Head of Procurement in London

Arriva Rail London (ARL) is an industry-leading train operating company, responsible for running the London Overground network under a Concession Agreement with Transport for London (TfL) and is part of the Arriva group. Here at Arriva, we are on our way to becoming the leading passenger transport partner across Europe, delivering more than 2.2 billion passenger journeys across 14 different European countries every year.

Arriva Rail London is seeking a strategic leader to take ownership of its Procurement function, reporting directly to the Finance Director. In this pivotal role you will shape and deliver procurement strategy, drive commercial value, embed sustainable practices and ensure robust contract management across the organisation. You will lead and inspire the procurement team, develop long term supplier partnerships, and play a key role in major contract mobilisations and demobilisations.

As part of the Senior Leadership Team, you will contribute to the overall success of Arriva Rail London while building strong connections with the wider Arriva Group. This is an outstanding opportunity for an accomplished Head of Procurement to take on a high-profile role with real strategic influence. It will also appeal to senior procurement professionals with proven leadership experience who are ready to step into a broader remit. The role is ideal for someone who combines commercial acumen with strong stakeholder management skills and who is motivated to shape long term procurement strategy in a complex and dynamic environment.

Location: Southwark, London (Hybrid)

Employment type: Permanent

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of our Procurement Strategy, using your expertise to maximise value and buying power.
• The Head of Procurement will be the key connection between ARL and the wider Arriva Group, ensuring collaboration and alignment.
• You will be responsible for inspiring, supporting and guiding the procurement team, fostering a culture where people perform at their best.
• Taking ownership of supplier relationships and contracts, from mobilisation through to renewal and performance review will be another key part of this role.
• You will also be responsible for driving sustainability and social value, making sure our procurement practices deliver positive impact.
• The Head of Procurement will also be responsible for ensuring everything we do is compliant with UK and EU legislation and reflects our commitments under the Concession Agreement.
• You will bring commercial insight and proactive risk management to help the business make the right decisions.
• This individual will also be responsible for building lasting, strategic partnerships with suppliers that strengthen Arriva Rail London’s long-term success.
• Safeguard high standards of health, safety and compliance will be another key part of this role across all procurement activity supporting the wider organisation.
• You will also be required to provide senior leaders with clear, meaningful reporting that shapes decision making.
• The Head of Procurement will play an influential role as part of the Senior Leadership Team, helping to shape ARL’s wider strategy and direction.

Qualifications

• This individual will need to be educated to a degree level or will require relevant, longstanding experience working within the Procurement space.
• Procurement accreditation would be highly advantageous, especially Membership of the Chartered Institute of Procurement (MCIPS), this can be completed or working towards.
• You will need to have strong experience working within procurement, leading a procurement function, managing service contracts and supplier relationships as well as a strong understanding of UK and EU procurement legislation.
• The Head of Procurement will need to have strong leadership and team development capabilities and will have ideally previously worked at a senior leadership level, with excellent negotiation skills within complex or high-stakes scenarios.
• The ideal individual will have gained procurement experience working within a regulated industry, ideally the railway with strong stakeholder management skills.
• This individual will need to have experience in contract mobilisation and demobilisation and will have ideally had experience working with significant contractual changes, whether that is end of contract or start of a business.
• You will need to have knowledge of sustainability and ethical procurement practices as well as familiarity with purchasing and finance systems.
• The Head of Procurement will need to have the ability to communicate effectively across all levels of the organisation, and will require a high level of professionalism and integrity in procurement best practice with an analytical mindset and the ability to interpret data to drive strategic decisions.

What you’ll get

• Free Travel for you and a nominated person at your address on TfL Network.
• Discounts on European rail services after 1 year of service.
• Free travel on Arriva branded rail services around the country.
• 75% discount on season tickets on other Train Operating Companies.
• Arriva Village - web based discounts on various products/services on the high street.
• Employee Assistance Programme - 24hr helpline, covering a multitude of subjects.
• Entry into the discretionary Arriva Group bonus scheme.

Diversity and inclusion

At Arriva we acknowledge the importance of our people's diverse experiences, talents, and cultures. Embracing diversity and creating inclusion is a key component of our talent strategy. The creation of a diverse, inclusive workforce is central to our ability to unlock potential and enhance our success. If you require any reasonable adjustments to be made to the application or interview process, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

Seniority level: Mid-Senior level

Employment type: Full-time

Job function: Finance and Management

Industries: Rail Transportation