Assistant Director Procurement

Birmingham City Council; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 87,000 - 131,000; Full time

Job summary

A major UK city council is seeking an Assistant Director Procurement Specialist to lead its procurement function and drive strategic improvements. The role requires strong experience in procurement leadership, compliance frameworks, and transforming procurement functions. Successful candidates will possess an MCIPS qualification, with expertise in the Procurement Act 2023. This is a unique opportunity to positively impact the city through effective procurement practices while adhering to its vision for inclusive growth.

Qualifications

• Experienced and politically astute procurement leader.
• Strong track record in large complex or regulated environments.
• Proven success in transforming procurement functions.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership of the Councils procurement function.
• Embed governance compliance and assurance frameworks.
• Lead delivery of the Councils Procurement Strategy.

Skills

Category Management

Purchasing

Sourcing

Procurement

Financial Acumen

HR Sourcing

Procurement Management

Contract Management

Supplier Management

Contract Negotiation

Education

MCIPS or equivalent professional qualification

Job description

Description

Assistant Director Procurement Specialist

Permanent

Grade B0

Consultation grade - subject to formal evaluation under the Pay Equity Review

Working 36.5 hours per week

Hybrid working Minimum 3 days per week On-Site

Introduction to Birmingham City Council

Birmingham is a city in transformation ambitious diverse and ready to reshape its future.

Home to over 1.1 million residents were proud to be Europes youngest major city and a place of extraordinary potential. As we move forward through a period of financial recovery and improvement were redefining how we deliver services create value and build a fairer more sustainable future for our citizens.

Our Commercial and Procurement Service sits at the heart of this change. It plays a pivotal role in ensuring that every pound we spend drives maximum value strengthens our communities and supports our citys vision for inclusive growth sustainability and opportunity.

About the Role

As Assistant Director Procurement Specialist you will provide strategic leadership to a newly designed procurement function that underpins Birmingham City Councils transformation.

Reporting to the Director Commercial and Procurement you will lead the implementation of our Future Target Operating Model (FTOM) for Procurement Services embedding modern procurement principles strengthening governance and ensuring alignment with the Procurement Act 2023.

Youll champion a culture of professionalism innovation and social value ensuring that our procurement activity not only achieves financial efficiency but delivers wider outcomes for Birminghams residents and businesses.

What Youll Be Doing

• Providing strategic leadership of the Councils procurement function across all directorates.
• Embedding robust governance compliance and assurance frameworks.
• Leading the delivery of the Councils Procurement Strategy and Future Target Operating Model.
• Overseeing complex high-value contracts and supplier relationships that shape key services across the city.
• Promoting social value sustainability and ethical procurement practices.
• Building and developing a skilled motivated and forward-thinking team.
• Partnering with senior leaders and elected members to ensure procurement supports Birminghams corporate priorities.

About You

Youll be an experienced and politically astute procurement leader with a strong track record of delivering change in large complex or regulated environments.

Youll bring :

• MCIPS (or equivalent professional qualification).
• Expert knowledge of the Procurement Act 2023 and the National Procurement Policy Statement.
• Proven success in transforming procurement functions and delivering financial efficiencies.
• The ability to inspire high-performing teams and foster collaboration across stakeholders.

Why Join Us

This is a rare opportunity to shape how 1.75 billion of annual third-party spend delivers measurable outcomes for one of the UKs largest and most dynamic cities. Youll join a forward-looking leadership team committed to professionalisation capability building and genuine civic impact.

Please upload your up-to-date CV via the attachments part of your application this is required for shortlisting. Unfortunately we cannot consider any applications without a CV attached

Birmingham City Council is an accredited Disability Confident Leader employer and we are committed to employing retaining and developing all of our people.

We want to ensure your recruitment journey with us is a positive and equitable one so please let us know if there are any reasonable adjustments additional support accessibility needs or if there is any way in which we can support you through your application.

For any informal enquiries please contact :

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be undertaken.

Proof of Right to work in the UK will be required for all applicants in accordance with UK Home Office requirements before any employment offer can be confirmed.

Job Description and PersonSpecification - Assistant Director Procurement Specialist JDPS Draft v4

Required Experience : Director

Key Skills

Category Management,Purchasing,Sourcing,Procurement,Financial Acumen,HR Sourcing,Procurement Management,Contract Management,Supplier Management,Contract Negotiation,negotiation,Contracts

Employment Type : Full-Time

Experience : years

Vacancy : 1

Monthly Salary Salary : 87724 - 130531