Senior Procurement Risk & Assurance Manager
Senior Procurement Risk & Assurance Manager
Location
Milton Keynes (Hybrid Working) - Flexible Location also considered
£71,000 - £86,000 + Bonus (up to 20%) + Excellent Benefits
About the Role
We are seeking an experienced and influential procurement professional to join our Commercial & Procurement function as a Senior Procurement Risk & Assurance Manager.
This is a high-profile role responsible for providing independent assurance across major procurement and supplier management activities, ensuring robust governance, commercial compliance, and effective risk management throughout the procurement lifecycle.
Working across a complex and highly regulated environment, you will engage with senior stakeholders across the organisation, providing challenge, oversight, and assurance on high-value and strategically important commercial decisions. You will play a key role in strengthening commercial controls, improving procurement performance, and driving best practice across the business.
This role offers exposure to some of the largest and most complex procurement programmes in the UK, providing assurance on contracts and sourcing activities worth billions of pounds.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead assurance reviews of procurement, sourcing and supplier management activities across the organisation.
- Provide independent challenge and oversight on procurement strategies, contract awards and commercial decisions.
- Operate within a risk-based assurance framework, ensuring procurement activity is compliant with organisational policies, governance requirements and relevant legislation.
- Conduct assurance reviews of high-value and high-risk procurement programmes, identifying risks and recommending improvement actions.
- Engage with senior stakeholders and leadership teams, providing constructive challenge and delivering difficult messages where required.
- Review commercial activity against financial, contractual, regulatory and reputational risk considerations.
- Plan and coordinate assurance activities delivered by external subject matter experts where specialist support is required.
- Contribute to the continual enhancement of procurement governance, assurance methodologies and risk management practices.
- Support organisational compliance through audits, reviews and assurance reporting.
- Deliver training, coaching and guidance to procurement professionals to improve commercial awareness and governance adherence.
- Promote best practice and continuous improvement across Category Management, Strategic Sourcing and Supplier Management functions.
- Act as a trusted advisor to stakeholders on procurement risk, governance and assurance matters.
About You
We are looking for a credible and resilient procurement professional who is comfortable operating independently and influencing senior stakeholders across a complex organisation.
You will have:
- Significant experience within Procurement, Commercial Management or Supplier Management environments.
- Experience of reviewing, challenging and assuring procurement activity rather than solely delivering procurement projects.
- Strong understanding of procurement governance, risk management and assurance frameworks.
- Experience supporting or leading assurance, audit, compliance or peer review activities.
- Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence and challenge at senior levels.
- Experience working with high-value, complex procurement programmes and commercial contracts.
- Strong commercial judgement and the ability to assess strategic, financial and reputational risks.
- Excellent communication and report-writing skills.
- A proactive and resilient approach with the confidence to challenge constructively when required.
- Public sector or regulated industry procurement experience.
- Knowledge of supplier risk management and assurance processes.
- Experience working within large, complex organisations.
- Relevant professional qualifications such as MCIPS, IACCM/WorldCC, PRINCE2, Audit or Risk Management qualifications.
Why Join?
- Opportunity to work on some of the UK's largest and most strategically important procurement programmes.
- Exposure to senior stakeholders and complex commercial challenges.
- Strong career progression opportunities within a growing Risk & Assurance function.
- Flexible hybrid working model.
- Performance-related bonus of up to 20%.
- Excellent pension and wider benefits package.
- Discounted rail travel and additional employee benefits.
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Senior Procurement Risk & Assurance Manager in Milton Keynes employer: 1st Executive Ltd
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