Senior Subcontracts & Procurement Leader – Defence Programs

Cirrus Selection; Stevenage; On-site; GBP 59,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Pension

Job summary

Cirrus Selection invites applications for a Senior Procurement Manager role based in Bristol. You will lead a team of procurement specialists across subcontracts for complex defence programmes, guiding tendering, negotiation and contract execution.

The role blends strategic commercial leadership with risk and opportunity management, working with technical teams at senior levels and travelling to suppliers across the UK and Europe.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in procurement or subcontract management, ideally within defence, aerospace, or another regulated engineering sector.
• Demonstrable line management experience, leading a team of procurement or commercial specialists.
• Strong negotiation skills, with a track record of authoring and reviewing contracts and terms and conditions.
• Experience of competitive tendering and supporting new business proposals.
• CIPS or MCIPS qualification preferred, though not essential with strong subcontract management experience.
• Comfortable balancing procedural rigour with commercial pragmatism.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of procurement specialists managing subcontracts across the full lifecycle of in-service support projects.
• Negotiate terms and conditions with critical suppliers, resolving contractual disagreements.
• Safeguard delivery on cost, quality and schedule for sophisticated sub-systems.
• Work closely with technical and project teams at senior level, providing commercial guidance and managing risk and opportunity.

Skills

Procurement / subcontract management

Line management

Negotiation

Competitive tendering

CIPS/MCIPS

Contract management

Job description

Cirrus Selection invites applications for a Senior Procurement Manager role based in Bristol. You will lead a team of procurement specialists across subcontracts for complex defence programmes, guiding tendering, negotiation and contract execution.

The role blends strategic commercial leadership with risk and opportunity management, working with technical teams at senior levels and travelling to suppliers across the UK and Europe.