At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead procurement strategies and ensure value for money while fostering collaboration.
- Company: Join First Choice Homes Oldham, a leading housing association making a difference in communities.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, hybrid working, generous leave, and health benefits.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in procurement and help improve lives across Oldham.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in strategic procurement and strong leadership skills required.
- Other info: Exciting opportunity for career growth in a supportive and inclusive environment.
The predicted salary is between 65000 - 85000 £ per year.
First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO) have a fantastic opportunity for a Head of Procurement to join our team and play a key role in delivering value for money and compliance across all procurement and insurance activities. This is a full-time (37 hours per week) hybrid role where you’ll split your time between home and our friendly and collaborative office in the centre of Oldham.
The impact you’ll make
In this role, you’ll lead and coordinate the delivery of our procurement service, building and developing high-quality relationships and ensuring value for money and compliance, while embedding social value, innovation, resident involvement, and strong commercial standards throughout the procurement process.
You will:
- Develop and deliver FCHO’s Procurement Strategy, ensuring alignment with our Corporate Plan and Value for Money Strategy.
- Oversee our insurance function, protecting our asset base valued at over £2 billion and ensuring effective claims management and risk reporting.
- Lead a high-performing team, embedding best practice procurement principles across the organisation.
- Provide expert advice and training on all aspects of procurement and insurance to managers and stakeholders.
- Foster collaborative relationships across the Senior Leadership Team to ensure procurement decisions deliver both business value and social impact.
- Continuously improve systems, policies, and processes to ensure efficiency, transparency, and measurable outcomes.
Our ideal candidate:
You’ll bring a strong track record in strategic procurement leadership, alongside the drive and vision to make a real difference. You will also have:
- A procurement-related professional qualification (e.g. MCIPS, CIPS, MSc in Logistics and Supply Chain) or equivalent experience.
- Strong commercial awareness, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
- Experience implementing procurement transformation plans and achieving measurable cost savings.
- Excellent understanding of procurement best practice, legislation, and contract management.
- Leadership experience, with the ability to inspire and develop high-performing teams.
- Strong communication and organisational skills, and confidence producing reports and presentations for varied audiences.
- A flexible, collaborative approach with a passion for driving value for money and improvement.
Why Join FCHO?
First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO) is a housing association providing safe, affordable, and high-quality homes across Oldham and the surrounding areas. We own and manage over 11,500 properties and have the highest regulatory (G1 / V1) Governance rating. Every day, we’re proud to make a real difference in our communities.
Our work is guided by our Big Plan, focused on providing homes we’re proud of, supporting people to thrive, and creating a great place to work. We care deeply about our customers, our colleagues, and our communities and we’re committed to delivering services we can be proud of while improving the lives of people across Oldham.
We need great people to work with us - it’s an exciting time to join as we work towards our big ambitions, supporting the growth and prosperity of our local region.
What’s In It for You?
We offer a fantastic range of benefits designed to support your wellbeing, work-life balance and career development:
- A salary of £76,510 per annum.
- A 37-hour working week with hybrid working options.
- 30 days’ annual leave and 8 bank holidays (pro-rated for part-time colleagues).
- Option to purchase additional annual leave.
- Defined contribution pension scheme with up to 10% employer contribution and salary exchange option.
- Death in service benefit.
- Healthcare cash plan covering dental, optical, and physiotherapy treatments.
- Private health insurance.
- Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) offering 24-hour confidential support.
- Doctorline – 24/7 worldwide GP access for you and your family.
- Access to our colleague benefits platform, offering discounts on major retailers and wellbeing tools.
- Discounted gym membership.
- Professional subscriptions paid (where essential for the role).
- Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and sick pay.
- Access to our on-site wellbeing room and on-site café.
- Long Service awards.
Interested?
If you meet the criteria for the role and have the passion to lead procurement excellence at FCHO we’d love to hear from you. Please send your application before 19/11/2025.
We are committed to building an organisation that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills & are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. As an equal opportunities employer, FCHO is committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective colleagues and does not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership. We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join us.
We care that you have a great experience with us at FCHO and if you need us to make any reasonable adjustments to make your experience smoother, please let us know & we’ll do all we can.
Head of Procurement in Oldham employer: First Choice Homes Oldham
Contact Detail:
First Choice Homes Oldham Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Procurement in Oldham
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the procurement field and let them know you're on the lookout for opportunities. You never know who might have the inside scoop on a role that’s perfect for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching FCHO's values and recent projects. Tailor your responses to show how your experience aligns with their mission of delivering value for money and social impact.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your negotiation skills! As a Head of Procurement, you'll need to demonstrate your ability to secure the best deals. Role-play scenarios with a friend or mentor to build your confidence.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining our team at FCHO.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Procurement in Oldham
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight how your experience aligns with the Head of Procurement role. We want to see how you can bring value for money and compliance to our procurement activities!
Showcase Your Achievements: Don’t just list your responsibilities; share specific examples of your successes in procurement leadership. We love to see measurable outcomes, so if you've implemented transformation plans or achieved cost savings, shout about it!
Be Authentic: Let your personality shine through in your application. We’re looking for someone who’s not only skilled but also passionate about making a difference in our communities. Share your vision and how you plan to inspire your team!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to submit your application directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you don’t miss out on any important updates from us during the process!
How to prepare for a job interview at First Choice Homes Oldham
✨Know Your Procurement Stuff
Make sure you brush up on procurement best practices, legislation, and contract management. Be ready to discuss your experience with strategic procurement leadership and how you've implemented transformation plans in the past.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples of how you've led high-performing teams and inspired others. Think about specific situations where you’ve developed team members or fostered collaboration across departments.
✨Demonstrate Commercial Awareness
Be prepared to talk about your understanding of value for money and how you've achieved measurable cost savings in previous roles. Highlight any successful negotiations you've led and the impact they had on your organisation.
✨Engage with Social Value
FCHO is keen on social impact, so come ready to discuss how you've embedded social value into procurement activities. Share examples of how you've managed supplier relationships to deliver positive outcomes for communities.