Purchasing Administrator

Purchasing Administrator

Location: Witney, Oxfordshire
Department: Procurement / Operations
Reporting to: Purchasing Manager

About Nitron Racing

Nitron Racing is a world-renowned manufacturer of high-performance suspension systems for motorsport, automotive, motorcycle and specialist vehicle applications.

Our products are engineered, tested and manufactured to perform at the highest level. As we continue to grow, we are looking for an organised and commercially minded Purchasing Administrator / Coordinator to join our team and help strengthen and develop our purchasing and supplier management processes.

The Role

The Purchasing Administrator / Coordinator will be responsible for coordinating the day-to-day procurement of components, materials and services required to support production.

The role will work closely with Production, Engineering, Stores and Operations to ensure the right parts are ordered, from the right suppliers, at the right price and delivered when required.

A key focus of the role will be improving the accuracy and effectiveness of our MRP purchasing process, reducing manual administration and helping to move Nitron towards a more structured and increasingly automated procurement system.

The successful candidate will be highly organised, proactive and commercially aware, with strong attention to detail and the confidence to communicate with suppliers and challenge delivery dates, pricing and lead times where appropriate.

Key Responsibilities

MRP & Purchasing

• Review MRP requirements and identify components requiring purchase.
• Process and coordinate purchase requirements generated through the MRP system.
• Obtain and compare quotations from multiple suppliers, particularly for non-fixed-price and machine-related components.
• Break down MRP requirements into clear, supplier-specific quotation requests.
• Maintain control over outstanding MRP purchasing requirements and work towards agreed departmental targets.
• Ensure purchasing information, supplier pricing and lead times are accurately maintained within the MRP system.
• Work with suppliers to establish fixed pricing and agreed lead times wherever commercially practical.
• Identify opportunities to increase the level of procurement that can be automated through MRP.
• Help reduce reliance on manual purchasing systems, spreadsheets, cards and ad-hoc ordering.

Supplier Management

• Request, obtain and evaluate supplier quotations.
• Maintain a live quotation tracker, including follow-up and reminder dates.
• Chase outstanding quotations and ensure purchasing decisions are progressed promptly.
• Place purchase orders with approved suppliers.
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with key suppliers, predominantly across Asia.
• Communicate regularly with overseas suppliers regarding pricing, specifications, lead times, order quantities and delivery dates.
• Chase suppliers for delivery dates and ensure agreed ETAs are maintained.
• Escalate late, delayed or problematic orders where they may impact production.
• Support the identification and development of new suppliers, particularly within Asia.
• Help establish a minimum of three capable suppliers for key components where commercially and technically appropriate, improving supply resilience.
• Consider supplier performance across quality, cost and lead time when evaluating sourcing options.
• Support the development and management of overseas/Asia-based suppliers.

Production & Delivery Coordination

• Maintain and regularly update production schedules with accurate supplier delivery ETAs.
• Ensure Production and relevant departments have clear visibility of expected deliveries.
• Monitor outstanding purchase orders and proactively identify potential shortages.
• Work with Production, Stores and Operations to prioritise purchasing requirements according to production demand.
• Ensure changes to supplier delivery dates are communicated promptly to the relevant teams.
• Help prevent production disruption caused by late or missing components.

Purchasing Administration

• Create and maintain purchase orders and associated supplier documentation.
• Maintain accurate procurement trackers and records.
• Monitor outstanding orders, quotations and supplier commitments.
• Prepare regular updates on outstanding purchasing requirements and potential risks.
• Maintain the foreign payment spreadsheet and provide the required information to the Operations Manager/Company Owner regarding upcoming supplier payments.
• Highlight significant orders, due dates and payment requirements in advance.
• Minimise unnecessary ad-hoc purchasing through online marketplaces and company credit cards by developing more controlled purchasing processes.

Process Improvement & MRP Development

• Identify opportunities to simplify, standardise and automate procurement processes.
• Work with the Operations team to improve MRP data accuracy.
• Help identify and eliminate duplicate or unnecessary ordering processes.
• Support the removal of manual systems such as Kanban cards and live order spreadsheets as MRP accuracy improves.
• Work with suppliers to establish longer-term pricing agreements, ideally for periods of 6 months or more, where appropriate.
• Assist with developing supplier agreements that enable more effective MRP automation.
• Identify recurring procurement issues and recommend practical improvements.
• Help develop clear procurement controls, procedures and sign-off processes.

Key Performance Areas

The successful candidate will be expected to help deliver measurable improvements across the procurement function, including:

• Reduction in outstanding MRP purchasing requirements.
• Improved accuracy of MRP purchasing data.
• Improved supplier delivery performance and accuracy of ETAs.
• Reduction in late or urgent purchases.
• Improved quotation response and follow-up times.
• Increased use of agreed/fixed supplier pricing.
• Reduction in ad-hoc purchasing and credit-card purchases.
• Reduction in manual purchasing systems and duplicate order handling.
• Improved supplier resilience through development of alternative sources.
• Increased automation of routine procurement activity.

Skills & Experience

Essential

• Previous experience in procurement, purchasing, buying, supply chain or a similar coordination role.
• Strong organisational and administrative skills.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Confident communicating with suppliers by email and telephone.
• Ability to manage multiple purchasing requirements and priorities simultaneously.
• Strong Excel/spreadsheet skills.
• Commercial awareness and confidence obtaining and comparing supplier quotations.
• Proactive approach to chasing outstanding actions and deliveries.
• Ability to identify potential supply issues before they affect production.
• Comfortable working with ERP/MRP systems and maintaining accurate purchasing data.

Desirable

• Experience working within a manufacturing or engineering environment.
• Experience purchasing engineering components, machined parts or raw materials.
• Experience with an MRP/ERP system.
• Experience dealing with overseas suppliers, particularly suppliers based in Asia.
• Chinese language skills – Mandarin in particular – would be highly beneficial due to the high proportion of our supplier base located in China/Asia.
• Understanding of manufacturing processes and component specifications.
• Experience developing new suppliers and alternative sources.
• Experience improving or automating procurement processes.
• Knowledge of supplier lead times, MOQ, pricing agreements and purchasing terms.

Personal Attributes

We are looking for someone who is:

• Highly organised and able to manage a busy purchasing workload.
• Proactive – someone who chases issues rather than waits for them to become problems.
• Commercially minded and comfortable negotiating on price, lead time and terms.
• Analytical, with good attention to detail and the ability to identify trends and discrepancies.
• Process-focused, with an interest in improving the way things are done.
• Confident and professional when dealing with suppliers.
• Practical and hands-on, with a willingness to get into the detail.
• Reliable and accountable, taking ownership of purchasing requirements from quotation through to delivery.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced manufacturing environment where priorities can change.

What Success Looks Like

Within the role, the successful candidate will take increasing ownership of the procurement process, ensuring that:

Right part → Right supplier → Right price → Right quantity → Right time

They will help Nitron operate a controlled, accurate and automated MRP-driven procurement process, while maintaining strong supplier relationships and ensuring production has the components it needs when required.

Job Types: Permanent, Full-time

Pay: £26,000.00-£35,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company events
• On-site parking

Application question(s):

• Must already be within commuting distance of Witney, Oxfordshire

Experience:

• Purchasing: 3 years (required)

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (required)

Location:

• Witney OX29 (preferred)

Work Location: In person