Strategic Defense Procurement Lead

First Military Recruitment; Corsham; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 92,000; Full time

Job summary

First Military Recruitment is seeking a Commercial Officer in Corsham to support the full procurement lifecycle, from definition to contract award and post-award management. The role demands strong commercial judgement and stakeholder engagement to deliver value for money in defence-related services.

This position emphasizes managing market engagements, supplier relationships and category strategies to achieve savings while aligning with national security priorities.

Qualifications

• In-depth experience in a commercial or procurement environment, covering sourcing through to contract and supplier management.
• Proven category management experience, with the ability to engage confidently with the market and implement category strategies.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with excellent communication abilities.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating with suppliers to achieve savings and value for money.
• Confident decision-maker, able to work independently and collaboratively within a team.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment.
• Hold CIPS Level 4 qualification or equivalent relevant experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate procurement activities, including market engagement, sourcing strategies, evolution, contract award and supplier management.
• Manage contracts post-award, ensuring compliance, performance monitoring and effective supplier relationships.
• Engage confidently with the market to implement category strategies and achieve savings and value for money.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders, suppliers and external partners to support procurement objectives.
• Provide commercial expertise and advice to project teams, supporting approval processes and decision-making.
• Manage competing priorities, assess information rapidly and adapt to dynamic situations effectively.
• Uphold policies, ethical standards and promote continuous improvement within the commercial function.
• Act as a point of escalation for commercial issues and support team resource allocation and succession planning where applicable.
• Desirable: Experience providing commercial expertise to support project teams in achieving approvals and delivering complex procurements.
• Desirable: Experience leading and managing teams within a commercial or procurement context.

Skills

Procurement lifecycle

Category management

Stakeholder management

Supplier negotiations

Decision making

Multi-priority management

CIPS Level 4

Education

CIPS Level 4 qualification

Job description

First Military Recruitment is seeking a Commercial Officer in Corsham to support the full procurement lifecycle, from definition to contract award and post-award management. The role demands strong commercial judgement and stakeholder engagement to deliver value for money in defence-related services.

This position emphasizes managing market engagements, supplier relationships and category strategies to achieve savings while aligning with national security priorities.