Head of MRO Procurement in Bournemouth

/ Position: Head of MRO Procurement / Location: Staverton or Bournemouth / Working Hours: Full-Time, 40 Hours per week

We are looking for an experienced procurement leader to join our MRO business as Head of MRO Procurement, based at either Staverton or Bournemouth. This is a key leadership role with responsibility for shaping and delivering our procurement and materials strategy across MRO operations. You will lead the procurement and materials teams, develop strategic supplier relationships and drive best-value commercial outcomes, while ensuring the availability of critical aircraft parts and materials to support operational performance.

Working closely with Engineering, Stores and senior leadership, you will lead supplier performance, contracting and commercial negotiations, inventory strategy and OEM support arrangements. You will also play an important role in strengthening procurement processes, improving supply chain resilience and identifying opportunities to reduce cost and working capital without compromising operational or regulatory requirements.

We are looking for a commercially astute procurement professional with strong leadership capability and experience operating within aviation, aerospace, engineering or another complex technical environment. Aviation MRO experience would be particularly valuable, alongside an understanding of regulated supply chains and aircraft materials.

About us:

Gama Aviation is a hugely diverse business that offers much more than perhaps its name would suggest. Yes, we fly but we also save lives, provide mission critical intelligence, and build systems that deliver decisive advantage.

With operations in the UK, Jersey, Europe and the Middle East, a career with us can offer travel, personal growth opportunities and the ability for long-term progression in a fast paced and dynamic service industry.

Responsibilities:

Leadership and Department Management

• Lead and manage procurement and materials management teams, maintaining effective working practices and a high level of service to internal and external customers.
• Support the Company Business Plan by developing and executing procurement and materials management plans aligned to approved business goals.
• Manage approved financial budgets, taking timely action where variances arise.
• Monitor and report key supply chain KPIs and represent procurement in customer and stakeholder meetings as required.
• Develop and deploy a Supplier strategy to shape the supply chain landscape.

Procurement, Contracting and Commercial Management

• Obtain pricing and schedule information, negotiate procurement contracts, and agree terms and conditions for maintenance and project activities.
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with major suppliers, carriers and key commercial partners.
• Manage and reduce contractual risk, identifying creative solutions for procurement risk register items.
• Support major capital investment activity by providing value-for-money assurance to the business.
• Promote the sale of spares and services, ensuring customer quotations and invoicing achieve approved profit margins.
• Deploy value plans across the business to achieve operational gains and effective cost management.
• Establish robust standard terms and conditions of business

Supply Chain and Supplier Management

• Continually review supply chain activity to achieve cost-effective solutions that meet customer demand, regulatory requirements and product support needs.
• Maintain, monitor, support, audit and evaluate suppliers, escalating issues where necessary.
• Strengthen relationships with key suppliers and support effective supplier and subcontractor approvals.
• Oversee, control and develop warranty and power-by-the-hour programmes with key OEMs including Leonardo, Airbus, Textron and Bombardier, ensuring claims are submitted accurately and on time.
• Ensure on time and to request delivery of critical items.

Materials Management and Stock Control

• Work with Stores, Maintenance and leadership teams to review stock holdings, identifying excess, slow-moving and obsolete stock.
• Take appropriate action to reduce stock levels where required, minimising negative commercial impact and implementing controls to prevent recurrence.
• Control loan and consignment stock tracking, ensuring costs are recovered and defined profit margins are achieved.
• Liaise with engineering leadership across operations on aircraft spares provisioning and availability.

Project, ERP and Cross-Functional Support

• Work with Sales and Marketing, Project Management and design to support projects through proposal, development, manufacturing and support phases.
• Maintain effective interfaces with internal departments, external stakeholders and key personnel.
• Support the development and effective use of ERP systems by identifying useful functionality and improving user understanding and application across the business.
• Manage the entire business vehicle fleet, including migration to a central provider and revised operating model.

Compliance, Procedures and Risk

• Ensure compliance with Part 145, Part 21 and other relevant regulatory and airworthiness requirements within procurement and materials management.
• Develop, implement and evolve procedures and work instructions to maintain high standards, improve efficiency and meet changing business demands.
• Support supply auditing, subcontract approvals and supplier or customer requests as required.

Emergency Response

• Be prepared to respond in a crisis as an Emergency Response Programme representative and maintain working knowledge of emergency response policies, processes and procedures.

Skills, Qualifications and Experience required:

Essential

• Significant procurement, supply chain or materials management experiences within aviation, engineering or a complex technical environment.
• Proven experience leading and developing procurement, supply chain or materials teams.
• Strong understanding of procurement, materials management and aviation engineering processes.
• Experience or working knowledge of Part 145, Part M and Part 21 requirements.
• Strong commercial awareness and ability to manage cost, value and risk.
• Excellent IT capability, including Microsoft Office applications and purchasing or ERP systems.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with a proactive, confident and approachable style.
• Full, clean driving licence.
• Willingness to work outside normal working hours and travel when required.

Advantageous

• MCIPS qualification or working towards MCIPS.
• Experience managing warranty, OEM support or power-by-the-hour programmes.
• Experience contributing to ERP system development or business process improvement.

In addition to a Competitive Salary, we will offer you:

• Great work-life balance with our Hybrid Working Policy – 3 days in the office, 2 days from home
• Competitive Group Pension Scheme
• Comprehensive Life Assurance *
• Comprehensive Income Protection *
• Comprehensive Travel Insurance *
• Comprehensive Private Healthcare (after successful passing of probation) *
• Free Car Parking
• 2 Paid Volunteering Days each calendar year (subject to line manager approval)
• Investment in Training, Qualifications and Professional Development

* (Subject to insurance underwriting)

Due to the volume of applications received, only candidates selected for interview will be contacted. If you do not hear from us within 20 working days then your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

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