Supplier Development Lead

Supplier Development Lead – West Yorkshire

Are you an experienced supply chain professional with a background in supplier development, procurement, or manufacturing? We are supporting a leading engineering organisation in the search for a Supplier Development Lead to join their team, helping to strengthen supplier capability, improve resilience, and support the delivery of complex, high‑specification products within a regulated manufacturing environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the supplier onboarding and approval process, ensuring suppliers meet quality, capability, financial, and compliance requirements.
• Conduct supplier capability and capacity assessments to evaluate readiness for current and future programmes.
• Develop and manage supplier improvement plans, working collaboratively to enhance quality, delivery performance, and operational capability.
• Support procurement and programme teams by identifying supplier risks and validating supplier readiness ahead of contract award.
• Assess suppliers supporting outsourced manufacturing activities, ensuring capability, capacity, and quality standards are met.
• Identify and manage supplier risks including capacity constraints, financial stability, and single‑source dependencies.
• Support the development of a resilient and capable supply base aligned to long‑term business growth and manufacturing strategy.
• Maintain supplier development records, produce reports, and contribute to continuous improvement of supplier governance processes.
• Build effective relationships with suppliers and internal stakeholders across procurement, quality, engineering, manufacturing, and programme teams.

Candidate Requirements

• Previous experience within supplier development, procurement, supply chain, or manufacturing environments.
• Strong understanding of supplier capability assessment, supplier performance management, or supplier quality processes.
• Experience working with cross‑functional teams to improve supplier performance and mitigate supply chain risk.
• Knowledge of quality management systems and supplier governance processes.
• Commercial awareness with the ability to balance quality, cost, delivery, and risk considerations.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence both internally and externally.
• Experience using ERP or MRP systems would be advantageous.

Desirable Experience

• Experience within defence, aerospace, heavy engineering, manufacturing, or other highly regulated industries.
• Professional procurement qualifications such as CIPS or MCIPS.
• Experience supporting outsourced manufacturing, machining, fabrication, or specialist engineering supply chains.
• Knowledge of supplier audits, capability assessments, and continuous improvement methodologies.

Benefits / Wider Package

• 33 days annual leave including bank holidays.
• Competitive pension package with up to 13% combined contribution and immediate enrolment.
• Free onsite parking and access to employee fitness facilities.
• Flexible working arrangements with adaptable start and finish times around core business hours.

Additional Information

Applicants must have the right to work in the UK and be able to satisfy any applicable security or background screening requirements associated with the role.