Direct Sourcing Assistant

Company Description

Rexel is a global leader in electrical wholesale, distributing advanced electrical and energy-efficient products worldwide. We deliver smart, sustainable solutions engineered to enhance comfort, safety, and security across the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors.

We are looking for a Direct Sourcing Assistant to join our team. Reporting to the Direct Sourcing Lead, you will provide accurate, timely administrative, operational, and coordination support for direct-sourced products. You will play a vital role in helping ensure supplier activity, purchase orders, product information, shipping documentation, and internal communications are effectively managed through to delivery.

This is a hybrid role offering excellent remote working flexibility, with travel into Head Office (Birmingham B26) once a week, alongside the requirement to travel across our network when needed for key meetings and collaborative sessions.

The Benefits of a Career with Rexel: 

• Contributory pension scheme and life assurance x4 salary when you join scheme
• Bonuses: Performance Related Bonus scheme 
• Time Off: 33 days annual leave (including bank holidays, increasing throughout the years too!) You can also buy and sell holiday and enjoy enhanced parental leave  
• Support & Development: Extensive learning opportunities from day one.  
• Health & Wellbeing: Free virtual GP service, Healthy Mind Champions, and more!  
• Perks: Staff discounts, exclusive holiday offers and free financial support and education  

Job Description

In this role, your responsibilities will span across order & data management, supplier coordination, international shipping compliance, and internal communication: 

• Support the Sourcing Lead with direct-sourcing activity and maintain effective supplier engagement.
• Coordinate with overseas suppliers and Group subsidiaries on RFQs, quotations, samples, specifications, and product information.
• Manage purchase orders from creation through production, shipping, and delivery, proactively tracking commitments, lead times, and queries.
• Maintain accurate, comprehensive records for suppliers, products, pricing, sourcing, and compliance.
• Maintain precise product and cost data, including technical specifications, packaging details, country of origin, weights, and dimensions.
• Manage and thoroughly check shipping and import documentation, including customs paperwork, HS codes, tariffs, freight, duty, and landed-cost information.
• Monitor shipments and deliveries closely, while proactively escalating and resolving delays, shortages, labelling errors, documentation issues, and other discrepancies.
• Coordinate communications, required actions, and necessary follow-up across Sourcing, Commercial, Supply Chain, Logistics, Finance, Product Data, Warehouses, and Branches.

Qualifications

At Rexel, we prioritise hiring individuals based on behaviours and potential, rather than requiring specific formal qualifications for roles, the behaviours that will set you up for success include:

COLLABORATION – Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives 

TAKES ACCOUNTABILTY – Takes action, addresses obstacles to get work done and meets commitments

CUSTOMER FOCUS – Building strong customer relationships & delivers customer centric solutions

BUSINESS INSIGHT - Applying knowledge of business and the marketplace to advance the organization’s goals

In addition to these behaviours you will benefit from demonstrating:

• Supplier coordination, including RFQs, quotations, samples and specifications.
• Knowledge of import, shipping, customs, HS codes, tariffs and landed costs.
• Strong tracking, reporting, record-keeping and document-control skills.
• Effective stakeholder communication, follow-up and issue escalation.
• Experience in sourcing, buying, supply chain, import/export or purchasing; relevant industry experience desirable.

Additional Information

At Rexel UK, we’re all about welcoming people from different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives because we know that diversity drives fresh ideas and great results.

By coming together as one team, we’re building a high-performance culture that not only drives success but also creates real value for our customers and communities.

Creating an environment where individuality is celebrated and creativity flourishes, we're making sure everyone feels supported and confident to be their best.