Head of Procurement

Stanton House; Slough; Hybrid; GBP 115,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Stanton House is seeking a Head of Procurement (Indirect) in London to own the indirect spend and build a function from the ground up. This hybrid role reports to the CFO and offers hands-on leadership and strategic influence within a multi-channel UK consumer business.

You will map the supplier landscape, drive major negotiations, and establish governance and contract-tracking to manage third-party spend effectively.

Qualifications

• Senior procurement experience in retail or consumer sector.
• Strong indirect spend experience, especially professional services and marketing.
• Proven track record negotiating with suppliers and delivering improvements.
• Ability to turn patchy spend data into actionable insights.
• Strong commercial instincts and negotiation confidence with senior leaders.
• Experience building or overhauling a procurement function.
• Hands-on, strategic thinker who can roll up sleeves.
• Adaptability to a fast-moving retail environment.

Responsibilities

• Shape and own the indirect/non-merchandise spend strategy from the ground up.
• Map supplier and contract landscape and close visibility gaps.
• Lead high-value supplier negotiations to secure better terms.
• Interrogate current supplier deals, especially in professional services and marketing.
• Introduce processes, governance, and contract-tracking discipline.
• Establish procurement as a trusted, commercially-minded function and grow the team.

Skills

Negotiation skills

Strategic thinking

Commercial acumen

Stakeholder management

Analytical abilities

Job description

Head of Procurement (Indirect)

c.£115,000 - £130,000 + benefits

London | Hybrid (2-3 days per week in the office)

The Opportunity

This is an exciting opportunity to build and shape procurement in a well-established, multi-channel UK consumer with a much-loved brand and a long high-street heritage. Following a period of significant business change, the company is now investing in building a genuinely commercial, professional procurement function from the ground up - and is looking for a Head of Procurement to lead it, reporting into the CFO, owning all Indirect spend.

You'll take ownership of a broad, non-merchandise and indirect spend base, bring real commercial rigour to supplier relationships, and put in place the visibility, governance and tools the business needs to manage spend well.

This is a hands-on, build-it-yourself opportunity for someone who is just as comfortable personally leading a tough supplier negotiation as they are setting the strategy - and who wants the challenge (and reward) of establishing a function from an early stage, with scope to grow a team around them as they prove impact.

What You'll Be Doing

• Shaping and owning the strategy for indirect / non-merchandise spend, essentially from the ground up.
• Mapping the supplier and contract landscape - who is bought from, what is spent, who owns each relationship - and closing the visibility gaps that currently exist.
• Getting directly involved in high-value supplier negotiations to secure stronger commercial outcomes and strip out cost that isn't adding value.
• Interrogating current supplier deals - particularly in areas like professional services and marketing - and working closely with business leaders to challenge spend decisions constructively.
• Introducing the processes, governance, systems and contract-tracking discipline needed to manage third-party spend properly.
• Establishing procurement as a trusted, commercially-minded function, and growing a team around you as the remit expands.

What We're Looking For

• A background in senior procurement roles within retail or another consumer-facing sector, at a business of comparable size.
• Solid category experience in indirect spend, with particular strength in professional services and marketing.
• A track record you can point to of having personally negotiated with suppliers and delivered real, measurable commercial improvement.
• Comfortable making sense of patchy spend and supplier information, and turning it into something usable.
• Sharp commercial instincts, strong negotiation skills, and the confidence to push back on senior leaders when needed.
• Prior experience setting up or overhauling a procurement function - not just running one that's already established.
• A willingness to roll your sleeves up and get into the detail, balanced with the ability to think and plan strategically.
• Adaptability and pace, suited to a fast-moving retail environment.

This is a confidential search. Further details about the business will be shared with shortlisted candidates.