Head of Procurement in England

Head of Procurement – Food Manufacturing

We are partnering with an established and growing food manufacturer to appoint a Head of Procurement.

Reporting to the Executive Leadership Team, this individual will lead the procurement function and develop a commercially focused strategy across direct ingredients, packaging and indirect spend.

The role has particular responsibility for several business-critical categories, including:

• Ingredients including Butter, Dairy, Sugar, Eggs, Flour, etc
• Food-contact packaging
• Indirect goods and services

THE OPPORTUNITY

Operating across volatile ingredient and packaging markets, you will balance cost, availability, quality, specification and customer requirements while protecting manufacturing continuity.

You will:

• Own and deliver the procurement strategy across ingredients, packaging and indirects
• Develop category strategies using commodity intelligence, cost-driver analysis and supply-risk assessment
• Lead major tenders, negotiations, contracting and supplier-selection activity
• Establish appropriate commodity buying and risk-management approaches
• Build a prioritised pipeline of savings, cost avoidance, specification optimisation and working-capital initiatives
• Strengthen supplier performance through segmentation, scorecards, business reviews and improvement plans
• Identify and mitigate risks relating to availability, capacity, quality, food safety, logistics, financial stability and ESG
• Partner with Technical and NPD to support supplier assurance, specification development and commercially viable innovation
• Work with Operations, Planning and Supply Chain to improve availability, inventory, MOQ performance and waste
• Provide clear reporting on commodity outlook, purchase-price performance, savings, risks and contract coverage
• Lead, coach and develop the procurement team
• Act as the senior procurement voice within the business and influence decisions at executive level

ABOUT YOU

You will be a hands-on procurement leader who can operate strategically while remaining close to suppliers, factories and operational realities.

We are particularly interested in candidates who can demonstrate:

• Procurement leadership experience within food manufacturing, bakery, chilled food, FMCG or another complex, high-volume manufacturing environment
• Strong direct-materials experience across food ingredients and/or food-contact packaging
• Knowledge of categories such as butter, dairy, sugar, eggs, flour, cartons, board, film, labels or trays
• A successful record in strategic sourcing, high-value negotiation, contracting and supplier relationship management
• A strong understanding of commodity markets, cost models, indices, inflation and commercial risk
• The ability to translate procurement activity into clear margin, P&L and working-capital outcomes
• Knowledge of food safety, traceability, allergens, supplier assurance, ethical sourcing and sustainability
• Credibility with senior stakeholders and the confidence to challenge constructively
• Experience leading and developing procurement professionals
• CIPS qualification would be advantageous, although equivalent professional experience is equally valued.

This opportunity would suit someone commercially curious, analytical, and delivery-focused—someone capable of creating a clear procurement agenda, building stakeholder commitment, and delivering value beyond headline price.

If you are motivated by sustainable commercial value, stronger supplier capability and resilient supply chains, we would like to hear from you.