At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead strategic initiatives to enhance procurement operations and drive continuous improvement.
- Company: Warburtons is the UK's largest bakery brand, committed to quality and innovation for over 141 years.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, profit share, extra leave, private medical insurance, and personal development opportunities.
- Why this job: Join a dynamic team focused on innovation, sustainability, and making a real impact in the industry.
- Qualifications: Proven leadership, strategic thinking, and technical expertise in procurement systems and analytics required.
- Other info: We value diversity and create an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
Title: Procurement Excellence Manager
Function: Procurement
Location: Bolton
Salary: Competitive
Are you a Procurement Manager and ready for your next big challenge?
Our Procurement team is central to driving value, efficiency, and innovation across our supply network. As we evolve our strategy and processes, we’re looking for a Procurement Excellence Manager join the team.
As our Procurement Excellence Manager, you’ll spearhead strategic initiatives that elevate procurement operations across the business. You’ll lead a high-performing team focused on continuous improvement, robust process control, and the smart use of advanced systems and analytics. By fostering a culture of innovation and data-driven decision-making, you’ll unlock sustainable value, boost operational efficiency, and ensure alignment with our broader business goals.
The Recipe
We are seeking a dynamic leader to drive Procurement Excellence through strategic transformation and continuous improvement. You will own the vision and execution of a multi-year Procurement Continuous Improvement (CI) roadmap, designed to elevate performance across people, processes, and technology. This roadmap will be closely aligned with evolving business needs and strategy, supported by regular engagement with stakeholders at all levels.
In this role, you will lead and coordinate core cross-functional processes such as budgeting and risk management, ensuring operational control and strategic alignment. You will also lead and develop the Procurement Excellence team, fostering a high-performance culture through strong leadership, development planning, and talent management. A key part of your remit will be to build robust procurement analytics capabilities, enabling data-driven decisions and supporting sustainability and compliance reporting. You’ll empower the business with clear visibility into procurement performance, priorities, and delivery tracking.
As the owner of procurement systems, including platforms like Ariba, you’ll be responsible for their development and optimisation to maximise business value and user adoption. You’ll ensure swift resolution of issues to minimise disruption and support Category Managers with market intelligence and efficient tender processes.
You’ll champion performance, culture, and alignment with business goals, while continuously benchmarking and integrating external best practices to raise standards and deliver enhanced value.
Essential Ingredients
Extra Dough
At last and by no means least, you will want to know what your breads worth:
Procurement Excellence Manager employer: Warburtons
Contact Detail:
Warburtons Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Procurement Excellence Manager
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with Warburtons' values and culture. Understanding their commitment to family, health, and innovation will help you align your approach during interviews and discussions, showcasing how you can contribute to their mission.
✨Tip Number 2
Highlight your experience with procurement systems, especially SAP Ariba and analytics tools like Power BI. Be prepared to discuss specific examples of how you've used these tools to drive efficiency and improve processes in previous roles.
✨Tip Number 3
Demonstrate your leadership skills by sharing instances where you've successfully led teams through change or improvement initiatives. Emphasise your ability to foster a high-performance culture and support team development.
✨Tip Number 4
Prepare to discuss your strategic thinking capabilities. Think of examples where you've anticipated challenges and implemented solutions that had a significant commercial impact, as this aligns closely with the role's requirements.
We think you need these skills to ace Procurement Excellence Manager
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights relevant experience in procurement and leadership. Use keywords from the job description, such as 'strategic initiatives', 'continuous improvement', and 'data-driven decision-making' to demonstrate your fit for the role.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: In your cover letter, express your passion for procurement excellence and how your previous experiences align with Warburtons' values. Mention specific achievements that showcase your ability to lead teams and drive strategic transformation.
Showcase Your Analytical Skills: Since the role requires strong analytical capabilities, provide examples of how you've used data to make informed decisions in past roles. Highlight any experience with tools like SAP Ariba or Microsoft Power BI to strengthen your application.
Prepare for Potential Questions: Think about how you would answer questions related to leadership, negotiation, and strategic thinking. Be ready to discuss specific scenarios where you've successfully led a team or implemented process improvements.
How to prepare for a job interview at Warburtons
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Procurement Excellence Manager, you'll need to demonstrate your ability to lead and develop teams. Prepare examples of how you've successfully managed teams in the past, focusing on your leadership style and how you foster a high-performance culture.
✨Be Data-Driven
Since the role emphasises data-driven decision-making, come prepared with examples of how you've used analytics to drive procurement strategies. Highlight your experience with tools like SAP Ariba and Power BI, and be ready to discuss how you've leveraged data for continuous improvement.
✨Understand the Business Strategy
Warburtons is looking for someone who can align procurement operations with broader business goals. Research their current strategies and be ready to discuss how your vision for procurement excellence can support their objectives and enhance operational efficiency.
✨Prepare for Stakeholder Engagement
The role requires influencing and negotiating with stakeholders at all levels. Think of scenarios where you've successfully engaged stakeholders, and prepare to discuss your approach to building relationships and communicating effectively with diverse groups.