Head of Procurement

PURPOSE STATEMENT

The Head of Procurement is responsible for all direct and indirect strategic areas, leading the buying team to achieve procurement goals and objectives, supporting and guiding the Category Managers across all aspects of procurement activity. 

Support the creation of category sourcing strategies to identify best in class suppliers who have the ability to deliver and exceed our expectations through use of SRM activities. Ensure pipeline projects that deliver value for money are executed at speed to provide much needed future cost savings for the business across short and long term planning horizons. 

Discover effective ways to reduce cost across the supply base utiltising TCO opportunities that directly affect ROCS projects and key target deliverables within the procurement arena. 

Creation of the 2025-26 procurement strategic plan across the 4 pillars: Indirect P2P, SRM, Risk Management and Leveraging Digital capabilities & analytics. 

This role is for a fixed term contract of 12 months

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES/OUTCOMES

• Member of the Global Procurement Steering Team creating strategic procurement direction across the globe. Strategic procurement planning contribution and creation in alignment with the local UK BU. 
•Providing procurement guidance, expertise, support, knowledge across Bakery, F’real and TCCS (Toppings, Creams and Culinary Solutions). 
• Creation and implementation of procurement strategies and best practice. 
• Keeping abreast of commodity markets, attending WHQ commodity updates, networking within the industry to ensure timely, cost-effective contracts are covered. 
• Responsible for the buying of strategic commodities: chocolate, buyer, flour, cocoa, F’real milkshake co-manufacturer. 
• Support the creation of effective sourcing strategies for all categories of spend across the kraljic grid.
• Regular ROCS and Flash reporting on a monthly basis is timely, accurate and reflective of the procurement decisions undertaken. 
• Develop and maintain high levels of strategic relationships with suppliers resolving complex issues. 
• Responsible for the legal supply contracts, the creation and agreement of all legal agreements with suppliers. Any conflicting legal pressures from suppliers, HOP resolves.  
• Focus on developing ways to extract innovation from key suppliers via the use of innovation days, site visits, regular R&D communications. 
• Track and report key functional metrics to ensure KPI targets are met. 
•Become involved in important negotiations with suppliers particularly in deadlock situations, resolving the issue at hand whilst maintaining supplier relations. 
• Drive the use of E-auctions / multiple tenders / benchmarking activities / RFI’s, using Ariba as the platform of choice to determine best value across all categories. 
• Identify and help execute the most appropriate risk management tools for products or categories at potential future risk. 
• Working with the Sustainability Associates in the US and local R&D create supplier documentation and project deliverables linked to our requirements with key milestones and dates mapped out for critical sustainable category areas that will have a profound affect on our ability to service customers in the future. 

• Provide support to other departments and carry out any other duties as necessary to support the wider business.

You must comply with Rich Products Health and Safety policies and procedures at all times.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/EXPERIENCE

Critical

• Deep and extensive level of procurement knowledge and experience across FMCG categories. 
• Excellent negotiation skills. 
• Strategic procurement thinking agility. 
• Knowledge of risk management strategies. 
• Strong ability to keep calm under pressure. 
• Strong leadership capabilities. 
• Knowledge of SRM tools and techniques. 
• Contract law knowledge. 
• Knowledge of sourcing and procurement techniques as well as a ‘dexterity’ in reading the market. 
• Results driven. 
• People orientated, ability to motivate and engage. 
• Through understanding of all procurement tender processes.

Desirable

• Experience of leading, managing and motivating teams 
• Experience of delivering procurement strategies. 
• Ariba knowledge. 
• Ideally from a food/bakery background, FMCG. 
• MCIPS qualified. 
• Proven record of sustained delivery of cost savings and cost avoidance achievements. 
• Risk Management expertise.