Director of Procurement

Job number

COO01363

Faculties

Chief Operating Officer (COO) Team

Departments

Finance Division

Salary or Salary range

Competitive

Location/campus

White City Campus - Hybrid

Contract type work pattern

Full time - Open ended

Posting End Date

8 Apr 2026

About the role

We are seeking a Director of Procurement to lead our university-wide procurement function, overseeing an annual expenditure of £350m. Reporting directly to the Chief Financial Officer, this is a pivotal leadership position responsible for shaping and delivering a strategic, high‑performing procurement service that supports our world‑class teaching, research, and operational priorities.

As Director of Procurement, you will provide clear, strategic direction across all purchasing and supply‑chain activities, ensuring value for money, compliance with legal and ethical standards, and the delivery of robust, efficient and forward‑thinking procurement processes.

This is a transformative moment for us as we implement major process improvements and transition to Oracle Fusion Cloud, making this an exciting opportunity to drive long‑lasting change.

You will play a central role in influencing senior leaders, embedding best practice, and ensuring that procurement contributes meaningfully to strategic objectives, including sustainability and our commitment to achieving net zero by 2040.

What you would be doing

You will lead and modernise our procurement function, ensuring effective governance, operational excellence, and a consistent focus on value for money. Providing senior leadership oversight on all procurement and contracting processes, including developing and executing category strategies, improving procure‑to‑pay operations, and embedding streamlined, standardised methodologies across the organisation.

A key part of your remit will be driving a major transformation programme that enhances procurement activity end‑to‑end covering sourcing, supplier management, contract management, and digital enablement. You will lead our transition to the Oracle Fusion ERP platform, maximising its capability to deliver efficiency, transparency and better decision‑making.

You will lead a skilled team of procurement professionals, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration and innovation. Your leadership will help strengthen relationships with internal stakeholders and guide the organisation in achieving ambitious efficiency targets, sustainability commitments, and improvements to our procurement control environment. You will also represent the university externally, working closely with research funders, government bodies, suppliers, and other strategic partners.

What we are looking for

We ask candidates to detail in their application or additional cover letter, how they meet the following criteria:

• MCIPS qualification or equivalent
• Extensive experience in senior procurement leadership roles within large, complex organisations
• Strong track record of leading procurement transformation and delivering measurable improvements
• Experience interacting with senior internal and external stakeholders including research donors and professional bodies
• Proven expertise in negotiating strategic procurement agreements
• Deep knowledge of procurement best practice, processes, and systems
• Strong influencing skills, with the ability to engage effectively at executive level
• Exceptional negotiation and commercial skills with sound judgement
• Focus on operational excellence with a proactive approach to process improvement
• Ability to inspire, lead, and develop teams
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Creative problem‑solver with the ability to drive organisational change

What we can offer you

• The opportunity to lead and transform our procurement offering to the university.
• The chance to work on and support the implementation of our new ERP System, Oracle Cloud.
• A competitive salary and sector-leading benefits package, including generous annual leave, pension provision and flexible working arrangements.
• Access to a range of workplace benefits including a flexible working policy from day one, generous family leave packages, on-site leisure facilities and cycle-to-work scheme.
• Interest-free season ticket loan schemes for travel.
• Be part of a diverse, inclusive and collaborative work culture with various staff networks and resources to support your personal and professional wellbeing.

Further information

This is a full-time, open ended post in Imperial’s Finance team.

We are looking to interview for this role on the 28th April.

Due to the nature of this role, we will be shortlisting candidates as applications are received. We therefore reserve the right to close this vacancy as soon as a suitable candidate has been appointed. It is therefore advisable that you submit your application as possible to avoid disappointment.

Candidates are required to complete an online application.

If you require any further details about the role, please contact [email protected].

Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities mentioned above.

If you experience any technical issues while applying online, please don't hesitate to email us at [email protected]. We're here to help.

Available documents

Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.

Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities mentioned above.

We reserve the right to close the advert prior to the closing date stated should we receive a high volume of applications. It is therefore advisable that you submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

If you encounter any technical issues while applying online, please don't hesitate to email us at [email protected]. We're here to help.

About Imperial

Welcome to Imperial, a global top ten university where scientific imagination leads to world-changing impact.

Join us and be part of something bigger. From global health to climate change, AI to business leadership, here at Imperial we navigate some of the world’s toughest challenges. Whatever your role, your contribution will have a lasting impact.

As a member of our vibrant community of 22,000 students and 8,000 staff, you’ll collaborate with passionate minds across nine London campuses and a global network.

This is your chance to help shape the future. We hope you’ll join us at Imperial College London.

Our Culture

We work towards equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination, and to creating an inclusive working environment for all. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities. You can read more about our commitment on our webpages.

Our values are at the root of everything we do and everyone in our community is expected to demonstrate respect, collaboration, excellence, integrity, and innovation.