and accessories, plus there are discounts for your friends and family too.
• Staff Loan Bike – All employees are eligible to receive a Brompton Bicycle which they can use free of charge for up to 3 months
• Free Breakfast – Unlimited, all-day access to an array of fruit and cereal
• Breakout Areas – Unwind on the mezzanine floor which contains a ping-pong, foosball and pool table and other games like darts and a giant Connect-4!
• Learning and Development - Access to free LinkedIn Learning and opportunity to devote some of your time at work to personal development. We value professional development and actively promote internal promotions and opportunities.
• Benefits - Workplace Pension Scheme, Flexible Working, Cycle to Work Scheme and other benefits.
• Mental Health – We provide access to a confidential EAP that offers counselling, resources and support for various mental health challenges.
• Paid Leave – We offer an enhanced Family, Paternity and Maternity leave pay.

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Commitment

Regardless of age, disability, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, culture, educational background, parental status, neurodiversity or disability - whoever you are, if you’re passionate about your work, curious, relentless and customer-obsessed, we want to hear from you.

Our Values

We Take Pride - Quality is born in the details

We Build Community - A Brompton brings people together

We Are Human - Being ourselves create magic

We Are Curious - Inspiration is everywhere

We Bring Energy - Our movement and momentum are infectious