Commercial Buyer Apprentice

Summary

This is an exciting opportunity for anyone who enjoys working with people and developing their skills on real projects. This role will be involved in diverse business issues as it supports our commercial teams to identify risks, develop commercial proposals and business solutions, manage new business contracts and analyse business cases.

Wage: £24,000 a year
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Training course: Sales executive (level 4)
Hours: Monday to Friday. Shifts to be confirmed.
40 hours a week
Possible start date: Sunday 1 June
Duration: 1 year 6 months
Positions available: 1

Work

As an apprentice, you’ll work at a company and get hands-on experience. You’ll gain new skills and work alongside experienced staff.

What you’ll do at work

Purchase material, in line with specified cost, quality and delivery targets
Negotiate contracts, improve prices and terms of business with suppliers and review opportunities to make business savings utilising negotiation and procurement best practice tools and methods
Build, maintain and manage supplier relationships and keep up good communication
Ensure that a professional and consistent approach is taken in relation to all supplier relationships
Assess and evaluate suppliers' performance to ensure contract compliance
Contact suppliers to resolve price, quality, delivery or invoice issues
Act as an interface between suppliers and other relevant departments on purchasing processes and new projects and activities
Monitor market trends, competitor strategies and market suppliers
Prepare reports and updates as and when required
Visit customers and Buyer's customers regularly
Provide support to other Commercial Buyers maintaining and gaining new business
Develop and manage accounts, reporting and mentoring to drive daily/weekly targets

Where you’ll work

EMR Glasgow
Barclay Curle House
739 South Street
Glasgow
G14 0BX

Training

An apprenticeship includes regular training with a college or other training organisation. At least 20% of your working hours will be spent training or studying.

College or training organisation

APPRENTIFY LIMITED

Your training course

Sales executive (level 4)

Equal to higher national certificate (HNC)

Course contents

Sales planning and preparation: Set effective targets using sales forecasts. Prioritise customers and activities to grow account value and maximise return-on-investment in line with your organisation’s strategy. Formulate or refine customer plans and objectives. Create efficient territory plans where appropriate.
Customer engagement: Effectively communicate and interpret customer information exchanged through written, verbal and non-verbal communication. Develop a customer engagement style that effectively opens sales conversations, builds rapport, enhances customer relationships, and adapts to different customer’s social preferences.
Customer needs analysis: Be highly skilled at effective questioning and active listening techniques to understand the customer’s needs, guide the sales conversation appropriately, create mutual understanding, and build trust and affinity with customers.
Propose and present solutions: Develop sales proposals and deliver them using a presentation style and technique appropriate for your customer. Present relevant products and/or services, explain features and their advantages, and clearly articulate the value and benefit of the solution for the specific customer. Use and adapt a range of techniques to draw-out and overcome common sales objections.
Negotiate: Research the customer’s likely desired outcomes and negotiating stance. Develop responses to likely objections. Identify your own organisation’s needs, such as minimum price and acceptable terms. Negotiate or trade variables effectively.
Closing Sales: Be attuned to verbal and non-verbal buying-signals andmove to close at an appropriate point in sales conversations. Develop ethical techniques to close sales and confirm customers’ purchase agreement.
Gathering Intelligence: Collect, analyse and interpret market intelligence and share it appropriately and effectively within your organisation.
Time Management: Use and adapt appropriate tools and techniques to prioritise and manage your time effectively.
Collaboration and team work: Contribute effectively within a team environment. Work collaboratively with both internal and external stakeholders. Manage communications with the cross-functional team in relation to the effective delivery of your sales, such as finance and service delivery. Support continual business improvement by sharing best practice with sales team colleagues and assist the marketing team to develop new marketing collateral.
Customer experience management: Deliver a positive customer experience. Manage customer enquiries and issues effectively. Take proactive action to prevent and minimise customer concerns and complaints. Handle all customer interactions professionally to the customer’s satisfaction.
Digital skills: Effectively use digital tools to conduct research and target customers in line with the overall sales strategy. Able to deliver presentations and meetings using digital communication. Complete accurate records and process sales in accordance with your organisation’s policies, procedures and digital CRM systems.

Your training plan

Sales Executive Level 4 Apprenticeship Standard

Requirements

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

Communication skills
Attention to detail
Organisation skills
Customer care skills
Problem solving skills
Presentation skills
Team working
Initiative
Patience

Other requirements

This opportunity will involve areas based travelling and potentially overnight stays.

About this company

European Metal Recycling is a global leader in sustainable materials with physical operations in the UK, USA, Germany and the Netherlands. Our core business is the recycling of metal and plastics from a range of public, commercial and industrial waste streams. Our recycling activities generate around 10 million tonnes of sustainable materials every year, saving over 10 million tonnes of CO2. Our mission is to have great people serving our customers with dependable recycling solutions. EMR is still privately owned, with family values at its core. It’s a place where we care about our people, our customers, our workplace and our communities. We offer diverse and exciting career opportunities where individuals can make a difference and are recognised and rewarded for their hard work.

http://emrgroup.com (opens in new tab)

After this apprenticeship

This is an opportunity for somebody to develop against the Level 4 Sales Executive Apprenticeship Standard, with a view to joining the team on a permanent basis

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

APPRENTIFY LIMITED

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000307888.

Apply now

Closes on Wednesday 30 April 2025

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After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.

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