Associate Project Director - Procurement in Slough

Agilia Infrastructure Partners is a specialist infrastructure consultancy established in 2016. We support some of the UK's most complex and high-value infrastructure programmes across the water, energy, transport and defence sectors, providing expert advisory and delivery support to clients navigating the most demanding regulatory and commercial environments in the UK.

Our Procurement Service Line plays a leading role in helping clients deliver best-in-class procurement outcomes. We collaborate with contracting authorities and regulated utilities at every stage of the procurement lifecycle – from strategy development through to contract award – bringing deep regulatory expertise and genuine delivery experience to every engagement.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced procurement professional to join Agilia at Associate Project Director level. We are looking for someone who has not only advised on procurement but delivered it. You will bring hands-on experience of delivering complex, high-value procurements in regulated environments: having sat on the client side or in a deeply embedded delivery role, managed live tender processes, chaired evaluation panels, navigated regulatory risk in real time, and driven programmes through to compliant contract award.

Working closely with the Procurement Director, you will lead client-facing procurement delivery, grow the Procurement Service Line, and act as a credible senior practitioner across the public sector and regulated utility procurement. You will be an active contributor to a collaborative, high-performing team – mentoring colleagues, sharing knowledge openly, and taking genuine satisfaction in seeing others develop alongside you. You will help build our tools and frameworks, contribute to Agilia’s market presence, and bring an enthusiasm for procurement as a strategic profession that is visible to clients and colleagues alike.

You will understand the practical pressures our clients face: constrained internal capacity, political and regulatory scrutiny, affordability challenges, and legacy commercial frameworks. You will model best-in-class procurement practice - grounded in real delivery experience - and help build a high-performing team capable of executing complex, high-value procurements for some of the UK's most significant infrastructure projects.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Procurement Strategy Development: Lead the development and implementation of robust, compliant procurement strategies for complex infrastructure programmes.
• Procurement Execution and Management: Lead the day-to-day delivery of live procurement processes, including managing tender portals, issuing tender documentation, coordinating and chairing evaluation panels, managing bidder communications and clarifications, overseeing moderation, and ensuring compliant standstill and award processes.
• Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management: Draw on direct, firsthand experience of operating under the Procurement Act 2023, or its predecessor regimes to guide clients through their compliance obligations.
• Route-to-Market: Identify and recommend appropriate procurement routes working closely with legal, commercial, and technical advisors to build well-evidenced business cases.
• Market Engagement: Design and lead structured market engagement activities, including market soundings, supplier days and pre-qualification processes.
• Stakeholder Management: Function as a trusted senior adviser to client procurement and commercial leads, programme directors and executive stakeholders.
• Assurance and Governance: Support internal and external procurement assurance reviews, preparing high-quality documentation.
• Team Leadership: Provide direction and mentoring to junior members of the procurement workstream.
• Thought Leadership: Contribute to Agilia's capability development by sharing insights on regulatory developments, market trends, and best practice procurement approaches.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS:

• Hands-on Procurement Delivery: Demonstrable, end-to-end experience of managing and delivering complex, high-value procurements.
• Procurement Legislation: Direct experience of delivering procurements under PA23 and/or Procurement Contract Regulations.
• Client-Side or Embedded Delivery Experience: Experience of working within, or in a deeply embedded capacity alongside, public sector contracting authorities or regulated utilities.
• Procurement Execution: Proven record of managing live procurement processes end-to-end.
• Route-to-Market: Proven ability to develop procurement strategies and route-to-market recommendations.
• Governance and Approvals: Experience preparing and presenting procurement documentation to senior governance boards.
• Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills.

ADDITIONAL SKILLS:

• Membership of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (MCIPS) or Equivalent.
• Consultancy Experience, supporting multiple clients concurrently.
• Cross-Sector Exposure, across more than one regulated sector.
• NEC and Infrastructure Contract Forms, in a pre-award procurement context.
• Public Sector Investment Appraisal, including familiarity with HM Treasury’s Green Book.
• Procurement Legal Challenge, having managed or supported a challenge.
• Procurement Policy Notes (PPNs), particularly those relating to social value, net zero, and transparency requirements.
• Net Zero and Social Value, including embedding sustainability requirements within procurement strategies.
• e-Procurement Portals, used in a live delivery capacity.

LOCATION: You will be based from our London office and will be expected to travel to client site.