Procurement Director - Fresh Produce

Henderson Brown Recruitment; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading fresh produce company is seeking a Procurement Director to lead their procurement strategy and operations. This senior role requires proven leadership in procurement, strong negotiation skills, and experience in the fresh produce industry. You will build high-performing teams and ensure operational excellence while engaging with stakeholders at all levels. This position offers significant autonomy and visibility at the board level, making a measurable impact on the company's future.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Bonus

Benefits

Qualifications

• Proven procurement leadership experience at Director or senior Head of Procurement level.
• Experience in fresh produce is required.
• Ability to travel internationally when needed.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the procurement strategy.
• Build strong supplier partnerships for resilience and value.
• Negotiate commercial terms to maximize value.

Skills

Procurement leadership

Negotiation skills

Supplier management

Strategic thinking

Communication skills

Job description

Overview

Procurement Director

Location: England (Onsite with international travel)

Package: Competitive six-figure salary + bonus + benefits

The Opportunity

We are partnering exclusively with a leading fresh produce business to appoint a Procurement Director. This is a senior leadership role with full responsibility for procurement strategy and operations, ensuring supply resilience, commercial value, and long-term growth.

As part of the Senior Leadership Team, you will shape the future of the procurement function, drive efficiencies, and deliver excellence in supplier partnerships, systems, and processes. You will also build and inspire a high-performing team, embedding a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the procurement strategy to deliver annual and long-term objectives.
• Build strong, mutually beneficial supplier partnerships, ensuring resilience and value.
• Deliver the procurement contribution to budgets, forecasts, and strategic planning.
• Ensure operational excellence across procurement systems, reporting, and compliance.
• Negotiate commercial terms, mitigating risk while maximising value.
• Partner cross-functionally with technical, finance, IT, and commercial teams.
• Represent procurement at senior leadership and board level.
• Build, manage, and develop a high-performing procurement team.

What We're Looking For

• Proven procurement leadership at Director or senior Head of Procurement level.
• Experience in fresh produce.
• Comfortable with traveling internationally when required.
• Commercially sharp, with strong negotiation skills and supplier management expertise.
• Strategic thinker with resilience to operate in fast-paced, complex markets.
• Inspirational leader with a track record of developing high-performing teams.
• Strong communicator, able to influence stakeholders at all levels.

Why Join?

This is a rare opportunity to shape and lead a procurement function at the heart of a dynamic and ambitious fresh produce business. The successful candidate will enjoy significant autonomy, visibility at board level, and the chance to make a measurable impact on the future resilience and competitiveness of the business.