Head of Procurement - IT

United Utilities; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus up to 20%

26 days holiday

Pension with up to 14% employer contr.

Enhanced parental leave

Employee assistance programme

Gym and wellbeing discounts

Financial wellbeing support

Job summary

United Utilities is seeking a Head of Procurement - IT to lead the strategic management of the IT spend portfolio, owning market strategies, supplier relationships and sourcing initiatives that directly support critical business outcomes.

You'll work with senior leaders across Technology Services to shape procurement decisions that deliver innovation, efficiency and long-term value, guiding a high-performance team and driving multi-million-pound savings.

Qualifications

• Extensive procurement, category management or commercial leadership experience.
• Experience managing complex, business-critical spend categories.
• Ability to develop sourcing strategies and manage strategic supplier relationships.
• Strong stakeholder engagement with senior leadership.
• Proven people management experience and developing high-performing teams.
• Advanced negotiation, influencing and dispute resolution skills.
• Experience in large, complex organisations.
• Strong understanding of technology procurement and IT landscape.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of commercial professionals responsible for market management, sourcing delivery and supplier collaboration.
• Develop and implement category strategies across a significant IT and technology spend portfolio.
• Build trusted partnerships with senior stakeholders across Technology Services and the wider business.
• Deliver measurable commercial value, including multi-million-pound savings and business benefits.
• Oversee strategic sourcing activities, commercial negotiations and supplier performance.
• Drive innovation by bringing external market insights, emerging technologies and industry best practice into the organisation.
• Lead annual commercial planning and procurement strategy development.
• Ensure compliance with procurement policies while promoting agile and efficient ways of working.
• Coach, mentor and develop team members, creating a high-performance culture and strong succession pipeline.

Skills

Procurement leadership

Category management

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

IT procurement

Sourcing strategies

People management

Education

MBA

MSc

CIPS

RICS

Job description

Salary: Competitive + £5,000 Car Allowance + Up to 20% Bonus

Shape the Future of Technology Procurement at United Utilities

At United Utilities, we're delivering more than water. We're helping to create a stronger, greener and healthier North West.

As we continue to invest in technology, innovation and digital transformation, we're looking for an exceptional Head of Procurement - IT to lead one of our most strategically important spend categories. This is a rare opportunity to influence major business decisions, direct multi-million-pound procurement strategies, and play a pivotal role in enabling the future of our technology services.

If you're a commercially astute procurement leader who thrives on driving value, influencing senior stakeholders and building high-performing teams, we'd love to hear from you.

The Opportunity

This is not a traditional procurement role.

You'll lead the strategic management of our IT procurement portfolio, owning market strategies, supplier relationships and sourcing initiatives that directly support critical business outcomes. Working closely with senior leaders across Technology Services and the wider business, you'll help shape procurement decisions that deliver innovation, efficiency and long-term value.

With responsibility for high-value, complex commercial activities, you'll be at the forefront of identifying opportunities, influencing investment decisions and ensuring we remain ahead of market trends and technological advancements.

What You'll Be Doing

• Lead a team of commercial professionals responsible for market management, sourcing delivery and supplier collaboration.
• Develop and implement category strategies across a significant IT and technology spend portfolio.
• Build trusted partnerships with senior stakeholders across Technology Services and the wider business.
• Deliver measurable commercial value, including multi-million-pound savings and business benefits.
• Oversee strategic sourcing activities, commercial negotiations and supplier performance.
• Drive innovation by bringing external market insights, emerging technologies and industry best practice into the organisation.
• Lead annual commercial planning and procurement strategy development.
• Ensure compliance with procurement policies while promoting agile and efficient ways of working.
• Coach, mentor and develop team members, creating a high-performance culture and strong succession pipeline.

What We're Looking For

We're seeking an experienced procurement and commercial leader who can operate confidently at a strategic level and influence decision-making across complex organisations.

You'll bring:

• Extensive procurement, category management or commercial leadership experience.
• Significant experience managing complex, business-critical spend categories.
• Demonstrable success developing sourcing strategies and managing strategic supplier relationships.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and business partnering capabilities at senior leadership level.
• Proven people management experience, with a passion for developing high-performing teams.
• Advanced negotiation, influencing and dispute resolution skills.
• Experience working within large, complex organisations.
• A strong understanding of technology procurement and the broader IT landscape.

You'll stand out if you also have experience with:

• IT governance, enterprise architecture and technology strategy.
• Agile delivery methodologies and DevOps environments.
• IT service management and support models.
• Technology supplier evaluation and contract management.
• Utilities, energy or other highly regulated sectors.
• Operational Technology (OT), geospatial systems, network management systems or related technologies.

Qualifications

You'll ideally be degree educated and hold a relevant professional or postgraduate qualification such as:

• CIPS
• MBA
• MSc
• RICS

Why United Utilities?

At United Utilities, you'll join a FTSE 100 organisation that is investing heavily in technology, innovation and the people who make it happen.

In return, you'll receive:

• Up to 20% annual bonus
• 26 days holiday, increasing to 30 days with service, plus bank holidays
• Industry-leading pension with up to 14% employer contribution
• Enhanced parental leave
• Employee assistance programme
• Gym and wellbeing discounts
• Financial wellbeing support and lifestyle benefits

Join Us

This is an opportunity to lead at scale, influence critical technology investment decisions and make a genuine impact on the future of one of the UK's most important utilities businesses.

If you're ready to combine strategic procurement expertise with technology innovation and commercial leadership, we'd love to hear from you.