Purchasing Manager - 8-month maternity contract

You know that great purchasing is invisible - fridges full, shelves ready, no dramas.

This 8‑month maternity cover puts you in the driver’s seat of purchasing for a busy floral wholesale business supplying florists and creative brands across WA.

You will take ownership of fresh and non‑perishable ranges, lead two specialists, and help shape what the product mix looks like next season (not just tomorrow morning).

The deal
Contract: 8‑month fixed‑term maternity cover
Start: June 2026 preferred (July at the latest)
Hours: 7.30am - 4.30pm, Monday to Friday (with the occasional weekend thing)
Location: West Leederville... opposite the train station, close to cafes
Salary: Circa $120,000 +Super (depending on experience)
What’s in it for you
Real ownership, not “supporting the manager”: You are the purchasing function’s leader.
Fresh product, fast decisions: A highly perishable environment where your calls show up in fridges and in florists’ hands within days.
A chance to build, not just maintain: New dashboards, alerts and reporting are being rolled out, so you get the fun part: using them to sharpen performance.
Product development in the mix: Help redesign non‑perishable ranges (vases, pots, packaging, foam) and explore offshore manufacturing and national distribution.
Lifestyle‑friendly hours: 7.30am-4.30pm, Monday to Friday, in West Leederville across from the train station and dangerously close to one of Perth's best coffees!
The work you will own

You are the person who knows what is coming in, what is going out and what cannot sit another day.
Run end‑to‑end purchasing for fresh and non‑perishable categories - forecasting, stock planning, fridge capacity, and inventory flow.
Lead, coach and align two Purchasing Specialists, each with their own supplier portfolio, and give the function the structure it has been missing.
Keep existing growers and suppliers close - managing quality, availability, pricing and service so everyone gets what they need when they need it.
Hunt for new growers and suppliers to support growth and continuity of supply, factoring in quarantine rules, permits and import requirements.
Use new dashboards, reports and automated alerts to spot risks early, make decisions faster and back them up with numbers.
Partner with sales and leadership on product and business‑development moves - from testing new lines to supporting bigger procurement calls.
On the non‑perishable side, you will help rethink “mature” ranges that are ready for a refresh. Think proprietary or exclusive products, exploring offshore sourcing (for example, in China) and setting them up for broader distribution – not just buying the same catalogue items as everyone else.

Who this will suit

You like being close enough to the action to see exactly how good purchasing lifts a business - and how bad purchasing hurts it.
You have run purchasing, procurement or buying before - ideally as a Purchasing Manager, Procurement Manager or senior buyer in SME, wholesale or FMCG.
You have dealt with fresh or perishable products (or similarly time‑sensitive categories), so shelf life, quality and timing are second nature.
You are comfortable around importation, quarantine, permits or regulatory requirements, or happy to get across them quickly.
You enjoy the numbers side - pricing, freight, margins – and can talk through examples where you made the P&L look better.
You have led or coached a small team and actually like doing it.
You are product‑curious: you notice trends, spot gaps in the range and enjoy building something new, not just ordering the same thing on repeat.
You are happy in a hands‑on SME, working directly with the owner, and are fine with the odd out‑of‑hours call when something critical pops up.
How to throw your hat in the ring

If you like the idea of owning and purchasing in a world of flowers, freight and fast decisions - and leaving a tighter, smarter function behind you at the end of the contract, we would love to hear from you.

Apply with your CV and a short note on your relevant experience, and when you could start.

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