Head of Procurement

We’re looking for a Head of Procurement to lead the procurement function, focusing on responsible sourcing, governance and long-term supplier development. The ideal candidate will bring robust procurement experience, having set a strategy and delivered it through a team.

Changing the world of pet food for good. We’re Tails.com, a dog food subscription company with a big difference. We create truly tailored food for each and every dog we serve. We start by asking people a few simple questions about their dog. Then we use that information to create their dog’s unique Tails.com recipe – so their dog gets exactly the nutrition they need, in the taste they love, delivered to their door every month.

People. Process. Planning. That’s what sourcing and procurement at Tails.com is all about. People first – because it takes good people to build the kind of long-term, trusted partnerships with suppliers that we do, and it takes great people to create and deliver an exceptional product. Process, because we can only do what we do by being able to see how the whole system – physical product, digital product, and personal service – fits together. Then we make these complex processes as simple and streamlined as possible. So our team are pattern-spotters, insight-hunters, and change-makers; people ready to be flexible, adaptable, and help us improve in everything we do. And planning, because we’re here to see as much of the future as we can - to make sure we have enough food for the dogs we serve. We’ve been data-driven from day one, finding new and better ways to draw the insights that help us plan for next week, next year, or five years from now.

The Head of Procurement will work hands-on with senior internal and external stakeholders to build a resilient, cost-effective supply base that supports Tails.com’s rapid growth. They will own the procurement strategy across critical direct and indirect categories, developing key supplier partnerships, optimising performance, and managing risk as our supply network grows in scale and complexity.

You will be responsible for:

• Setting and leading the procurement strategy across ingredients, contract manufacturing, packaging, and indirect spend
• Building strong, long-term supplier partnerships that balance cost, quality, resilience, and innovation
• Leading complex commercial negotiations across strategic spend portfolios
• Working closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, R&D, and Commercial teams to support growth plans
• Developing procurement governance, processes, and ways of working fit for a high-growth environment
• Identifying and delivering cost, efficiency, and risk-reduction opportunities as we scale
• Driving continuous improvement, sustainability, and ethical sourcing across the supply base
• Leading, coaching, and developing a high-performing procurement team

Qualifications:

• Strong strategic, commercial thinker with deep expertise in strategic procurement
• Proven experience working with contract manufacturers, ideally in FMCG or food
• Confident senior stakeholder manager with a track record of influencing and building trusted partnerships
• An experienced leader with a collaborative style and a history of developing high-performing teams
• A successful negotiator of complex, high-value strategic spend portfolios in fast-growth environments

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary, reviewed annually
• Annual bonus, based on company performance
• Flexible core hours, giving you true work-life balance
• Hybrid role to ensure this role works for you
• 25 days of holiday (excluding bank holidays) which increases over time to a max of 27 days
• 9/10 day working week to enhance your wellbeing without a reduction in pay and leave allowance
• Optional 5 days unpaid leave and 1 paid volunteer day each year
• When you need a change of scenery, you can work from abroad 2 weeks every 6 months
• Health insurance for you, paid by Tails.com
• Extended maternity, paternity, shared parental and adoption pay. 6 months at 70% pay
• Flexible paid care leave to support immediate dependants, people close to you and pets
• In-house L&D team, with access to year-round courses to help drive your development
• 50% discount on all Tails.com
• Discounted gym membership

If this sounds like it matches your experience and what you’d love to do, we can’t wait to hear from you! If you’re unsure whether you fit our criteria exactly, please get in touch anyway. And because we believe that diverse teams perform better, we’d especially love to hear from you if you’re from an under-represented demographic.

We’re proud to be an active equal opportunity employer. We want to give everyone a fair chance to join us in changing the world of pet food for good. We do this by conducting a structured recruitment process for all candidates, as well as actively promoting our roles to communities that are under-represented at Tails.com.