Head of Procurement

Head of Procurement

Essex | Hybrid |

A global technology group is hiring a Head of Procurement for one of its specialist UK manufacturing businesses. The business designs and builds highly engineered, low-volume products used in healthcare, renewables, space and industrial systems. It has an established product range and is growing in new markets.

This is a broad remit. You’ll own all direct procurement for the business unit and all indirect procurement for the site, covering facilities, services and capital spend. You’ll set the strategy, manage the supplier base and lead the procurement team.

What you’ll do

• Lead direct procurement, securing supply, controlling cost and improving supplier performance
• Run indirect procurement for the site, including facilities, services and capital expenditure
• Analyse spend and build sourcing and negotiation strategies that deliver savings
• Negotiate contracts and manage suppliers on total cost of ownership, quality, delivery and compliance
• Work closely with Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering and Finance on integrated business planning
• Build procurement KPIs and reporting that support business decisions
• Lead and develop the procurement team, and improve how the function works

What you’ll bring

• Significant experience leading procurement in manufacturing or technology
• A track record across both direct and indirect procurement
• Experience in high-mix, low-volume manufacturing of complex, engineered products is a preference
• Strong negotiation and stakeholder skills, with the credibility to influence at all levels
• A collaborative leadership style and experience taking a team through change
• Knowledge of S&OP or integrated business planning
• ERP experience, ideally SAP S/4HANA
• A degree or equivalent experience in operations, engineering, business or a related field
• Willingness to travel up to 20%

Why this role

You’ll shape procurement for a business that is growing, rather than maintain a function that’s already set. The products are complex and the supplier base matters, so procurement has a real say in how the business performs.