Head of Procurement Operations

Southern State Community College; Wakefield; Hybrid; GBP 93,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Annual bonus schemes

Long service awards

Wellbeing leave

Pension scheme (12% employer)

Job summary

NHS Supply Chain in Wakefield is seeking a Head of Procurement Operations to lead end-to-end procurement delivery and strategic sourcing. You will drive commercial excellence, govern pricing and data management, and partner with NHS stakeholders to enable value and improved outcomes.

The role requires extensive leadership across sourcing, programmes and operations, with a focus on governance compliance, supplier market strengthening and operational capability to meet NHS priorities.

Qualifications

• Significant senior leadership experience within strategic sourcing, procurement or commercial management.
• Extensive experience leading complex procurement programmes.
• Strong understanding of UK public procurement legislation and governance requirements; experience managing senior stakeholder relationships and influencing executive-level decisions.
• Proven track record of delivering commercial value, cost improvement and service improvement initiatives.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams within large and complex organisations.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Procurement Operations function and enable delivery of sourcing, category and commercial strategies.
• Provide leadership across sourcing activities, procurement operations and commercial delivery; support development and implementation of procurement and category strategies.
• Ensure sourcing activity complies with procurement legislation, governance requirements and policies; oversee Procurement Operations, Helpdesk and Data Maintenance.
• Ensure systems, governance, pricing and data management support sourcing and commercial objectives.
• Develop organisational procurement capability through leadership, coaching and talent development.
• Drive continuous improvement across procurement operations.
• Build and maintain stakeholder relationships to support objectives and service delivery.

Skills

Senior leadership

Procurement programmes

UK public procurement

Commercial value delivery

Leadership of multidisciplinary teams

Education

MCIPS qualification or equivalent

Job description

Job Title: Head of Procurement Operations

Function:Commercial

Location: Hybrid - working 2 days a week in our Wakefield office.

Contract type: Permanent

Salary: Offered on a starting salary of £93,504 with the potential to increase to £110,004 over the course of three years. Plus, a car allowance of £8,500 per annum.

Closing Date: 13th October 2026

The Head of Procurement Operations is responsible for leading NHS Supply Chain's end-to-end procurement delivery capability, ensuring strategic sourcing and procurement operations are aligned to deliver value, innovation, compliance and improved outcomes for the NHS.

The role provides leadership across sourcing activities, procurement programmes and commercial delivery, supporting the development and implementation of procurement and category strategies. The post-holder is responsible for ensuring effective operational services, including helpdesk support, systems, governance, pricing and data management, are in place to enable the successful delivery of procurement and commercial objectives.

Working closely with Category Management, Commercial, Technology, Finance, Customer Services and NHS stakeholders, the Head of Procurement Operations will drive sourcing excellence, strengthen supplier markets, improve procurement performance and ensure operational capability supports the achievement of NHS Supply Chain's strategic priorities.

Every day you will

• Lead the Procurement Operations function, ensuring it effectively enables the successful delivery of sourcing, category and commercial strategies.
• Provide leadership across sourcing activities, procurement operations and commercial delivery, supporting the development and implementation of procurement and category strategies.
• Ensure all sourcing activity complies with procurement legislation, governance requirements and organisational policies. Oversee Procurement Operations, Procurement Helpdesk and Data Maintenance functions, ensuring operational excellence, service effectiveness and high-quality support for the Commercial Directorate.
• Ensure effective systems, governance, pricing and data management processes are in place to support sourcing and commercial objectives.
• Develop organisational procurement capability through leadership, coaching and talent development.
• Drive continuous improvement across procurement operations.
• Build and maintain strong stakeholder relationships across the organisation to support business objectives, service delivery and customer needs.

What can we offer you?

We want to reward you for your passion,enthusiasm,and hard work so we offer much more than a competitive salary:

• Hybrid working opportunities,giving you the flexibility to work collaboratively in the office and remotely.
• We recognise our employees' hard work and contributions with annual bonus schemes, long service, and colleague recognition awards.
• 27 days holiday plus bank holidays
• We are dedicated to your development, through in-house training, support, and access to external qualifications to maximise your potential.
• A focus on your well-being offering 1 day of paid well-being leave and free access to the 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
• Generous pension scheme (with us contributing 12% when you contribute 6%)
• Access to our Flexible Benefits Scheme, where you can choose from a variety of benefits such as Life Insurance, Critical Illness Cover, Income Protection, Health Cash Plan, Dental Insurance, and additional pension contributions that suit you
• 2 days of paid volunteering leave allowing you to give back to your community
• Access to many discounts from the Blue Light Card to NHS Discounts.

NHS Supply Chain, who are we?

Our role is to support the NHS to save lives and improve health.We are a part of the NHS family, and our role is to source, deliver and supply healthcare products, services and food for NHS trusts and healthcare organisations across England and Wales.

We serve every NHS Trust andoperatea national network of distribution centres,managingrelationships with more than a thousand suppliersanddelivering more than 8,000,000 orders each year to more than 17,000 locations.Doing all of this on behalf of the NHS gives NHS staff more time to focus on their main priority of providing excellent patient care.

What skills will help you thrive in this role?

Essential

• Significant senior leadership experience within strategic sourcing, procurement or commercial management.
• Extensive experience leading complex procurement programmes.
• Strong understanding of UK public procurement legislation and governance requirements. Experience managing senior stakeholder relationships and influencing executive-level decision making.
• Proven track record of delivering commercial value, cost improvement and service improvement initiatives.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams within large and complex organisations.

Desirable

• Experience operating within the NHS or wider public sector.
• MCIPS qualified or equivalent professional qualification.
• Experience leading procurement operations, pricing management or master data governance function.
• Experience in managing customer service helpdesks will be an advantage.

Our Inclusive Commitment

At NHS Supply Chain, we are committed to building an inclusive environment where difference is not only valued, but celebrated, giving everyone the opportunity to thrive in their career. Developing our people is key to our success, so if this role sounds like the right next step in your career but your experiencedoesn’tmatch perfectly with the job advert, we encourage you to still apply.

Struggling to complete our application form, and requireadditionalsupport? Reach out to our Talent Acquisition team [e-mail] will be happy to help you with alternative ways to apply.