Head of Procurement

United World College of South East Asia; Singapore; On-site; SGD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

United World College of South East Asia seeks a Head of Procurement to transform the function into a strategic business partner. Reporting to the COO, you will lead governance, high-stakes negotiations, and end-to-end procurement across campuses, including Tengah campus development.

You will partner with department leads to expand vendor pools globally, drive competitive tension, and ensure compliance with safety, legal, and ESG standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Commerce, or related field; CIPS or equivalent certification desirable.
• 10-15 years of senior procurement leadership experience.
• Proven success in matrixed, multi-stakeholder environments (international education, real estate/construction, hospitality, or corporate).
• Experience in large-scale infrastructure or construction procurement is a plus.
• History of transforming procurement into a strategic partner.

Responsibilities

• Establish and drive a clear Business Partnering Model for procurement governance and sourcing timelines.
• Lead capital projects procurement for Tengah Campus development and major infra.
• Modernize procurement policies, DOA, SOPs, and audit framework.
• Lead major negotiations, RFPs, and contract structuring for high-spend categories.
• Implement vendor management frameworks and KPIs; ensure safety and ESG standards.
• Develop multi-year category strategies aligned with mission and ESG commitments.
• Elevate procurement team capability across campuses.

Skills

Procurement leadership

Strategic sourcing

Contract negotiations

Vendor management

CapEx procurement

Governance & DOA

RACI/RAPID

Stakeholder management

Change management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business

CIPS certification (desirable)

Job description

Join a global movement in education and help shape a better future.

UWCSEA is looking for a Head of Procurement to join us in December/January, with flexibility for the right candidate.

The Head of Procurement is a key commercial leadership role responsible for transforming UWCSEA's procurement function from an administrative processing group into a strategic, value-driving business partner.

Reporting to the COO, this role establishes procurement governance, leads high-stakes negotiations, and enforces end-to-end commercial control across all campus operations—including providing commercial oversight for major capital projects such as the new Tengah campus development.

The Head of Procurement collaborates with department leads (e.g., Outdoor Education, Facilities, Athletics, IT) by respecting their technical expertise while firmly taking ownership of supplier market research, sourcing frameworks, commercial negotiation, and contract management.

Main Responsibilities

1. Strategic Business Partnership & RACI Enforcement

   • Establish and drive a clear Business Partnering Model where academic and operational departments define technical, safety, and programmatic specifications, while Procurement leads commercial strategy, vendor market engagement, and pricing negotiations, owning the sourcing process timeline, all formal vendor communications, and objective vendor evaluations.

   • Partner assertively with specialized departments (e.g., Outdoor Education, Facilities) to expand vendor selection pools globally and regionally, challenging "sole-source" reliance and driving competitive tension without compromising student safety or educational outcomes.

   • Serve as an authoritative, trusted advisor to senior leadership and/or department heads on commercial risk, vendor performance, and high-value sourcing decisions.

   • Systematically review departmental sourcing requests and exceptions, providing objective, risk-benefit recommendations to department heads and senior leadership that balance process governance with the College's overall operational risk and legal exposure

2. Capital Projects & Construction Support (Tengah Campus Development)

   • Work alongside the internal Project Management (PM) team, Quantity Surveyors, and external consultants to support commercial procurement for new campus developments and major capital infrastructure projects.

   • Oversee high-value CapEx procurement packages (e.g., IT/AV infrastructure, specialized sports and outdoor installations, loose furniture) to maximize value and avoid unnecessary main-contractor markups.

   • Exercise commercial rigor on main-contractor sub-contracts, variation orders (VOs), and procurement-related project claims.

3. Governance, Policy & Process Improvement

   • Modernize, maintain, and rigorously enforce College-wide Procurement Policies, Delegations of Authority (DOA), and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), systematically auditing high-exception spend categories, closing policy loopholes, and establishing a transparent, auditable approval framework that minimizes policy deviations.

   • Drive process re-engineering and digital automation to eliminate workflow bottlenecks, ensure full policy adherence, and improve user experience for internal stakeholders.

   • Oversee the College Tender Process and manage Tender Evaluation Committee governance, ensuring commercial objectivity, ethics, and full compliance across all major purchases.

4. Commercial Negotiations & Category Strategy

   • Lead major commercial negotiations, RFP processes, and contract structuring for high-spend categories across both campuses.

   • Partner with Finance, Legal & Risk stakeholders to ensure supplier contracts mitigate operational, financial, legal, and reputational risks.

   • Develop multi-year category strategies that optimize Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), drive sustainable cost efficiencies, and align with UWCSEA's core mission and ESG commitments.

5. Supplier Performance & Risk Management

   • Implement vendor management frameworks, key performance indicators (KPIs), and SLAs to hold suppliers accountable to contractual obligations, health and safety standards, and service quality.

   • In coordination with department heads, ensure suppliers strictly adhere to College child safeguarding, safety, health, and environmental standards.

6. Team Leadership & Capability Building

   • Elevate the commercial capability, negotiation expertise, and strategic mindset of the existing Procurement team across both campuses.

   • Foster a high-performance, customer-centric team culture rooted in accountability, proactive problem-solving, and professional assertiveness.

Person Specifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, Commerce, Quantity Surveying, or related field. CIPS (Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply) or equivalent professional certification is highly desirable.
• 10-15 years of relevant working experience in a senior procurement leadership role managing organizational spend and leading teams.
• Proven success in matrixed, multi-stakeholder environments (e.g., international education, real estate/construction, hospitality, or corporate matrix organizations).
• Demonstrated exposure to large-scale infrastructure or construction procurement (working with PM teams, quantity surveyors, and main contractors) is a distinct advantage.
• History of successfully shifting a procurement department from an administrative function to a business partner, establishing cross-functional governance and process control.
• Assertive Influence & Diplomacy: Ability to stand firm on commercial policy and process ownership while maintaining collaborative, trusted relationships with domain-expert stakeholders.
• Commercial Acumen & Negotiation: Advanced mastery of contract negotiation, supplier market analysis, cost modeling, and strategic sourcing.
• Decision Frameworks & Governance: Experience implementing decision-rights models (e.g., RACI or RAPID) to establish clear boundaries between technical experts and commercial leaders.
• Change Management: Strong leadership ability to guide cross-functional teams through process changes with empathy, clarity, and firmness.
• CapEx & Contract Mechanics: Familiarity with capital expenditure procurement models, construction sub-contract evaluation, variation order workflows, and project cost governance.
• Situational Awareness & EQ: High emotional intelligence to navigate a consensus-driven, international educational culture without compromising on standards or compliance.

Application

Interviews will take place from October to early November, with an offer made to the successful candidate by mid- to late November. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

The UWC Mission is to make education a force to unite people, nations and culture for peace and a sustainable future. We are committed to creating a community in which all members feel safe and secure, and know that their authentic selves and individual differences are accepted with respect and care. At UWCSEA, we acknowledge that diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) is an ongoing and evolving process and strive to create and sustain a sense of belonging for all members of our community, past, present and future. All qualified applicants, including those who identify as a part of marginalized group(s) and individuals with (dis)abilities are all encouraged to apply. Our school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all the students in our care and expects all applicants to share this commitment. We follow safe recruitment practices and all appointments are subject to interview, satisfactory references, identity and criminal record checks.