Assistant Manager/Manager, Purchase

About the role

To lead day-to-day sourcing, supplier management and costing for the group's F&B and catering operations. The role secures the right quality at the best total cost, ensures timely and reliable supply to the central kitchen and outlets, and supports management with accurate purchasing data for decision-making. Reports to the Assistant Director Purchase.

Key responsibilities

• Source food and non-food items to agreed specifications, cost and lead times
• Run RFQs and tenders, prepare quotation comparisons and recommend suppliers with clear cost and quality rationale
• Negotiate prices, payment terms, minimum order quantities and delivery schedules; secure annual or seasonal contracts where appropriate
• Develop alternative and backup suppliers to reduce single-source risk and respond quickly to market shortages
• Ensure purchase requisitions and purchase orders are processed promptly, in line with SOPs and approval limits
• Onboard and evaluate suppliers on price, quality, food safety compliance, delivery performance and service
• Conduct periodic supplier reviews and site visits; follow up on non-conformances, returns and credit notes
• Maintain the approved supplier list and supplier documentation (licences, certificates, Halal status)
• Work with culinary and operations teams on menu costing, recipe costing and pricing of new menu items
• Analyse spend, price variances and supplier performance to support cost control and forecasting

About you

• Diploma or Degree in Supply Chain, Business Administration, Logistics, F&B or related field
• At least 5 years of purchasing experience, including at least 2 years in F&B, catering, central kitchen or food manufacturing
• Experience sourcing fresh and frozen food, especially seafood, rice and dry goods
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; able to liaise confidently and clearly with culinary, operations, finance, QA and suppliers at all levels
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability; takes responsibility for outcomes, follows through without reminders and escalates issues early
• Good written and spoken English; Mandarin is an advantage for liaising with Chinese-speaking suppliers
• Strong negotiation, quotation analysis, and menu and recipe costing skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, lookups) and purchasing or ERP systems
• Analytical mindset with the ability to back recommendations with data
• Familiarity with Halal requirements, food hygiene regulations, HACCP and SFA guidelines