Head of Procurement and Vendor Oversight

Join LGPS Central at a pivotal moment—where investment meets long term impact.

The Head of Procurement and Vendor Oversight will lead the company’s approach to sourcing, commercial decision-making and managing supplier performance. The role will ensure that we secure high-quality services that meet operational, regulatory and value for money expectations and that our procurement activity supports our longer-term strategic ambitions.

The postholder will build strong relationships across the organisation to understand business needs early, support project delivery and guide colleagues through procurement and contract processes. They will oversee the company’s end-to-end vendor oversight and service management activity, ensuring suppliers are monitored, risks are identified early, and issues are resolved quickly.

This role will set the standard for how we manage external suppliers. It will shape a culture of commercial awareness, transparency and accountability across the Company and ensure our procurement and service management practices remain robust, forward-looking, focussed on securing value for money, and aligned to the expectations of Partner Funds, regulators, government and other key stakeholders.

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What you'll be doing

Procurement leadership

Lead the procurement strategy and ensure that it supports operational needs and long-term business goals
Ensure all procurement activity complies with the Procurement Act 2023, the Procurement Regulations 2024 and the 2025 consequential amendments, along with internal procurement policy
Oversee sourcing exercises, market reviews, evaluations and negotiations
Maintain clear and consistent procurement documentation and decision records
Ensure procurement practices meet regulatory expectations and support audit readiness

Contracting and commercial management

Oversee contract drafting, negotiation, renewals and commercial changes
Monitor contract expiry dates, risks and dependencies
Provide commercial advice to senior leaders and project teams
Support the business in securing value-for-money services

Supplier service management

Lead the service management approach including reviews, KPIs, SLAs and improvement plans
Support contract owners in to address issues early and support operational resilience
Maintain accurate supplier data and governance records

Vendor oversight and governance

Manage the vendor oversight framework and keep it aligned to regulatory expectations
Oversee due diligence, information security checks, ongoing monitoring and risk actions
Work closely with Legal, Compliance, Risk, Finance and Technology to ensure clear ownership of supplier obligations
Support committee and Board reporting on supplier matters

Leadership and team development

Provide clear leadership to the Procurement and Vendor Oversight Manager and Officer
Set priorities and support the team to deliver high-quality work
Build capability, encourage continuous improvement and develop succession planning
Act as a trusted adviser to colleagues across the organisation

About Us

LGPS Central (LGPSC) Ltd is the FCA regulated asset manager for eight local authority pension funds across the Midlands. LGPSC is jointly owned on an equal shares basis by those Partner Fund, and it is responsible for managing £45bn+ of their assets. It is one of eight Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) asset pools in the UK.

The Company is committed to responsible investment and has made responsible investment a core part of the investment process in every asset class.

LGPS Central offers a friendly and diverse, hybrid working environment with a range of employee benefits. The Company moved to new premises at i9, Wolverhampton Interchange in January 2022, close to local transport links.

Our objective is to be a leading investment management company working with and for our Partner Funds. With a focus on value for money and performance we want to aspire to be one of the best because this is how we will deliver the superior investment returns and low costs for our Partner Funds.

Requirements

Procurement Knowledge: Experience leading procurement activity with familiarity of public sector procurement processes, the Procurement Act 2023, the Procurement Regulations 2024, the 2025 amendments and internal policy requirements.
Vendor Oversight and Governance: Strong background in supplier due diligence, ongoing monitoring, operational resilience checks, and managing supplier-related risks in a regulated environment.
Contracting and Commercial Skills: Experience drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial terms. Ability to manage contract lifecycles, renewals and commercial changes.
Organisation and Attention to Detail: Ability to maintain accurate procurement records, track obligations, monitor contract performance and manage concurrent procurement exercises.
Stakeholder Engagement: Strong interpersonal skills to engage senior leaders, project teams and external suppliers. Able to influence and guide colleagues through procurement and vendor management processes.
Analytical and Reporting Skills: Comfortable collating, analysing and presenting data on procurement activity, supplier performance, risk findings and cost analysis for committees and senior stakeholders.
Leadership and Team Development: Ability to lead, support and develop a small team, set clear priorities and build capability.
Communication: Clear communicator able to explain procurement and vendor requirements to both technical and non-technical colleagues, including senior stakeholders and committees.

Qualifications

Procurement or commercial qualification such as CIPS desirable.
Degree-level education (desirable but not essential with relevant experience).
Must be able to meet the requirements of an FCA Certified role.

What do we offer?

We are proud to provide our people with a premium and exclusive benefits package and we are continually improving the rewards we offer. Here are a few of the valuable rewards that you will enjoy:

Competitive salary
An enhanced and generous Pension Scheme
30 days' paid holiday plus bank holidays
2 days paid volunteering days
An extra paid Company Day in addition to paid holidays
Excellent Learning & Development Opportunities
Welfare and Family friendly policies
Enhanced pay for new parents
Access to our Employee Assistance Programme 247 Health & Wellbeing Support
Vitality Private Medical Insurance
Hybrid Working
Company Service Awards
Cycle to Work Scheme
Company Electric Vehicle Scheme
Nominees of the Family Friendly Employer of the Year 2022 Personnel Today Awards 2022
Winner of the Cultural Awareness Initiative of the Year FT Advisors Diversity in Finance Awards 2023
Winner of Diversity and Inclusion Award LAPF In Investments Award 2023