Head of Procurement

About the Role

We are recruiting a Head of Procurement to take a capable, largely self-taught buying operation to the next level. Our terms and rebates are strong, and we have built an import model and an own-brand range that have lifted gross margin. What we need now is strategic procurement: sourcing back to the manufacturer, rigour on price as well as terms, repeatable process, and leadership of the team.

The role has two jobs. The first is to lead procurement and supply chain for the core business: planning, purchasing, sourcing, imports and supplier performance. The second is to build the supply chain behind our own certified pipe support system: manufacturing partners working to our specifications, second sources for critical lines, and suppliers taken through testing and certification with us.

Key Responsibilities

1. Team Leadership & Development

You will lead a team of three: a Category Manager, a Buyer / Supply Chain Associate and a Buyer. The team are committed and know the business well, but day-to-day purchasing currently takes all of their capacity, leaving little room for planning, process improvement or supplier development.

Agree a written 90-day handover plan with the Category Manager, with the transfer of commercial knowledge a named deliverable for both of you.

Develop the Category Manager in the category and product role, including sourcing for our own pipe support system.

Take over the strategic supplier relationships currently held by the Managing Director and directors, progressively through your first year.

Review how daily ordering is done and remove repetitive work through better process and system settings, so buyers manage exceptions rather than every line.

Coach the team on planning, supplier management and data; run regular 1:1s and team meetings focused on accountability and improvement.

Lead recruitment where additional or replacement resource is agreed, and build succession cover for every role.

2. Sourcing, Price & Category Strategy

Analyse spend by category and supplier, and write a plan for each major category covering sourcing, price, range and risk.

Source back to the manufacturer: direct suppliers rather than intermediaries, approved second sources for critical lines, and lower-cost regions where quality allows.

Test price, not just terms: should-cost and landed-cost models, raw material indices such as steel, benchmarking and structured tendering. Track savings and report them.

Run an annual negotiation calendar and regular range reviews with the Category Manager and Sales.

3. Building Our Pipe Support System Supply Chain

Build a base of manufacturing partners working to our specifications, with at least two qualified sources for every critical component, including our insulated support blocks.

Work with our technical lead and manufacturers to co-develop and specify products, taking suppliers through fire, thermal, acoustic and load testing and certification in our name.

Put supplier quality in place: factory audits, first-article inspection, test certificates and change control against our drawings.

Plan stock depth for data centre programmes from the specification pipeline, measured on fill rate and lead time.

Support the decision on contract manufacturing and our own small-scale production as the system matures.

4. S&OP, Planning & KPIs

Develop and own the monthly S&OP cycle: a single consensus demand plan built with Sales, Finance and Operations, including the data centre and specification pipeline.

Forecast demand at SKU, customer and channel level; monitor forecast accuracy and bias and correct them.

Set order quantities, safety stocks, reorder points and supplier order days from demand data, balancing availability against working capital.

Manage inventory…