Head of Procurement in Merthyr Tydfil

Morson is delighted to be working in partnership with a leading defence organisation to recruit a Head of Procurement for an initial 6 month contract (Strong chance of temp to perm). There is an attractive daily rate on offer for the successful candidate. There would be a hybrid working arrangement on offer with 3-4 days a week spent on site in Merthyr Tydfil and 1-2 days a week working from home.

Please find the role description below:

We are seeking an experienced and commercially drivenHead of Procurementto lead and develop the procurement function within a specialist defence company focused onland systems and capabilities.

This is a senior leadership position with responsibility for establishing and delivering a procurement strategy that supports operational delivery, programme performance, cost competitiveness, supply resilience and long-term business growth. The successful candidate will work closely with engineering, operations, programme management, finance, quality, commercial and senior leadership teams to ensure the organisation has the right suppliers, capabilities and commercial arrangements in place.

The role will suit a procurement leader who combines strategic thinking with strong operational delivery and who is comfortable operating in a highly regulated, technically complex and security-conscious environment.

Key Responsibilities

Procurement Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and implement the company’s procurement strategy, aligned to business objectives and defence programme requirements.
• Lead, develop and professionalise the procurement function, establishing appropriate processes, governance, systems and performance measures.
• Build a high-performing procurement team with clear accountability, capability and succession plans.
• Provide procurement leadership and advice to the executive team and programme leadership.

Strategic Sourcing & Supplier Management

• Develop and manage strategic supplier relationships across critical components, systems, materials and services.
• Lead strategic sourcing, supplier selection, tendering and negotiation activities.
• Establish robust supplier performance management, including cost, quality, delivery, capacity and risk.
• Identify and develop alternative sources of supply to improve resilience and reduce single-source dependency.
• Develop long-term supplier strategies for strategically important technologies and capabilities.

Commercial & Cost Management

• Lead negotiations for major procurement agreements, framework arrangements and strategic contracts.
• Drive cost reduction, value engineering and total-cost-of-ownership improvements without compromising quality, capability or programme requirements.
• Establish effective commercial controls and ensure procurement decisions deliver measurable value.
• Work closely with Finance and Commercial teams on budgets, forecasts, commitments and contractual obligations.

Supply Chain Resilience & Risk

• Identify and mitigate supply chain risks across critical programmes and suppliers.
• Develop appropriate business continuity, contingency and recovery strategies.
• Monitor geopolitical, market, capacity and commodity risks that could affect supply.
• Ensure appropriate controls are in place for critical and strategic suppliers.
• Support the business in developing a resilient and scalable supply chain capable of supporting future growth.

Defence, Regulatory & Compliance

• Ensure procurement activities comply with applicable defence, export control, security, regulatory and contractual requirements.
• Work within relevant customer, government and industry procurement frameworks.
• Ensure appropriate due diligence and governance is applied to suppliers and subcontractors.
• Promote ethical procurement, responsible sourcing and strong supplier governance.
• Maintain appropriate controls around sensitive information, intellectual property and security requirements.

Programme & Cross-Functional Support

• Partner with Engineering and Operations to ensure procurement strategies support product development, industrialisation and production.
• Work closely with Programme Management to identify procurement dependencies, risks and opportunities.
• Support new product introduction and transition from development into production.
• Ensure procurement is involved early in programme planning and design decisions.
• Provide clear reporting on procurement performance, risks, savings, supplier issues and strategic initiatives.

Candidate Profile

We are looking for an established procurement leader with significant experience in a complex engineering, manufacturing, defence, aerospace, automotive or similarly regulated environment.

Essential Experience

• Significant senior-level procurement and supply chain experience.
• Proven experience developing and implementing procurement strategies.
• Strong strategic sourcing and supplier negotiation capability.
• Experience managing complex, technically demanding supply chains.
• Demonstrable experience in supplier relationship and performance management.
• Strong commercial and financial understanding.
• Experience leading, developing and motivating procurement teams.
• Strong understanding of procurement governance, risk management and contractual processes.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence at executive and operational levels.

Desirable Experience

• Experience within the defence or wider security sector.
• Experience of land systems, vehicles, weapons platforms, protected mobility, C4ISR, electronics or other complex defence systems.
• Experience working with government or defence prime customers.
• Knowledge of regulated defence supply chains, export controls and security requirements.
• Experience of international sourcing and complex subcontracting arrangements.
• Experience of procurement transformation, ERP implementation or procurement digitisation.