Head of Procurement

Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS); London; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 98,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading organization as the Head of Procurement, where you'll drive innovation and excellence in procurement strategies. This pivotal role involves overseeing compliance, leading teams, and developing supplier strategies to enhance value across the rail industry. Ideal candidates will possess strong commercial acumen and relevant professional qualifications.

Qualifications

• Strong commercial aptitude and leadership skills.
• Membership or Fellowship of a relevant professional institution (CIPS/RICS).
• Comprehensive knowledge of procurement legislation.

Responsibilities

• Lead procurement teams to achieve business objectives.
• Ensure compliance with regulations and internal standards.
• Develop supplier strategies for a portfolio of up to £20BN.

Skills

Commercial aptitude

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Education

Degree level education

Membership of CIPS or RICS

Job description

About Network Rail

Join Our Team at Network Rail!

Are you ready to make a difference in people's lives? At Network Rail, we connect passengers and freight customers, ensuring safe and efficient transportation across the country. We're an organisation where people truly matter, and when you join us, you matter to us and millions of others. Click here to watch our inspiring video to learn more about us!

We're dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that reflects the passengers we serve. To achieve this, we're committed to becoming an open, diverse, and inclusive workplace, leveraging the skills and expertise of our talented workforce. Together, we strive to create a safe and accessible railway for everyone. Discover more about the importance of Diversity and Inclusion at Network Rail.

Investing in our people is key to enhancing the safety, reliability, and efficiency of our railway system. If you're passionate about making a meaningful impact, then this opportunity is for you!

About our people and the recruitment process - We're an inclusive employer of choice and we welcome applications from everyone! We encourage our colleagues to work flexibly, as we know traditional working patterns don't always fit. If you want to consider working flexibly, just let us know and we'll do our best to help and invest in your career with us, whilst you have a healthy work-life balance.

We're also a Disability Confident Leader employer and we'll try our best to adapt the process and offer a reasonable alternative to help support people with disabilities access, apply, and interview for roles.

About GBRX

At GBRX, we are transforming the railway industry through strategic procurement and commercial innovation. As the Head of Procurement, you will lead the procurement function with a strategic vision to drive innovation and excellence across the rail industry. Your primary purpose is to develop and implement procurement strategies that not only ensure cost-efficiency and compliance but also foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement. You will leverage cutting-edge technologies and best practices to enhance supplier relationships, streamline processes, and deliver sustainable value. By championing innovative procurement solutions, you will play a pivotal role in delivering the function's strategy.

The role also supports procurement for the East Coast Digital Programme and Industry Partnership Digital Railway (IPDR) programme. You will lead large, complex procurements ranging from train control systems to the fitment of locomotives across freight, heritage, charter, passenger, and on-track machine sectors.

You will do this whilst ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

Brief Description

The Head of Procurement will oversee pre-contract procurement, ensuring compliance with regulations and internal standards. You will inspire and lead the procurement team to meet business objectives, while delivering expertise on all procurement matters.

About the role (External)

Key Accountabilities

• Lead the continuous improvement of procurement processes and systems, focusing on enhancing quality and efficiency in pre- and post-contract management.
• Inspire and lead procurement teams to achieve full engagement with business objectives and provide expertise on procurement issues to functional management.
• Ensure compliance with company procedures, providing resources, training, and communication strategies, while enhancing procurement staff capabilities to meet legal and corporate governance requirements.
• Foster positive working relationships with internal departments, regulatory bodies, and government entities to improve coordination across functions.
• Provide specialist advice on contract and procurement matters, promoting a consistent commercial approach to the supply market and driving joint initiatives.
• Develop and implement supplier strategies for a portfolio of up to £20BN over 5 years, mitigating supply market risks and maximising commercial advantage.
• Champion the stewardship of the Procurement profession by establishing pathways for professional development and external qualification.

Essential Qualifications and Experience

• Strong commercial aptitude with the ability to act as a role model, maintaining high personal and professional standards.
• The ability to balance stakeholder expectations with business and supplier capabilities.
• Membership or Fellowship of a relevant professional institution (e.g., CIPS or RICS).
• Comprehensive knowledge of contract, safety, and environmental requirements.
• Thorough knowledge of procurement legislation, particularly as it applies to the railway sector.

Desirable Qualifications

• Extensive senior-level management experience in procurement and contracting, ideally within the rail or construction industry.
• Educated to degree level.
• Experience with procurement processes and procedures within Network Rail.

Ready to drive procurement innovation? Join GBRX as the Head of Procurement and play a key role in shaping the future of the railway industry.
Apply today to lead a transformative procurement function.

How to apply (External)

Salary: £85,395 - £97,991 range

Click apply now to apply.

Hybrid working opportunity! This role could be based in York or London.

What does our recruitment process look like?

1. Once you have applied, our Recruitment Specialist will look at your CV.
2. If your experience matches what we're looking for, you'll be invited to a face-to-face interview with the hiring manager.

Drugs and Alcohol Standard:

Our Drugs and Alcohol Standard is changing as of 16.01.2023. All prospective candidates who have not been offered a conditional role by this date will be required to undergo and pass a drugs and alcohol test. Your application will be rescinded if you record a positive test. All positive drugs and alcohol test results for prospective candidates will be securely held on Sentinel database, and a 5-year suspension from applying for safety-critical roles on Network Rail Managed Infrastructure will be enforced.

You can visit Evenbreaks Career Hive for advice on accessibility support. If you require any reasonable adjustments or modifications, please add a note to your application.

Network Rail Benefits - To find out about what benefits we offer, click here

All offers of employment are conditional upon satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks. More information