Senior Procurement Lead

time left to apply End Date: September 16, 2025 (26 days left to apply)

job requisition id R32813

Circa £80k, salary depending on skills and experience

Full time/37 hours per week/permanent

Location: Peterborough – Hybrid Working 2-3 days in office weekly

Anglian Water offers a flexible approach, this role provides you with hybrid working.

Lead the procurement of innovative solutions to secure the East of England’s water future

At Anglian Water, our draft Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) 2024 highlights significant challenges facing the East of England — with forecasts suggesting we’ll have 38% less water available to supply our customers by 2050. To meet this challenge, we’re delivering a ground-breaking programme of innovative solutions, including desalination and advanced water recycling — technologies that are new to Anglian Water and vital to securing our region’s future water supply.

We’re looking for a Senior Procurement Lead to join us at this pivotal time and play a strategic role in shaping and delivering the procurement and commercial strategy for these critical projects. You will lead the procurement phases to appoint Competitively Appointed Providers (CAPs) and oversee all commercial procurement aspects of Direct Procurement for Customers (DPC) projects, as well as other major initiatives.

This is a highly strategic and influential role, working at the heart of our organisation and in close partnership with the market, investors, regulators, and senior internal stakeholders. You will bring proven strategic thinking, strong leadership, and exceptional influencing skills to ensure procurement strategies deliver commercially viable, investor-attractive, and regulatory-compliant outcomes.

Leading a dedicated team, you will define and deliver the procurement and commercial strategy — covering tendering, commercial models, contractual arrangements, and governance — ensuring milestones are met, risks are managed, and successful outcomes are achieved for our business, customers, and the wider community.

In this role, you will:

Develop and implement innovative, robust commercial procurement strategies aligned with Anglian Water’s objectives.

Provide strategic leadership of procurement activities throughout the programme lifecycle.

Lead the procurement of CAPs and wider supply chain partners, ensuring market appetite, investor confidence, and regulatory compliance.

Act as the key commercial interface with internal and external stakeholders, including Ofwat, investors, and partner organisations.

Oversee commercial governance, risk management, reporting, and resolution of any disputes.

Drive continuous improvement in commercial practices and foster strong cross-functional relationships to deliver best-in-class procurement outcomes.

This is a unique opportunity to make a real difference — shaping and delivering innovative solutions to one of the biggest environmental and operational challenges of our time.

Key Accountabilities:

Lead and develop a high-performing team — Define and deliver the procurement and commercial strategy for each project, ensuring clear roles, direction, and behaviours that foster collaboration, accountability, and success. Oversee compliance with all internal, external, and regulatory requirements, and champion Health & Safety at all times.

Oversee financial and commercial performance — Manage and monitor project expenditure, forecasts, risks, and performance, providing accurate reporting and ensuring robust financial governance and self-assurance processes are in place.

Drive the initiation and delivery of DPC projects — Lead the development and execution of procurement strategies for DPC schemes, including CAP and development phase contracts, delivery models, and continuous improvement initiatives. Support project managers with procurement and commercial management throughout all phases.

Act as the key commercial interface — Represent Anglian Water externally with regulators, investors, partners, and the supply chain, building trust and ensuring clear, transparent communication of commercial information and fostering strong, aligned relationships across all stakeholders.

To succeed in this role, you’ll bring:

Extensive senior-level commercial and procurement leadership experience, delivering complex, large-scale (£billion+) infrastructure projects or programmes in regulated environments.

Proven expertise in designing, negotiating, and delivering PFI/PPP-style infrastructure delivery models within a regulatory context.

A strong background in leading the procurement and commercial management of major design and build contractor packages.

Experience inspiring and directing multi-disciplinary, multi-organisation delivery teams to achieve exceptional results.

Exceptional stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and build trusted relationships at executive level with internal and external partners, regulators, investors, and delivery organisations.

Professional qualifications and membership of a recognised body in procurement, commercial, finance, legal, engineering, or project management, alongside evidence of ongoing leadership and professional development.

Gravitas and credibility to operate confidently at board and regulator level, uniting diverse stakeholders and driving delivery of significant infrastructure programmes.

A track record of creating a high-performance, aligned team culture, focused on collaboration and results.

Knowledge and experience of standard forms of contract and developing robust, innovative commercial strategies.

Ideally, experience within the water industry and an understanding of its unique challenges and regulatory landscape.

As a valued employee you will be entitled to:

Competitive pension scheme – Anglian Water double-matches your contributions up to 6%

Personal private health care

30 days leave + Bank Holidays, with the option to swap Christmas and Easter holidays for those celebrated by your religion

Flexible benefits to support your wellbeing and lifestyle

Why Apply?

This is a rare opportunity to play a pivotal role in tackling one of the biggest challenges facing the East of England — securing a sustainable water supply for generations to come. You’ll lead the commercial and procurement strategy on ground-breaking, innovative projects that will shape the future of water in our region.

At Anglian Water, you’ll work at the forefront of infrastructure delivery, collaborating with regulators, investors, and industry partners, while influencing strategic decisions at the highest level. You’ll be empowered to make a real impact — not only on our business and customers, but on the environment and the communities we serve.

We offer a supportive, collaborative culture where your expertise is valued, and your career can flourish. You’ll join a dedicated, high-performing team, and enjoy the satisfaction of seeing your leadership deliver meaningful, lasting outcomes.

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