Head of Procurement

NFP People; Devon and Torbay; Hybrid; GBP 63,000 - 77,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pension

Life assurance – 2 x annual salary

31 days holiday (including Bank hols),

Wellbeing team

Pilates and Yoga classes

Long service awards

Healthshield plan

Free parking

Life assurance

Subsidised restaurant and shop

Job summary

The Donkey Sanctuary in Devon is seeking a flexible and self-motivated Head of Procurement to lead Procurement and Accounts Payable, ensuring value for money, strong financial controls and ethical sourcing across the charity. The role sits within the Finance Department and contributes to strategic direction and operational success.

Based in Sidmouth with hybrid working (onsite about one day per week), the post requires MCIPS (or equivalent), a track record of leading procurement in multi-site

Qualifications

• MCIPS qualified (or equivalent professional experience).
• Significant experience of leading procurement within a complex and/or multi-site organisation.
• Experience of developing and delivering procurement and supplier management strategies.
• A strong understanding of Source-to-Pay processes, governance and financial controls, together with experience of leading Source-to-Pay transformation, automation or systems improvement programmes.
• Experience of leading Accounts Payable or a comparable transactional finance function.
• A proven track record of leading, developing and motivating high-performing teams.
• Strong commercial, negotiation and stakeholder management skills, and able to influence at a senior level.

Responsibilities

• Leading the charity's Procurement and Accounts Payable functions, ensuring services are effective, customer-focused, compliant and aligned to organisational priorities.
• Developing, implementing and continuously evolving the charity's Source-to-Pay strategy, supporting value for money, sustainability, risk management and the effective stewardship of charitable resources.
• Acting as the process owner for Source-to-Pay governance, maintaining effective policies, procedures and control frameworks, ensuring they remain proportionate, effective and fit for purpose.
• Ensuring compliance with all relevant legal, regulatory, audit and internal control requirements, identifying and addressing areas of risk, control weakness or non-compliance.
• Providing strategic oversight of the Accounts Payable function, ensuring supplier invoices, expenses and payments are processed accurately, efficiently and in accordance with agreed controls and service standards.
• Using data, insight and performance information to identify opportunities to improve efficiency, effectiveness and value across the Source-to-Pay lifecycle.
• Leading, motivating, developing and supporting Procurement and Accounts Payable teams, creating a high performing and engaged culture.

Job description

Head of Procurement

These are exciting times for the charity, and we have an excellent opportunity for a flexible and self-motivated individual with outstanding leadership, interpersonal and decision-making skills to join the busy Finance Department, as Head of Procurement.

Position: Head of Procurement (internally known as Head of Source-to-Pay)

Location: Devon/Hybrid (onsite attendance currently anticipated to be an average of one day per week)

Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week, 08.30-16.30, Monday-Friday

Salary: £69,960 per annum

Contract: Permanent

Closing Date: Sunday 6 December 2026. Please note this role may close earlier than advertised so apply as soon as possible.

About the Role

As Head of Procurement, you will lead Procurement and Accounts Payable across the Sanctuary, ensuring the charity spends its resources responsibly, achieves value for money and maintains strong financial controls. The role is responsible for sourcing goods and services ethically and effectively, managing supplier relationships, overseeing payment processes and driving improvements across the end-to-end source-to-pay cycle. As a member of the Senior Management Team, you will contribute to the charity's strategic direction and operational success.

Your principal duties and responsibilities will include:

• Leading the charity's Procurement and Accounts Payable functions, ensuring services are effective, customer-focused, compliant and aligned to organisational priorities.
• Developing, implementing and continuously evolving the charity's Source-to-Pay strategy, supporting value for money, sustainability, risk management and the effective stewardship of charitable resources.
• Acting as the process owner for Source-to-Pay governance, maintaining effective policies, procedures and control frameworks, ensuring they remain proportionate, effective and fit for purpose.
• Ensuring compliance with all relevant legal, regulatory, audit and internal control requirements, identifying and addressing areas of risk, control weakness or non-compliance.
• Providing strategic oversight of the Accounts Payable function, ensuring supplier invoices, expenses and payments are processed accurately, efficiently and in accordance with agreed controls and service standards.
• Using data, insight and performance information to identify opportunities to improve efficiency, effectiveness and value across the Source-to-Pay lifecycle.
• Leading, motivating, developing and supporting Procurement and Accounts Payable teams, creating a high performing and engaged culture.

Based in Sidmouth, Devon – an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, this is a hybrid working position, combining onsite and home working under our guiding principles for such roles. The working pattern and requirement for site attendance will be agreed between the line manager and post-holder, currently anticipated to be an average of one day per week.

About You

We are looking for someone with:

• MCIPS qualified (or equivalent professional experience).
• Significant experience of leading procurement within a complex and/or multi-site organisation.
• Experience of developing and delivering procurement and supplier management strategies.
• A strong understanding of Source-to-Pay processes, governance and financial controls, together with experience of leading Source-to-Pay transformation, automation or systems improvement programmes.
• Experience of leading Accounts Payable or a comparable transactional finance function.
• A proven track record of leading, developing and motivating high-performing teams.
• Strong commercial, negotiation and stakeholder management skills, and able to influence at a senior level.

Benefits include:

• Competitive pension.
• Life assurance – 2 x annual salary
• 31 days holiday (including Bank holidays), rising to 34 will each full year of service pro rata
• Wellbeing team.
• Recorded Pilates and Yoga classes.
• Long service awards.
• Healthshield plan
• Free parking.
• Life assurance.
• Subsidised restaurant and shop.

About the Organisation

Join one of the UK’s largest international animal welfare charities, currently supporting projects in over 35 countries worldwide, working for a world where donkeys and mules live free from suffering and their contribution to humanity is fully valued.

The Charity is a Disability Confident Employer, committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable people (children and adults) and expects all staff and volunteers to undertake this commitment. Applicants will be subject to safer recruitment processes, including an application for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check where required for the post.

You may also have experience in areas such as Procurement, Finance, Accounts Payable, Head of Procurement, Head of Finance, Head of Accounts Payable, Director of Procurement, Finance Manager, Accounts Payable Manager, Procurement Manager, Buyer, Senior Buyer.