Associate Director Procurement in Leeds

The NHS is entering a critical period of reform, with increasing pressure to deliver value and sustainability across complex provider and system environments. Procurement has a pivotal role to play in enabling this change; delivering financial savings, supporting service transformation and strengthening supplier and stakeholder relationships. This Associate Director of Procurement role offers an opportunity to provide visible, credible procurement leadership. You will lead teams, shape strategy and deliver end-to-end procurement solutions that achieve tangible and sustainable impact.

Attain offers a genuinely different proposition to traditional consultancies. We are a values-led organisation with a strong mix of public sector values and private sector thinking. A high proportion of our people have worked directly within the NHS, giving us real credibility with clients. Our teams work shoulder-to-shoulder with long-term NHS partners to deliver tangible savings, improve services and make a lasting impact. We are deeply people-focused, investing heavily in career development, learning and leadership, with clear opportunities to progress within our business and into senior roles leading projects, care sectors and or portfolios. As a growing business, Attain offers exposure to varied, high-impact work, meaningful responsibility, and the chance to shape how we operate. We reward contribution and performance, foster a supportive and inclusive culture, and place real value on doing the right thing, for our people, our clients and the communities they serve.

In this role you will be responsible for:

• Leading and developing high-performing procurement teams
• Line and performance management of staff, including capability development
• Providing senior procurement leadership for clients, including overseeing different spend categories
• Operating effectively in hybrid delivery models, with regular on-site presence within Provider Trusts
• Ensuring robust governance, delivery discipline and stakeholder confidence
• Providing expert advice and leadership on procurement compliance (Procurement Act 2023 / Provider Selection Regime / NHS Procurement policy / NHS Standard T&Cs)

You will demonstrate:

• Confident with strong leadership skills
• Agile and adaptable ways of working
• Excellent risk management approach - balance between outcomes / timescales and process / compliance.
• A strong action-orientation and delivery focus
• Resilience in challenging environments
• Clear, confident communication skills at all levels
• Able to provide assurance through delivery to clients
• A commitment to team development and capability building

You will work closely with:

• Clinical leaders
• Operational teams
• Executive and senior leaders
• System and organisational stakeholders

The working environment is:

• Fast-paced, dynamic and often pressurised
• Frequently operating in turnaround or recovery contexts
• Requires resilience, adaptability and pace
• There is a high degree of focus on delivering cost savings either tactically or strategically

You will bring:

• A strong track record of managing and leading procurement teams
• Significant acute or provider-side procurement experience
• Demonstrable delivery against challenging financial savings targets
• Experience of introducing innovative approaches, processes and ways of working
• A clear personal track record of delivery, impact and leadership

Successful candidates will be able to evidence:

• Delivery of material financial savings
• Commercial roles in both the Private and Public sectors
• Track record of growing and developing people and future leaders
• Strong, supportive and effective people management
• Making and owning difficult decisions where required
• Acting as a visible leader with strong senior-level engagement and communication skills
• Managing and improving poor performance
• Effective deployment of category management and strategic sourcing practices
• Ability to provide assurance, through delivery and management of others, to senior leaders

We are looking for candidates who have:

• MCIPS desirable; significant relevant procurement experience essential
• Led one or more large / complex procurement categories end-to-end
• Led high-performing teams
• Varied experience across public and private sectors
• A strong strategic and system-level perspective
• Delivered full lifecycle procurement projects

You will be:

• Aligned to Attain’s values-led culture
• Motivated by clear targets and accountability
• Comfortable being held to account for outcomes and savings
• Calm, credible and assured under pressure
• Highly analytical, with strong problem-solving skills
• Commercial mindset

Benefits include:

• Competitive salary
• Performance / profit-based annual bonus of up to 10%
• 27 days of annual leave, plus bank holidays
• 6% employer contribution pension scheme
• Company-paid subscription to a professional body
• Hybrid working but also opportunities to work in coworking spaces
• A suite of learning tools to support continuing professional development
• Experience a rich variety of delivery projects across different care areas

At Attain our culture and company values promote a supportive and inclusive environment where our employees’ differences are nurtured to enable everyone to reach their full potential. We are committed to a culture where respect and understanding is fostered, and the diversity of people's backgrounds and circumstances are positively valued as they enable Attain to continually bring creativity and innovation to our clients' work and internally. Our recruitment process reflects this commitment, focusing on skills, capabilities, and experience to ensure fairness and equity at every step.