Procurement Lead

Utaceram; Bedford; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Life Cover

Contributory pension schemes

Flexible working policies

Employee assistance support services

Access to Perkz reward scheme

Job summary

A leading engineering firm in the UK is seeking a Procurement Lead to manage a diverse range of procurement categories including strategic and operational activities. The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong negotiation skills and have procurement experience in manufacturing or engineering environments. Responsibilities include driving supplier consolidation strategies, achieving annualised savings, and maintaining compliance with governance standards. This role offers exciting opportunities for personal and professional development and requires strong numeracy and relationship-building skills.

Qualifications

• Experience in a manufacturing, engineering, or regulated environment.
• Proven track record in procurement negotiations.
• Ability to engage with various stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead sourcing and management of procurement categories.
• Support CapEx procurement aligned with project requirements.
• Deliver measurable cost savings and supplier optimisation.
• Drive supplier consolidation to enhance efficiency.

Skills

Procurement or supply chain experience

Negotiation skills

Numeracy and analytical capability

Ability to manage multiple priorities

Influencing stakeholders

Experience in automotive or aerospace sectors

Familiarity with Oracle/Sage ERP

Experience supporting CapEx procurement

Education

Degree in Business, Supply Chain, Engineering

Tools

Oracle ERP

Sage ERP

Job description

UTAC is a leading automotive and defence engineering, test and certification provider with a global footprint.

UTAC is a market-leading international group in digital & sustainable mobility, customisable testing solutions, customisable testing systems, vehicle engineering, homologation, regulatory advice & expertise, certification, training, corporate events and classic & sportscars festivals.

The Group provides services and systems to customers in the various sectors: mobility, transport, tyre, petrochemical, agriculture and defence industries. UTAC operates test centres and laboratories in France (including the official Euro NCAP facility), the UK, USA, Finland, Morocco, and Germany; it has subsidiaries in China, Korea and Japan. UTAC employs around 1300 people across its various locations.

As a group we share a strong and clear vision to deliver safe and efficient solutions and systems to our customers. We are proud and confident in our heritage, our capabilities and our people and believe that by creating a culture where individuals feel they can make a difference and enjoy coming to work, we can deliver the best possible service to our customers.

Our core values ofExpertise, InnovationandIntegrityprovide a clear daily guide to how we work together safely, as one team, helping each other to succeed.

Job Description

The Procurement Lead will be the responsible party managing a diverse range of procurement categories, from low-value operational purchases to multi-million-pound CapEx investments. This role is hands‑on and will support both strategic and operational procurement activities — ensuring best value, compliance, and efficiency across the supply base.

The position will champion two primary objectives:

• Annualised savings achievement, through strong commercial negotiation and category management.
• Supply chain consolidation and rationalisation, to improve quality, reduce cost base, and enhance resilience.

This role is well‑suited to someone who shows initiative, numerical strength, and a desire to contribute significant business value.

Roles and responsibilities

• Lead the sourcing, negotiation, and management of indirect procurement categories across multiple UK and international stakeholders.
• Support and oversee CapEx procurement aligned with engineering and project requirements.
• Deliver measurable annualised cost savings targets and support supplier base optimisation.
• Drive supplier consolidation strategies to enhance quality, reduce complexity, and improve buying efficiency. · Administer Purchase Orders, supplier onboarding, and data accuracy within ERP systems.
• Generate monthly procurement performance and spend reports; analyse data to identify opportunities.
• Manage supplier contract administration and compliance with internal governance standards.
• Proactively engage with internal project, engineering, operations, finance, and leadership teams.
• Maintain a strong focus on continuous improvement and support global procurement transformation initiatives.
• Foster a culture of accountability and high personal performance in alignment with company values.
• Support a wide variety of company initiatives and programmes to completion.

Person Specification

Skils & Experience

• Procurement or supply chain experience within a manufacturing, engineering, or regulated environment.
• Demonstrated negotiation skills and commercial awareness.
• Strong numeracy and analytical capability.
• Able to manage multiple simultaneous priorities with high levels of ownership.
• Ability to influence stakeholders and drive change.
• Experience in automotive, aerospace, defense, or industrial testing sectors.
• Familiarity with Oracle and/or Sage ERP platforms.
• Experience supporting CapEx procurement.
• CIPS qualification (or progression toward it)

Personal Behaviours

• Self‑motivated and proactive — thrives in an environment of change.
• Confident communicator able to motivate and challenge the status quo.
• Detail‑oriented, structured, and committed to accuracy.
• Strong relationship builder with a collaborative approach.
• Enjoys taking accountability for measurable outcomes.

Qualifications

• Degree in Business, Supply Chain, Engineering, or relevant discipline preferred.
• Equivalent professional experience also valued.

Other

• Flexibility to travel as and when required
• Full UK driving license
• Willing to undergo a Criminal Records Bureau check

Additional Information

For you, as a potential UTAC team member, we believe that the international and diverse nature of our business combined with the passion, energy and friendliness of our people create a great place to work. UTAC is proud to be an equal opportunities employer, valuing inclusion and supporting our people to be themselves and at their very best.

By joining us you will gain access to a broad range of learning relevant to your role and personal development, as well as exposure to leading technologies and expertise.

Our reward and benefit programmes are designed to support our people with competitive and locally tailored packages combined with support for individual health and wellbeing both inside and outside of work.

In the UK this includes;

• Life Cover
• Access to a wide range of discounts and offers via the Perkz reward scheme
• Recognition awards linked to our UTAC values of Expertise, Innovation and Integrity.
• Contributory pension schemes
• Attractive family friendly policies; maternity, paternity, shared parental leave, flexible working.
• Access to a variety of employee assistance support services.

Learn more about UTAC and what and how we do what we do at www.utac.com

Candidates for positions at UTAC must be able to provide proof of identity and eligibility to work in the country the role is based in. Immigration visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Note to Recruitment Agencies:

UTAC do not accept speculative applications from agencies for our open positions and any submissions made will not be accepted and no fees will be accepted or paid in respect of speculative CVs received.