Corporate Procurement Manager

Job Description

Navantia UK is a UK‑incorporated subsidiary of Navantia S.A., a global leader in naval shipbuilding, defence systems integration, and advanced maritime technologies. With more than 300 years of shipbuilding heritage, Navantia delivers state‑of‑the‑art naval platforms, lifecycle support, and complex industrial transformation programmes worldwide. Navantia UK works in partnership with UK industry to strengthen sovereign shipbuilding capability and deliver major defence and offshore energy programmes.

The Corporate Procurement Manager is the senior leader responsible for setting the strategic direction, governance, and operational excellence of procurement across all UK shipbuilding operations.

• Define and lead the corporate procurement strategy for UK shipbuilding operations, ensuring alignment with business growth plans, programme requirements, and corporate objectives.
• Establish, enforce, and continuously enhance procurement governance frameworks, policies, and standards across all UK sites.
• Ensure full compliance with UK regulatory requirements, defence industry standards, export controls, and contractual obligations.
• Champion standardisation, process optimisation, and continuous improvement across the procurement function.
• Provide strategic guidance to senior leadership on market conditions, supply chain risks, and commercial opportunities.

• Lead high‑value sourcing activities, including RFQs, ITTs, supplier evaluations, negotiations, and contract awards for complex shipbuilding and defence programmes.
• Develop and execute category strategies that deliver cost competitiveness, supply chain resilience, and long‑term value creation.
• Negotiate complex commercial agreements, ensuring alignment with legal, technical, and programme requirements.
• Oversee the resolution of supplier disputes, claims, and escalations, safeguarding company interests and programme outcomes.
• Establish and maintain supplier segmentation models, approved supplier lists, and risk management frameworks.
• Lead strategic supplier performance programmes, including audits, scorecards, capability assessments, and improvement plans.
• Build and maintain high‑value supplier partnerships that support innovation, industrial collaboration, and operational resilience.
• Monitor supplier performance across quality, delivery, cost, capacity, and compliance metrics.

• Ensure procurement activities fully support engineering, production, logistics, and programme delivery schedules.
• Oversee materials availability, logistics coordination, warehousing interfaces, and supply chain performance across multiple sites.
• Support bid and proposal activities with competitive sourcing strategies and market intelligence.
• Drive cost optimisation, value engineering, and supply chain efficiency initiatives across all programmes.

• Lead the implementation and optimisation of ERP systems (including SAP) and document management platforms such as Open Text.
• Develop and maintain procurement KPIs, dashboards, and reporting tools to drive transparency and performance improvement.
• Provide data‑driven insights to support executive decision‑making and strategic planning.

• Lead, inspire, and develop procurement teams across multiple UK locations, fostering a culture of excellence, accountability, and collaboration.
• Oversee workforce planning, recruitment, succession planning, and capability development.
• Ensure compliance with employment legislation, wellbeing initiatives, and equality, diversity, and inclusion standards.
• Support employee relations activities, including grievance resolution and union engagement where required.

• Extensive procurement leadership experience within shipbuilding, defence, engineering, construction, manufacturing, or other heavy industry sectors.
• Strong expertise in procurement governance, strategic sourcing, contract management, and supplier relationship management.
• Proven track record of leading complex RFQ/ITT processes and negotiating high‑value commercial…