Director Strategy and Execution
Synthomer plc.
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Synthomer plc is seeking a strategic, results-driven leader to head the Group Procurement function. You will drive a global value creation programme across 60+ initiative owners, manage the PMO, and deliver performance insights for senior executives.
The role partners with the VP Group Procurement and senior leaders to shape strategy, governance, and budgeting across 30+ sites worldwide. Strong transformation and data-visualisation skills are essential.
Qualifications
- Degree qualified
- Procurement leadership or category management experience
- Significant experience in programme management, PMO leadership, business transformation, strategy execution, or operational excellence
- Track record of influencing senior executives and leading complex global initiatives
- Experience working within large, matrixed, multi-stakeholder organisations
- Strong commercial acumen and analytical capability
- Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills
Responsibilities
- Lead and govern the global procurement value creation programme across all spend categories.
- Drive delivery through over 60 initiative owners, ensuring accountability, progress tracking, and achievement of targeted benefits.
- Oversee value tracking methodologies and ensure alignment with Finance leadership.
- Monitor performance against key procurement KPIs and drive corrective actions where required.
- Lead the Group Procurement PMO and governance framework across all major initiatives.
- Manage cross-functional programmes, ensuring alignment, risk mitigation, milestone achievement, and successful execution.
- Support the implementation of strategic procurement transformation initiatives, operating model improvements, and digital solutions.
- Contribute to the development of the Procurement 5-Year Strategy and Transformation Roadmap.
- Develop executive-level reporting, dashboards, presentations, and performance narratives for Divisional Leadership Teams and the Executive Committee.
- Own the Group Procurement Risk Register, ensuring risks, controls, and action plans are actively managed.
- Coordinate leadership meetings, strategic reviews, talent reviews, town halls, and executive updates.
- Manage the annual Group Procurement budget process and ongoing budget performance.
- Support major enterprise projects, representing Group Procurement and coordinating functional input as required.
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
Strategic Leadership & Business Partnership
- Lead and govern the global procurement value creation programme across all spend categories.
- Drive delivery through over 60 initiative owners, ensuring accountability, progress tracking, and achievement of targeted benefits.
- Oversee value tracking methodologies and ensure alignment with Finance leadership.
- Monitor performance against key procurement KPIs and drive corrective actions where required.
- Lead the Group Procurement PMO and governance framework across all major initiatives.
- Manage cross-functional programmes, ensuring alignment, risk mitigation, milestone achievement, and successful execution.
- Support the implementation of strategic procurement transformation initiatives, operating model improvements, and digital solutions.
- Contribute to the development of the Procurement 5-Year Strategy and Transformation Roadmap.
- Develop executive-level reporting, dashboards, presentations, and performance narratives for Divisional Leadership Teams and the Executive Committee.
- Own the Group Procurement Risk Register, ensuring risks, controls, and action plans are actively managed.
- Coordinate leadership meetings, strategic reviews, talent reviews, town halls, and executive updates.
- Manage the annual Group Procurement budget process and ongoing budget performance.
- Support major enterprise projects, representing Group Procurement and coordinating functional input as required.
This is an opportunity to operate at the centre of a globally significant procurement transformation agenda. You'll work closely with executive leaders, drive measurable business value, and help shape the future direction of a function that manages approximately £1.7 billion of annual spend across more than 30 manufacturing and operational sites globally.
You are a strategic and results-driven leader who thrives in complex global environments and has a proven ability to deliver transformation through influence, collaboration, and disciplined execution.
- Degree qualified
- Procurement leadership or category management experience.
- Significant experience in programme management, PMO leadership, business transformation, strategy execution, or operational excellence
- Track record of influencing senior executives and leading complex global initiatives.
- Experience working within large, matrixed, multi-stakeholder organisations.
- Strong commercial acumen and analytical capability.
- Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
- MBA, CIPS, PMP or equivalent professional qualification.
- Experience implementing procurement technology, Source-to-Pay (S2P), Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM), or digital transformation initiatives.
- Advanced Excel, Power BI, and data visualisation skills.
- Strong leadership through influence.
- Exceptional organisational and programme management capability.
- Ability to translate complex data into clear business insights and actions.
- A bias for action and a relentless focus on delivery.
- Strategic thinking combined with pragmatic execution.
- Resilience and the ability to perform effectively under pressure.
This is a highly visible leadership role within the Group Procurement Leadership Team (GPLT), partnering directly with the Vice President Group Procurement and senior executives across the business. You will be responsible for driving the execution of a substantial value creation programme, ensuring robust governance, delivering strategic insights to executive stakeholders, and having overall responsibility of the global Procurement PMO. This role combines strategy, programme leadership, transformation delivery, business performance management, and executive engagement. The position offers a unique opportunity to influence enterprise-wide procurement performance across a global spend portfolio of approximately £1.7bn and a function spanning more than 30 sites worldwide.
Synthomer is a leading supplier of high-performance, highly specialised polymers and ingredients that play vital roles in key sectors such as coatings, construction, adhesives, and health and protection - growing markets that serve billions of end users worldwide. Headquartered in London, UK and publicly listed there since 1971, we employ c.3,500 employees across our 5 innovation centres of excellence and more than 28 manufacturing sites across Europe, North America and Asia. Around 20% of our sales volumes are from new and patent protected products.
At our innovation centres of excellence in the UK, Germany, China, Malaysia and Ohio, USA we collaborate closely with our customers to develop new products and enhance existing ones tailored to their needs, with an increasing range of sustainability benefits. Since 2021, we have been proud holders of the London Stock Exchange Green Economy Mark, which recognises green technology businesses making a significant contribution to a more sustainable, low-carbon economy.
- Competitive, market-aligned compensation
- Discretionary global bonus scheme
- Discretionary Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP) - for senior positions
- Company car or car allowance - varies by region and role
- Healthcare - tailored to regional locations
- Parental leave and family support - maternity, paternity, adoption (aligned with regional policies)
- Working options - flexibility where it matters, based on role and business needs
- Learning & development opportunities - training, online platforms, buddy/mentorship programs, Internal Synthomer University with L&D offers
- Wellbeing support - employee assistance program (EAP), mental health resources, wellbeing initiatives
- Retirement / pension contributions - plans vary by country
- Culture of Inclusion - where everyone can thrive
- Performance culture, global reward & recognition programmes
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