Vacancy – Head of Procurement

Job Title:Head of Procurement

Reports To:Group Finance Director

Location:Blackford, Perthshire

Direct Reports:4 Direct Reports

Job Purpose:The Head of Procurement is responsible for co-ordinating the Group’s procurement strategy and policies for purchases in support of the Company’s strategic objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Develop and implement a companywide purchasing strategy
  • Build and maintain strong working relationships to gain buy- in and engagement with the key stakeholders
  • Challenge, enhance and standardise existing procurement practices across all business units to ensure conformity of approach, generate economies of scale and deliver better value for money
  • Deliver a category approach to ensure the procurement resources align with all operational and functional business areas across the Group
  • Build and grow the procurement team by utilising strong change management techniques and focusing on people development
  • Build superior supplier relationship management capability within the team and through continuous business improvement
  • Maintain relationships with existing suppliers and source new suppliers as required
  • Oversee procurement system and data strategy; Implement new tools to support the function and the wider business
  • Lead, support and manage the tendering process for large strategic purchases
  • Maximise profit by tendering contracts and meeting with suppliers to negotiate the best terms of contract
  • Realise and deliver cost savings, together with a range of additional benefits including improved supplier performance, improved quality of service and total cost of performance along with risk management
  • Manage department spend and budget
  • Work collaboratively with finance on departmental and wider organisational forecasts, where procurement has an impact
  • Manage the procurement governance process across the business ensuring policy compliance
  • Support business operations to resolve SLA breaches of contract and provide guidance to resolutions

Key Skills and Requirements:

Strategic and Technical

•Professionally recognised purchasing qualification (MCIPS)

•Credibility at a senior level, with presence at a board level

•Significant experience in developing procurement strategy

•Excellent negotiation skills and the ability to lead key negotiations at a senior level

•First class analytical toolkit, knowledge of implementing E products / IT systems

•Experience of delivering cost efficiencies with third party suppliers

Relationship Management

•Extensive experience managing complex supplier and organisational relationships

•A track record of delivering change

•International experience in procurement

Managing Resources

•A strong leader, able to inspire and motivate a team

•Ability to lead cross functional teams within a matrix environment

•Able to shape projects and secure resources

•Ability to build informal authority and influence key decision makers

•Confidence to manage budgets and undertake financial forecasting

Working Style

•Excellent communication, presentational and interpersonal skills

•Meticulous attention to detail

•Self-motivated and proactive, enjoys working under pressure

•Comfortable with complexity and ambiguity and an appetite to address the toughest commercial challenges