Head of Procurement and Commercial Management

About Rhaelm

Rhaelm is a UK-based AI infrastructure and software solutions provider building the next generation of sovereign-grade AI data centres across EMEA. Designed for resilience, security, and scale, we enable commercial and government customers to deploy advanced AI with confidence in environments where performance, reliability, and compliance are non-negotiable. Focused on regulated and mission-critical sectors including Government, Defence, Healthcare, and Financial Services, we are creating the trusted foundations for AI adoption at scale, combining robust infrastructure with disciplined governance to support long-term innovation and national-level capability.

This Role

As Head of Procurement and Commercial Management, you will lead procurement strategy and commercial governance across our infrastructure portfolio, ensuring contracts, suppliers, and cost positions are managed to the standard required in government, defence, and critical infrastructure delivery. You'll protect Sovereign AI commercially while enabling supplier partnerships that deliver complex, security-sensitive programmes at pace.

You will own the end-to-end commercial lifecycle, from procurement strategy through contract negotiation to performance management.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and embed procurement and commercial strategies for major infrastructure programmes, aligned to UK public procurement regulations where applicable
• Lead end-to-end contract management, including negotiation, mobilisation, and ongoing supplier performance governance
• Own commercial governance, ensuring all contracts meet regulatory, legal, and sector-specific requirements
• Champion robust cost assurance, ensuring the portfolio operates with commercial discipline
• Manage commercial risk across the supply chain, including change control, claims, and dispute resolution
• Build and lead a high-performing procurement and commercial team
• Forge and manage long-term strategic supplier relationships, embedding contract terms that drive performance
• Partner with Legal, Finance, and Risk to ensure commercial positions are defensible and audit-ready
• Provide commercial input to bids, proposals, and client negotiations

Experience

• Substantial senior experience leading procurement and commercial functions on complex infrastructure, defence, or government programmes
• Strong working knowledge of UK public procurement regulations and standard forms of contract (NEC3/4 essential)
• Track record negotiating and managing high-value, multi-million-pound supplier contracts
• Experience building and leading a commercial or procurement team
• Demonstrated ability to manage commercial risk and drive improved contract performance
• Experience providing commercial input to bids and client negotiations in regulated or security-sensitive sectors

Skills

• Deep expertise in commercial models, including NEC3/4, target cost, and alliancing arrangements
• Strong negotiation skills, able to secure commercially sound outcomes while sustaining supplier relationships
• Excellent stakeholder management, with the impact and gravitas to influence at Board and client executive level
• Sound analytical and financial judgement, able to interrogate cost data and identify commercial risk
• Strong people leadership skills, with a track record of building capable commercial teams
• Clear, precise communication suited to contractual and governance contexts

Qualifications

• Degree in commercial management, quantity surveying, law, or a related discipline
• MCIPS, or equivalent chartered commercial/procurement accreditation, essential
• Eligible to obtain and hold UK security clearance (SC); existing clearance advantageous