Lead Procurement Manager - Strategy and Delivery

Tesco UK; Digswell; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Tesco leads strategic procurement and governance for Group Sourcing & Procurement, directing the savings programme and long-term planning across UK and regional teams. The role partners with senior leaders to drive transformation, improve operating efficiency and accelerate value delivery.

The Lead Procurement Manager collaborates across the function to develop robust category plans, manage targets, and embed new ways of working, with a focus on governance, AI adoption and data-driven

Qualifications

• Proven organisational skills.
• Strong influencing and stakeholder engagement with senior stakeholders.
• Experience in large-scale transformation programmes.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills.
• Strong analytical, data-driven and project management capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Group Savings Programme governance and delivery, including S2I, inflation mitigation and working capital initiatives.
• Own integrated planning: category strategy, long-term forecasting, pipeline management and targets for UK, regional and subsidiary teams.
• Shape delivery of Procurement transformation and Target Operating Model with cross-functional partners.
• Drive initiatives to improve efficiency, governance, collaboration and speed to value.
• Provide strategic analysis and executive communications to support senior leadership decisions.
• Collaborate with Tesco Business Services to deliver transformation projects and system enhancements.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Strategic planning

Procurement governance

Data analytics

Change management

Presentation skills

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

The Lead Procurement Manager for Strategy & Operations is a key strategic role within Group Sourcing & Procurement, acting as a trusted adviser to the S&P Leadership Team and Group Director. Reporting to the Head of Procurement Strategy & Operations, the role is responsible for leading the function's core governance and planning processes, ensuring the successful delivery of strategic objectives and business value across the organisation.

The position oversees critical activities including delivery of the savings programme across S2I, Capital, Cost Mitigation and Working Capital Benefit initiatives, as well as long-term planning, savings pipeline development, target setting and inflation forecasting. The role also manages the Category Strategy process, ensuring robust category plans and strategic artefacts are developed and maintained across the procurement team. In addition, you will partner on a range of strategic and transformational projects, driving continuous improvement, enhancing ways of working, and strengthening governance, communication and operational effectiveness across the function. Through these responsibilities, the role plays an important part in supporting senior decision-making and shaping the future direction of Sourcing & Procurement across the Group.

• Lead and oversee the tracking, governance and delivery of the Group Savings Programme, including Save to Invest (S2I), Capital, inflation mitigation, cash and working capital initiatives, ensuring committed targets are achieved and reporting processes are continuously improved and automated.
• Own the integrated planning process for the function, including category strategy development, long-term planning, budget forecasting, savings pipeline management and target setting across UK, regional and subsidiary teams.
• Partner with the Head of Strategy & Operations, Group Director and S&P Leadership Team to shape and deliver the Procurement transformation agenda, supporting the development of the wider Target Operating Model and embedding new ways of working across the function.
• Drive strategic and transformational initiatives that improve operational efficiency, governance and collaboration, including process simplification, enhanced group integration, streamlined approvals and the adoption of new technologies.
• Provide strategic analysis, insights and executive-level communications to support senior leadership decision-making and the ongoing evolution of the Procurement function.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and Tesco Business Services (TBS) to deliver key transformation projects and system enhancements, strengthening analytical, project management and operational capabilities across the function.
• Ensure adherence to procurement processes, governance frameworks and methodologies, constructively challenging deviations and driving a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
• Champion the use of AI, automation and data analytics to improve spend visibility, reporting capabilities, operational efficiency and speed to value.
• Develop and deliver core Group Procurement communications, ensuring clear and effective engagement with stakeholders across the function.
• Mentor and support colleagues across the group, fostering capability development, knowledge sharing and a continuous improvement mindset.

• Proven organisational skills.
• Strong influencing and stakeholder engagement skills, including experience with senior stakeholders.
• Proven approach to working within a team and being a ‘team player’.
• Experience of working within a large-scale transformation programme.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills.
• Demonstrated experience in strategic planning, process optimisation, and change management.
• Strong analytical, data-driven and project management capabilities.

You might know us as a supermarket, technology company or even for our award-winning mobile network. Truth is, we’re all of those things, and much more. Our colleagues work with one goal in mind, helping to make every day a little better for our customers, colleagues and communities all over the world. No two customers are the same, neither are our colleagues.

At Tesco, we champion a balance that lets you thrive both in and out of work. Spend 60% of your week collaborating with colleagues at our office locations or local sites and the rest remotely. Whether you're just kicking off your career, juggling passions, or navigating big life events, we're here to support you. We always welcome a conversation about flexible working, so talk to us throughout your application about how we can support.

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