Head of Procurement

UK Shared Business Services; Swindon; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

UK Shared Business Services (UKSBS) in Swindon leads a government-wide transformation of shared services and procurement delivery. The Head of Procurement Services provides strategic leadership for procurement, focusing on people development, performance management, and consistent standards across a complex, multi-client environment.

Successful candidates will shape policy, ensure compliant, high-quality service delivery, and oversee budgeting and governance.

Qualifications

• Proven history of leadership experience in a procurement-focused role in a large, shared services or multi-client environment.
• In-depth knowledge of public-sector procurement frameworks and professional standards.
• Demonstrable experience in defining and assuring professional standards across complex organisations.
• Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder engagement skills, with credibility at senior levels.
• Strong expertise in public-sector sourcing, tendering and governance, with audit and compliance literacy.
• Proven people management experience including performance management, professional development and workforce planning.
• Knowledge of DPS (Dynamic Purchasing System) procurement routes and Workday ERP integration.

Responsibilities

• Set the strategic direction for the Procurement profession, ensuring alignment with organisational objectives and service delivery goals.
• Oversee the development and learning of the Procurement Services teams and support career progression.
• Collaborate with Heads of Profession and Heads of Service Delivery to embed strategic objectives across teams.
• Define, implement and uphold professional standards for the Procurement profession.
• Monitor risk, governance and regulatory adherence for service delivery.
• Resource staffing and budgeting to ensure robust forecasting and financial management.
• Represent the Procurement function at executive and cross-government forums.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Stakeholder engagement

Public-sector procurement

Governance & compliance

People management

Education

CIPS qualification (or equivalent)

Tools

Workday ERP

Job description

We are in an exciting period of transformation that will shape the future of shared services across government. Through the introduction of new technology platforms, service lines and clients, we are expanding both the scale and sophistication of what we do. This includes transitioning to a multi-ERP platform organisation, onboarding new government clients and reimagining how we deliver services to provide a seamless and digital-first customer experience. During this period of transformation, the role will evolve to include the delivery of our service to other clients, both existing and/or new.

The Head of Procurement Services provides strategic leadership for the Procurement profession within UKSBS. The role focuses on people management, performance management, professional development and the establishment of consistent standards that support high-quality service delivery. As the senior professional lead, this role ensures the Procurement community is skilled, engaged and equipped to deliver operational excellence across a complex and evolving shared services environment.

Duties will include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Set the strategic direction for the Procurement profession, ensuring alignment with organisational objectives and service delivery goals
• Overall accountability for the development and learning of the Procurement Services teams, utilising strategies that build capability and support career progression within the profession and ensure customer focused delivery
• Working with the other Heads of Profession and Heads of Service Delivery to lead and embed strategic objectives, ensuring these are cascaded to all team members.
• Define, implement and uphold professional standards for the Procurement profession to ensure consistency and quality across all teams
• Horizon scan for emerging trends or changes to legal requirements within the profession / field to ensure that any impacts on future service provision is communicated and understood for implementation for service delivery.
• Appropriately resource people to services based on requirements, prioritising as required and minimising staff time spent on non-service or project facing activity, ensuring the profession is adequately staffed and initiating recruitment when required
• Responsible for risk management, assurance and governance arrangements by monitoring adherence to industry standards, policies and regulatory requirements.
• Responsible for o wning the budget for the Procurement service including the coordination and management of the resources, financial planning and working with the Operations Business Partner to ensure robust forecasting for resources and rigorous financial management.
• Represent the Procurement profession at executive and cross government forums to influence organisational priorities and decision-making

To be considered for the role, you will need the following:

• Proven history of leadership experience in a procurement-focused role in a large, shared services or multi-client environment
• In-depth knowledge of public-sector procurement frameworks and professional standards
• Demonstrable experience in defining and assuring professional standards across complex organisations
• Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder engagement skills, with credibility at senior levels
• Strong expertise in public-sector sourcing, tendering and governance, with audit and compliance literacy
• Proven people management experience including performance management, professional development and workforce planning
• CIPS qualification (or equivalent) with knowledge of framework and DPS (Dynamic Purchasing System) procurement routes
• Knowledge and experience of Workday ERP into Procurementwould be highly advantageous
• Demonstrated leadership of managers, with a focus on matrix resourcing, coaching, performance and influencing stakeholders

Successful candidates may be required to undergo Security Clearance (National Security Vetting) as part of their employment. To meet these standards, applicants must normally have lived in the UK for at least the last five years and be able to satisfy background, identity and criminal record checks.

We are UKSBS. We are creating a place where people love to work, a culture where we lead, we change, we deliver and we empower our people to be curious, take action and add value.