Indirect Procurement Director - Public Sector

1st Executive; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

1st Executive is seeking an Indirect Procurement Director to lead a £2bn portfolio and a team of around 40, guiding procurement strategy and supplier relationships in a major UK infrastructure programme.

The role requires strategic leadership within a regulated environment, with a focus on early engagement, pipeline management and delivering value for money across technology, facilities management, consultancy and professional services.

Qualifications

• Experience leading sizeable procurement teams and developing senior professionals.
• Significant experience in complex procurement and contract management portfolios.
• Experience managing high-value procurements across corporate/indirect categories.
• Deep understanding of UK procurement legislation and policy.

Responsibilities

• Lead a high-performing procurement and contract management function, developing capability and a collaborative culture.
• Drive implementation of category management and proactive market engagement.
• Oversee high-value procurements from strategy through contract award and delivery.
• Strengthen supplier relationships and market engagement across strategic categories.
• Provide assurance across procurement policies, processes, systems and standards.
• Improve visibility of forward pipeline and engage stakeholders earlier.

Skills

Procurement leadership

Strategic category management

Supplier relationship management

Governance & compliance

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Job description

Indirect Procurement Director

Build a legacy that will lastThis is an opportunity to take on a senior procurement leadership role at one of the UK's most significant infrastructure programmes - and to leave something lasting behind.As Indirect Procurement Director, you will lead a substantial corporate procurement and contract management function, shaping how a nationally significant organisation engages with its suppliers, manages commercial risk and delivers value for money.With responsibility for a procurement portfolio of around £2bn over the next four years and a team of approximately 40 people, this is a role with genuine scale, visibility and influence. The opportunity is about more than delivering contracts. It is about building capability, developing people, improving commercial discipline and creating a procurement function that stands the test of time.

The opportunity

• Sourcing & Contract Management - leading procurement activity and subsequent commercial and contract management across a significant corporate portfolio.
• Procurement Policy, Governance & Compliance - ensuring robust application of procurement legislation, government policy, governance and assurance requirements.
• Systems, MI & Reporting - strengthening procurement systems, insight and reporting for executive leadership, the Board and key government stakeholders.

Your portfolio will span areas including technology, facilities management, consultancy and professional services, with a particular opportunity to reshape how the organisation approaches high-demand professional and advisory services.

What you will do

• Lead a high-performing procurement and contract management function, developing capability, succession and a collaborative, customer-focused culture.
• Drive the implementation of category management, making greater use of strategic frameworks and creating a more proactive approach to market engagement.
• Oversee complex, high-value procurements and commercial negotiations from strategy and planning through to contract award and delivery.
• Strengthen supplier relationships and market engagement, particularly across consultancy, professional services, technology and other strategic categories.
• Provide assurance across procurement policies, processes, systems and standards.
• Improve visibility of the forward pipeline and encourage earlier engagement with stakeholders, reducing reactive procurement activity.
• Oversee contract management across a portfolio of approximately 200 contracts.
• Champion Equality, Diversity & Inclusion across the procurement function and supply chain.
• Help create a world-class procurement function recognised for its professionalism, commercial capability and supplier relationships.

This is not simply a BAU procurement leadership position.

The organisation is evolving, with changing priorities, stakeholders and requirements, creating an opportunity to move towards earlier business engagement, better pipeline management and a more strategic approach to demand.You will therefore need to balance strategic transformation with hands-on delivery - providing the leadership and direction expected at this level while remaining close enough to the detail to influence outcomes.

What we're looking for

We are looking for an experienced senior procurement leader who has operated successfully at scale within a complex, regulated or highly governed environment.You will bring:

• Experience leading sizeable procurement teams and developing senior procurement professionals.
• Significant experience leading complex procurement and contract management portfolios
• Experience managing high-value, high-volume procurement across corporate and indirect categories.
• Deep understanding of UK procurement legislation, PA23, government procurement policy and regulated environments.
• Experience across categories such as technology, FM, consultancy and professional services.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the credibility to influence senior leaders and government stakeholders.
• The ability to operate strategically while retaining sufficient commercial and operational grip.
• Experience improving procurement policy, process, governance, systems and reporting.
• Strong supplier relationship management and commercial negotiation experience.

Why this role?

Because the opportunity extends far beyond the next procurement cycle.You will be joining at a pivotal point in the organisation's evolution, with the opportunity to shape how corporate procurement operates, develop a talented team and establish commercial practices that create lasting value.You will have the scale of £2bn of procurement activity, the leadership responsibility of a team of around 40, and the influence to shape how the organisation partners with its suppliers and stakeholders.For an ambitious procurement leader, this is a chance to build something better, develop people, influence a nationally significant programme and leave a genuine legacy.Location: Birmingham, hybrid working with approximately 3 days per week in the office. London-based arrangements may also be considered.