Head of Procurement

  • Hays Specialist Recruitment Limited
  • Apr 20, 2026
Full time

Job Description

Head of Procurement

This is a pivotal senior leadership role responsible for overseeing the end-to-end procurement function within a fast-paced wholesale environment. With an established and high-performing team in place, you will shape procurement strategy, drive supplier performance and lead a multi-site team to ensure product availability, efficiency and commercial advantage. You will combine strategic sourcing, digitisation and data-led decision-making to support business growth while optimising inventory, margin and supplier resilience.

Key responsibilities include:

  • Developing and delivering a procurement strategy aligned to business goals
  • Leading, developing and mentoring a nonperforming procurement team
  • Building strong relationships with global manufacturers, OEMs and logistics partners
  • Negotiating pricing, commercial terms and long-term supply agreements
  • Expanding drop-ship supplier models to improve fulfilment and reduce stockholding
  • Collaborating with sales and operations on stock planning, lead times and seasonal demand
  • Managing sourcing across technical wholesale product categories
  • Championing procurement digitisation through e-procurement systems, analytics and automation
  • Driving cost control, supplier performance and data-led decision-making
  • Ensuring contracts include appropriate SLAs, compliance and risk mitigation
  • Maintaining compliance with relevant environmental and regulatory standards
  • Promoting ethical and sustainable sourcing practices

What you'll need to succeed

  • Proven senior-level procurement leadership experience within technical or industrial wholesale
  • Strong track record in strategic sourcing, supplier negotiation and category management
  • Experience implementing digital procurement tools and working with ERP systems (SAP, Microsoft Dynamics or similar)
  • Success in establishing and managing drop-ship and international supplier models
  • Commercially astute, analytical and KPI-driven
  • Confident people leader with a collaborative, cross-functional approach

What you'll get in return

  • A senior, business-critical leadership role with clear strategic influence
  • The opportunity to modernise and digitise procurement operations
  • Long-term career progression aligned with organisational growth
  • Competitive salary and benefits package

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