Purchasing Assistant

Purchasing & Inventory Assistant

Manchester
Flexible working hours
Full-time on site
Permanent, full-time

We're supporting a well established manufacturing business in Manchester that is looking to appoint a Purchasing & Inventory Assistant.

This is a hands-on role focused on raw material purchasing, inventory management, MRP discipline, purchase order progression, and production support.

It would suit someone from a manufacturing, aerospace, metals, engineering, or materials-led environment where stock accuracy and production timelines really matter.

The role

You'll support the Purchasing and Supply Chain team by making sure materials are ordered, tracked, updated and available for production on time.

A major part of the role is using MRP/ERP systems to check material availability, support production planning, manage inventory, and help ensure customer orders are delivered without delay.

Key responsibilities

• Manage and support raw material inventory activity


• Use MRP to check stock availability and support production schedules


• Raise, update and progress purchase orders


• Add pricing, shipping and delivery updates to purchase orders


• Liaise with Sales, Production, Purchasing and Supply Chain teams


• Work with suppliers to progress deliveries and resolve issues


• Support intercompany purchase orders and internal updates


• Help ensure the correct materials are available at the right time


• Produce reports and updates on purchasing, suppliers and inventory


• Support improvements across purchasing and stock control

What we're looking for

• Experience in purchasing, inventory, supply chain or materials planning


• Strong understanding of MRP and inventory management


• ERP/MRP system experience, ideally Microsoft Dynamics AX or similar


• Manufacturing background


• Aerospace, metals, engineering or raw materials experience would be ideal


• Strong Microsoft 365 and general IT skills


• Good communication and organisation skills


• Comfortable working across Sales, Production and Supply Chain


• Detail-focused, practical and confident managing order updates

Useful but not essential

• CIPS qualification


• Degree, A Levels or equivalent


• Previous experience in a purchasing team within a manufacturing business

Package

• Monday to Friday


• 37.5 hours per week


• Flexible working hours


• Full-time on site


• Manchester-based role