Distributors jobs in Crawley RH10

Overview

Purchaser – Aviation

Location: Crawley, West Sussex
Company: Adams Aviation Supply Co Ltd
Position: Full-time

About the Role

Adams Aviation is looking for an experienced and highly proactive Purchaser to join our team in Crawley.

This is not simply a purchase order processing role. We are looking for someone who will take ownership of purchasing, actively manage our supplier relationships and ensure we are buying the right products, at the right price, in the right quantities and at the right time.

Previous purchasing experience within the aviation, aerospace or aircraft parts sector would be highly advantageous, particularly experience dealing directly with OEMs, manufacturers and international suppliers.

The successful candidate will be commercially minded, confident speaking with suppliers and comfortable negotiating pricing, discounts, payment terms and purchasing agreements.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the purchasing of aviation parts, components and products from OEMs, manufacturers and distributors.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with existing suppliers.
• Proactively contact suppliers rather than relying solely on email and automated ordering.
• Negotiate purchase prices, discounts, volume breaks, freight arrangements and payment terms.
• Regularly review supplier pricing and challenge increases where appropriate.
• Identify opportunities to improve buying prices and overall gross margin.
• Understand the relationship between purchase cost, selling price, gross profit and margin.
• Work closely with the sales and finance teams to ensure purchasing decisions support commercial objectives.
• Monitor current stock levels and historic product usage.
• Develop purchasing forecasts based on sales history, current demand, customer requirements, seasonality and expected future business.
• Work with the sales team to understand forthcoming customer requirements and potential large orders.
• Identify fast-moving, slow-moving and obsolete stock.
• Help reduce excess and surplus inventory while maintaining appropriate stock availability.
• Review minimum order quantities, lead times and supplier stocking arrangements.
• Monitor supplier performance, including pricing, lead times, product availability and delivery reliability.
• Develop alternative sources of supply where appropriate to reduce dependency and improve competitiveness.
• Work directly with OEMs to explore improved commercial arrangements and distribution opportunities.
• Assist with annual purchasing budgets and stock planning.
• Maintain accurate purchasing information within the company's ERP system.
• Regularly report on purchasing performance, supplier savings, stock commitments and opportunities for improvement.

What We're Looking For

The ideal candidate will have:

• Previous experience working as a Purchaser, Buyer or Procurement professional.
• Aviation or aerospace purchasing experience would be highly desirable.
• Experience dealing directly with manufacturers, OEMs and suppliers.
• Strong negotiation skills and the confidence to pick up the telephone and negotiate.
• A proactive approach – someone who actively looks for opportunities rather than simply reacting to purchasing requests.
• Good commercial awareness.
• A clear understanding of gross profit, gross margin and the effect purchasing decisions have on profitability.
• Experience with demand planning, purchasing forecasts and inventory management.
• The ability to analyse historic sales and purchasing data and turn it into sensible purchasing decisions.
• Experience managing supplier relationships and reviewing supplier performance.
• Strong Excel and general IT skills.
• Experience using ERP or inventory management systems.
• Excellent communication and organisational skills.
• The ability to question existing processes and suggest better ways of working.

The Person

We are particularly interested in someone who naturally asks:

Can we get a better price?
Can we negotiate better terms?
Are we buying too much?
Are we buying enough?
Can the supplier hold stock for us?
Is there an alternative supplier?
What will we need in three, six or twelve months?
How will this purchase affect our margin and cash?

We want someone who sees purchasing as a commercial function that can directly improve profitability, stock availability and working capital, rather than simply an administrative process.

Why Join Adams Aviation?

Adams Aviation is an established aviation parts distributor supporting customers across the UK, Europe and internationally.

The business is entering an important period of development, and purchasing will play a significant role in improving our margins, inventory management, supplier relationships and future growth.

This is an opportunity for the successful candidate to take real ownership of the purchasing function and help develop a more structured, commercially focused approach to procurement across the business.

Pay: £35,000.00-£42,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Casual dress
• Free parking
• On-site parking

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Crawley (West Sussex)