Head of Procurement & Insurance in Watford

Location: On site / Watford, UK
job type: Permanent / Full-time
Sector and subsector: Housing | Housing Association
Annual Salary range:from £ 75,000.00 to £ 80,000.00

Head of Procurement and Insurance

Chime Housing

37 hours per week

The Vacancy

This is an exciting opportunity to join Chime Housing as our Head of Procurement & Insurance. Reporting to the Director of Finance, you will lead and shape the organisation's procurement and insurance functions, ensuring we achieve excellent value for money, strong commercial outcomes and outstanding customer service. You'll play a pivotal role in delivering our Procurement Strategy, embedding social value and sustainability, implementing the provisions of the Procurement Act 2023, and ensuring our insurance arrangements effectively protect the organisation and our customers.

Introduction to the role

At Chime Housing, we are committed to providing high-quality homes and services that enable our customers and communities to thrive. We're looking for an experienced procurement leader who can drive commercial excellence, build strong stakeholder relationships, and help us maximise value from every pound we spend. This is an opportunity to influence strategic decision-making, lead a dedicated team, and make a real difference across the organisation.

To lead the Procurement & Insurance function for Chime Housing, ensuring the successful delivery of the Group's Procurement Strategy, maximising commercial outcomes, and providing effective oversight of insurance and claims management. The post holder will drive value for money, social value, sustainability and supplier performance while supporting a culture of high performance and customer focus.

What’s the role?

Key Accountabilities:

• Lead the development and delivery of Chime Housing's Procurement Strategy.
• Ensure compliance with procurement legislation, including the Procurement Act 2023, alongside organisational policies and regulations.
• Develop and maintain strategic supplier relationships and contract management frameworks.
• Deliver measurable procurement savings and value for money targets.
• Lead social value, sustainability and ESG objectives through procurement activities.
• Oversee the Group's insurance programme, including annual renewals and claims management.
• Analyse insurance trends and risks, identifying opportunities to improve performance and reduce exposure.
• Provide assurance reporting to senior leaders and Board committees.
• Lead, develop and motivate the Procurement & Insurance team, creating a high-performing culture.

What are we looking for?

• Leading and delivering high-value procurement exercises (£20m+).
• Managing significant procurement spend and delivering commercial savings.
• Supplier relationship management and governance reporting.
• Leading, developing and motivating teams.
• Managing performance, development and employee engagement.
• Extensive knowledge of UK and EU procurement legislation.
• Practical experience of implementing the Procurement Act 2023.
• Strong commercial awareness and analytical skills.
• Excellent influencing, stakeholder management and communication abilities.
• Ability to prepare and present reports to senior leaders and committees.
• Strong report-writing and change management skills.
• Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS).
• Experience within the social housing sector.
• Insurance, risk management or project management qualifications.
• Experience of managing insurance functions and claims processes.
• Responsible for: Procurement and Insurance Coordinator, and Procurement and Supply Apprentice
• Department: Finance

What can we offer you?

• 28 days’ annual leave (pro rata)
• Employer pension contribution of up to 11%

How we work

We embrace agile working — blending time in our communities, shared spaces, and remote working. With digital technology at the heart of our approach, we empower teams and individuals to work flexibly.