Horticulture Buyer

Horticulture Buyer

Location: Essex
Salary: DOE
Hours: Full Time, Office-Based

The Opportunity

This is a rare opportunity to join one of the UK's most established and respected seed businesses, with a heritage spanning more than a century and a reputation built on quality, expertise and long-standing industry relationships.

The business is seeking an individual with horticultural knowledge, commercial awareness and the ambition to develop their career within a specialist sector. This is far more than a traditional buying role. It offers the opportunity to work alongside an experienced industry leader, gaining invaluable knowledge while playing a key role in the future success of the business.

Reporting directly to the Horticultural Director, you will become an integral part of a small, close-knit team, supporting purchasing activities, supplier management and product development across an extensive range of seed and horticultural products.

This role offers genuine long-term progression and would suit someone looking to build their expertise, broaden their commercial experience and establish themselves within a highly respected business.

The Role

You will support the sourcing, purchasing and management of an extensive range of seed and horticultural products, while developing strong relationships with suppliers, growers and customers.

Key responsibilities include:

• Supporting the procurement and sourcing of seed and horticultural product ranges.
• Building and maintaining supplier relationships across the UK and internationally.
• Assisting with product selection, forecasting and seasonal planning.
• Monitoring stock levels, purchasing requirements and supplier performance.
• Managing supplier communications and coordinating product availability.
• Providing horticultural advice and technical support to customers and internal teams.
• Assisting with catalogue planning, product information and product development activities.
• Supporting commercial negotiations and identifying opportunities to improve supplier performance and profitability.
• Working closely with customer service teams to resolve technical and product-related enquiries.
• Attending supplier meetings, industry events and product trials where required.

About You

We are interested in speaking with commercially minded individuals who have an interest in horticulture and enjoy working with both products and people.

You may already be working within buying, procurement, category management, product management or a horticultural role and be looking for an opportunity that offers broader exposure, increased responsibility and long-term development.

We're particularly interested in individuals who:

• Have horticultural, seed, growing or related industry knowledge.
• Can confidently communicate with growers, suppliers and customers.
• Are comfortable handling technical product discussions and customer enquiries.
• Have strong relationship management and negotiation skills.
• Enjoy working within a small, collaborative team environment.
• Are organised, proactive and detail-oriented.
• Have a professional, approachable and down-to-earth manner.
• Are eager to develop their knowledge and take on greater responsibility over time.
• Possess good commercial awareness and sound decision-making skills.
• Are looking for a long-term opportunity where they can make a meaningful contribution.

Why Join?

• Opportunity to join a well-established and highly respected business within the horticultural sector.
• Work alongside an experienced industry professional with extensive product and market knowledge.
• Gain exposure to all aspects of buying, sourcing, supplier management and product development.
• Play a visible role within a supportive and collaborative team.
• Long-term career prospects within a stable and successful organisation.
• Free on-site parking.
• Staff product benefits and discounts.
• Pension scheme including salary sacrifice options.
• Opportunity to work with a wide network of suppliers, growers and industry contacts.
• Chance to contribute to the continued growth and development of the business.

Ideal Motivations

This role will suit someone who wants:

• A long-term career within the horticultural sector.
• Exposure to the full product lifecycle, from sourcing through to customer delivery.
• The opportunity to learn from an experienced industry specialist.
• A varied role that combines commercial responsibility, supplier management and horticultural knowledge.
• Greater involvement in decision-making and product strategy.
• To play an important role within a successful and established business.