Chief procurement officer

Client of NicheHR Global; Dubai; On-site; AED 1,000,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Client of NicheHR Global seeks a commercially astute Chief Procurement Officer to lead global and regional procurement for a large multi-market FMCG business. Reporting to the CEO, the CPO will drive cost optimisation, supplier partnerships, and supply chain resilience across geographies with a focus on digitalisation and AI-enabled procurement transformation.

The role requires 18+ years in procurement, senior leadership experience, and a proven ability to manage USD 500M+ in spend.

Qualifications

• 18+ years of global/regional procurement experience in FMCG/food/complex multi-category businesses.
• Experience at Regional Head, Group Head or C-suite level with influence over senior stakeholders.
• Proven track record managing substantial spend (USD 500M+).
• Multi-country sourcing experience across complex supplier ecosystems and high-volume SKUs.
• Experience in protein sourcing (meat/poultry/seafood) preferred.
• Demonstrated success in building/transformation of large procurement organisations; led teams and scalable operating models.
• Experience implementing procurement tech, digitalisation, automation or AI-enabled solutions.

Responsibilities

• Lead global and regional procurement across direct and indirect categories with multi-country spend.
• Develop sourcing strategies across a diverse SKU portfolio to optimise cost, quality and continuity.
• Drive strategic negotiations, supplier partnerships, category management and supplier consolidation.
• Strengthen sourcing capabilities across international markets and challenging supply environments.
• Leverage protein and other food categories to create competitive advantages.
• Partner with CEO and senior leadership to align procurement with business objectives.

Skills

Global procurement

Strategic sourcing

Leadership

Negotiation

Analytics

AI-enabled transformation

Job description

Chief Procurement Officer

Location: Dubai, UAE

Position Overview We are seeking a commercially astute entrepreneurial and transformation-driven Chief Procurement Officer CPO to lead global and regional procurement and strategic sourcing operations for a large multi-market food and FMCG business. Reporting to the CEO the role will drive procurement excellence cost optimisation supplier partnerships and supply chain resilience across multiple geographies. The successful candidate will combine strategic leadership with strong execution capabilities experience managing substantial procurement spend and a proven track record of building and transforming large procurement organisations. Experience in complex international sourcing particularly protein and other critical food categories alongside a strong understanding of digitalisation and AI-led procurement transformation will be highly advantageous.

Global Procurement & Strategic Sourcing

• Lead global and regional procurement across direct and indirect categories managing significant multi-country spend.
• Develop sourcing strategies across a diverse multi-SKU portfolio optimising cost quality availability and supply continuity.
• Drive strategic negotiations supplier partnerships category management and supplier consolidation.
• Strengthen sourcing capabilities across complex international markets including challenging supply environments.
• Leverage expertise in protein and other critical food categories to create sustainable commercial advantages.

Business Leadership & Commercial Excellence

• Partner with the CEO and senior leadership team to align procurement strategy with business objectives.
• Build scale and professionalise procurement capabilities across geographies and business categories.
• Lead a large multi-layered team driving accountability performance and leadership development.
• Deliver measurable improvements in total cost of ownership working capital procurement efficiency and supplier performance.
• Establish robust governance spend visibility performance metrics and category strategies.

Technology Digitalisation & AI

• Lead procurement transformation through digital platforms automation advanced analytics and AI-enabled solutions.
• Identify opportunities to apply AI across sourcing intelligence demand forecasting supplier risk assessment spend analytics and contract management.
• Drive technology adoption and change management translating innovation into measurable commercial and operational outcomes.

Risk Management & Supply Resilience

• Develop diversified sourcing strategies to mitigate supplier concentration commodity volatility geopolitical uncertainty and supply disruptions.
• Strengthen supplier due diligence compliance quality assurance and business continuity frameworks.
• Integrate risk intelligence and scenario planning into strategic procurement decisions.

The Opportunity

An opportunity to shape a large-scale multi-market procurement function drive strategic value creation and lead the next phase of procurement transformation through technology innovation and operational excellence

Requirements

• At least 18 years of relevant experience in global or regional procurement, strategic sourcing or a closely related commercial function within FMCG, food, foodservice or complex multi-category businesses.
• Experience at Regional Head, Group Head or C-suite level, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and partner effectively with the CEO.
• Proven track record managing substantial global or regional procurement spend, ideally USD 500 million 1 billion or more across direct and indirect categories.
• Strong multi-country sourcing experience across complex supplier ecosystems and diverse, high-volume SKU portfolios.
• Experience in protein sourcing, including meat, poultry or seafood, will be a significant advantage.
• Demonstrated success in building and transforming procurement organisations, leading large teams and developing scalable operating models.
• Experience implementing procurement technology, digitalisation, automation or AI-enabled solutions.
• Strong commercial acumen, negotiation skills, analytical capability and strategic decision-making.
• An entrepreneurial, hands-on leadership style with a focus on innovation, accountability and measurable business impact.