Valentyna, aged 30
Production Buyer

« The will to succeed and to excel yourself! »

What is your job in the Group and what does it entail?

As a Production Buyer, I purchase glass and cardboard components needed to make our products for all the Group’s brands. This job covers two activities: the project buyer, dedicated to project management, and the family buyer, who manages a whole portfolio.

Could you describe your everyday job?

I contribute to the Group’s competitiveness by controlling total purchase costs. It’s a fascinating job with strategic and operational aspects. Upstream, I draw up and roll out the strategy of my purchase family on the basis of analyses and competitor monitoring. Then, in very concrete terms, I administer invitations to tender, projects and relations with our suppliers.

What is your training and what positions have you had in the Group since you joined?

All roads lead to Purchasing! In the Ukraine, the country of my birth, I was trained as an English and German interpreter!
I continued this training in France with a DESS postgraduate diploma in Foreign Languages and Business and then specialised in purchasing with a Purchasing Master’s at EM Lyon.
I joined the Yves Rocher Group in 2005. Like all members of the Purchasing Department, I was then given the opportunity to receive negotiation training.

What appeals to you about this job?

I like the diversity of the job: the variety of projects and tasks, its cross-disciplinary dimension.
We work constantly with various contacts internally and externally: development teams, logistics and quality departments, management control, suppliers and leads.

If you had the chance again, would you still apply for a position with the Group?

Yes of course! I have been able to meet some great people, to develop in a young and dynamic team. I find job fulfilment in a job where I can gain broad experience and take responsibility. The important thing is to want to succeed and to excel yourself.