Procurement Manager

AALTO; Cove; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance Bonus

Generous Annual Leave

Private Healthcare

Pension Contributions

Income Protection & Life Assurance

Electric Vehicle & Car Scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Employee Discounts

Job summary

AALTO, a global leader in Stratospace, is recruiting a Procurement Manager to shape and lead the procurement function across Direct and Indirect spend, reporting to the VP of Procurement. You will build category plans, manage RFx and supplier negotiations, and ensure governance, cost control and risk management.

You will collaborate with Legal, Compliance, Quality and Engineering to meet regulatory requirements and support industrialisation, with KPI-based supplier performance and a focus on

Qualifications

• Proven procurement leadership across Direct/Indirect spend in regulated environments.
• Experience with tendering, supplier selection and contract management.
• Strong stakeholder management and governance skills.

Responsibilities

• Define procurement strategy across Direct and Indirect spend.
• Lead RFx, tender and supplier selection processes.
• Negotiate supplier agreements, pricing structures and contract variations.
• Partner with Legal, Compliance, Quality and Engineering to ensure regulatory alignment.
• Build supplier performance frameworks with KPIs across cost, quality, delivery and risk.
• Support budget control, cost reduction and procurement forecasting.
• Lead and coach Procurement team members.

Skills

Procurement leadership

Stakeholder management

Tender management

Negotiation skills

Cost modelling

ERP systems

Supplier relationships

Strategy development

Cross-functional collab

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain/Engineering/Business

CIPS qualification desirable

Tools

SAP

Microsoft Dynamics 365

MS Excel

Job description

AALTO, a global leader in Stratospace. Based in Farnborough, AALTO is an Airbus subsidiary that manufactures, operates, and delivers services with its solar-powered, stratospheric platform: Zephyr.

Zephyr's persistence enables continuous flight for months at a time. Its current flight-time record of over 67 days in the stratosphere. From above 60,000+ft, or 20km above ground, AALTO can deliver several applications including direct-to-device connectivity and high-resolution Earth observation.

AALTO operates in a new operational layer between most of air traffic and low-Earth orbit, Stratospace. This is where high-altitude platforms led by Zephyr deliver services to commercial and government partners. We can help monitor environments, observe borders, track natural disasters and connect unconnected communities.

Join us as we create a new domain of aerospace: Stratospace. You'll be part of a highly-skilled, innovative and passionate group of people – Team AALTO. Together, we can Unlock Stratospace.

We are recruiting a Procurement Manager to shape, lead and elevate our Procurement function across both Direct and Indirect spend. Reporting to the VP of Procurement, you'll play a pivotal role in building the sourcing strategies, supplier partnerships, commercial governance and operational excellence that will help power AALTO's next phase of aerospace manufacturing, aircraft certification, industrialisation and business transformation. Define and deliver Procurement strategy across Direct and Indirect spend, ensuring it supports programme delivery, certification milestones, industrialisation and operational excellence. Lead procurement activity across strategic aerospace commodities, production support, engineering services, facilities, IT, professional services and other indirect categories. Create clear category plans, sourcing roadmaps, supplier segmentation and make/buy recommendations that balance cost, quality, delivery and risk. Run complex RFx, tender, supplier selection and negotiation processes, bringing structure, pace and strong governance to every commercial decision. Negotiate and manage supplier agreements, pricing structures, statements of work, framework agreements and contract variations that protect AALTO commercially. Partner with Legal, Compliance, Export Control, Quality and Engineering to ensure procurement decisions meet regulatory, airworthiness, export control and corporate governance requirements. Build supplier performance frameworks with meaningful KPIs across cost, quality, delivery, responsiveness, capacity, technical capability and continuous improvement. Support supplier readiness, capacity planning and industrialisation, helping AALTO move from development and prototype supply into repeatable manufacturing operations. Identify and mitigate supply chain risks including long lead items, single-source exposure, obsolescence, capacity constraints, financial risk and regulatory change. Improve procurement processes, systems adoption, data quality and reporting rhythms across ERP and associated procurement tools. Work with Finance and programme stakeholders to support budget control, cost reduction, working capital improvement and accurate procurement forecasting. Lead, coach and develop Procurement team members, creating a culture of ownership, high performance and continuous professional growth. Represent Procurement in senior cross-functional forums, ensuring decisions are commercially sound, operationally practical and aligned to AALTO's strategic goals.

Proven procurement leadership experience across strategic sourcing, category management, supplier management and commercial delivery. Experience across both Direct and Indirect Procurement, including technical, production, engineering, services and business support categories. Strong stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to influence at senior level, manage challenge constructively and turn business needs into practical procurement outcomes. A strong background in tender preparation, evaluation, supplier negotiation, contract development and contract management. Commercial confidence, data-led decision making and the ability to work with cost models, supplier proposals, budgets, forecasts and procurement performance metrics. Procurement experience in aerospace, defence, aviation, automotive, advanced manufacturing or another high-complexity regulated industry would be highly desirable. An understanding of regulated aerospace quality and certification environments, including ISO9001, EN/AS9100, CAA requirements or equivalent frameworks. Experience supporting industrialisation, operational excellence, supply chain transformation, ERP adoption or procurement process improvement programmes. A degree in Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Business, Finance or a related field, or equivalent professional experience; CIPS qualification is desirable. Confidence using M365 and ERP systems such as SAP, Microsoft Dynamics 365 or equivalent procurement and supply chain platforms. The ability to lead procurement activity across complex direct and indirect categories, ideally within aerospace, defence, advanced manufacturing or another regulated technical environment. A track record of building procurement strategy, governance, processes, performance management and supplier relationship frameworks in a fast-moving organisation. Excellent commercial judgement, negotiation capability and contractual risk awareness, with the confidence to challenge, influence and advise senior stakeholders. A collaborative leadership style, with the ability to prioritise, simplify and deliver through ambiguity, change and competing programme demands. A commitment to integrity, accountability, continuous improvement and team spirit.

• Performance Bonus: Benefit from our short-term incentive plan, recognising and rewarding individual and company success.
• Generous Annual Leave: Enjoy 25 days of annual leave, giving you the time to rest, recharge, and spend time on what matters most.
• Private Healthcare: Access private medical insurance, alongside dental and optical cashback schemes, helping you and your family stay healthy.
• Pension Contributions: Plan confidently for the future with our competitive personal pension scheme.
• Income Protection & Life Assurance: Gain added peace of mind through income protection and life assurance cover, providing support when you need it most.
• Electric Vehicle & Car Scheme: Access our salary sacrifice vehicle scheme, offering a cost-effective way to drive the latest cars.
• Employee Assistance Programme: Receive confidential professional support whenever you need it through our dedicated employee assistance programme.
• Employee Discounts: Enjoy a wide range of discounts and offers through Perkbox, covering everything from shopping and travel to leisure activities and everyday essentials.

• Founded in 2022
• Co-workers: 200+