Full TimeENEurope
Job Title: Plant Buyer
Knauf stands for opportunity. We know that opportunity looks different to each person, and we are proud that we see opportunity in everyone. This exciting role within Knauf Insulation in the Purchasing Team could be the perfect next opportunity for you to build a unique career, in a values-led culture with a clear purpose of making tomorrow a home for all of us. We are a global manufacturer of construction materials and within our Group, our 41,500 team members in 90 countries across 300 sites provide a huge opportunity for anyone with ambition and energy. We value everyone's contribution equally and we ask that you bring your whole self to work, to enrich the business further, as together we achieve more in a safe and inclusive environment.
Knauf Insulation is proud to be part of the Knauf Group. ….. To learn more about the business, click here.
Can you say ‘yes’?...
Do you enjoy working in a fast-paced environment?
Do you have excellent verbal and written communication skills?
Do you have good attention to detail?
As our Plant Buyer, you will be the procurement heartbeat of our new flagship Rock Insulation Plant in Shotton. You will lead plant-level buying with real autonomy—keeping a 24/7 operation running without interruption, building robust supplier partnerships, and driving value, safety, quality and sustainability. You will shape and embed best-practice purchasing processes, act as a key member of the Plant Management Team, and partner closely with colleagues across KINE in the UK and our Central Procurement team in Belgium.
What you’ll be doing…
Lead: Own all plant procurement activity, balancing strategic thinking with day-to-day delivery in a fast-moving manufacturing environment.
Assure supply: Schedule and manage raw materials, services, spares and packaging to meet production needs and optimal stock levels- zero production stops is the goal.
Raise standards: Embed purchasing processes in line with regional and central policies; support site audit requirements and plant business plan objectives.
Drive stakeholder value: Build strong, value-adding relationships with internal teams and external partners; promote early purchasing involvement across the site.
Negotiate and develop suppliers: Manage a broad supplier base (strategic and tactical), negotiate with incumbents and new entrants, and actively scan markets to strengthen competition and supply performance.
A full role profile is available upon request from HR/Talent Acquisition.
What we’d love for you to have:
We are interested in you as a person, your attitude, behaviours and values. If you have the willingness to learn anything you need for the role that you don't already have, we'd love to speak to you.
If you have any of the following – this would be an added advantage:
Experience of pre and post tender procurement activities
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Able to work autonomously, quickly, accurately and to tight deadlines
P-2-P & E-procurement experience
Highly experienced in the use of SAP
Positive attitude to change
Attention to Detail, Tenacity & Problem Solving
We'll provide:
Enhanced Holiday Pay – 33 days including bank holidays plus the opportunity to purchase more
16 weeks Company Sick Pay after 3 months of service
Group Income Protection
Enhanced Maternity, Paternity and Adoption packages
Life Assurance – 4 x annual salary
Defined Contribution Pension Scheme
Staff Bonus Scheme
Career Progression Routes
Employee Assistance Programme through Health Assured
Westfield Health Cash Plan
Perkbox
Access to Costco Membership
Wickes Employee Purchase Scheme
On site Gyms
Wellbeing Initiatives and Mental Health First Aiders
Car Salary Sacrifice Scheme
Cycle to work scheme
On site Car Charging Points
What happens next?
We appreciate that your time is precious and applying for a new job can be a lengthy process, so we will reply to your application ASAP.
Knauf Insulation welcomes applications from everyone and is committed to treating everyone equally, regardless of: age; sex; disability; ethnicity; gender identity; religion/belief; sexual orientation; marriage/civil partnership or pregnancy/maternity. In particular, we encourage applications from people from a minority background or from demographics that are underrepresented in the manufacturing industry.
We are a Disability Confident Leader (Level 1) and take care to ensure good EDI (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion) practices in all our operations. If you are invited to an interview, a member of our team will be in touch via email to enquire about any access requirements or reasonable adjustments that we can make for your interview.
