Director of Strategic Sourcing

Role Purpose & Context

Role Summary

As our Director of Strategic Sourcing, you'll be running the entire strategic sourcing show across the business. This means defining our multi-year strategy for how we buy everything from cloud services to professional consultancy, making sure it all lines up with our wider business goals. You're not just finding suppliers; you're building the capability, setting the standards, and coaching the teams that make it happen. This role sits right at the heart of our P&L, directly influencing our bottom line and our operational resilience. If you do this well, we'll see millions in validated savings, a far more robust supply chain, and our business units will have the right partners to grow and innovate. Get it wrong, and we're looking at missed targets, increased risk, and potentially stalled projects. Honestly, the challenge here is balancing aggressive savings targets with building long-term, strategic supplier relationships, all while navigating complex internal politics and a constantly shifting global market. The reward? You'll see your decisions directly impact the company's financial health and shape how we operate for years to come. Plus, you'll build a team that's genuinely proud of the value they create.

Reporting Structure

• Reports to: Chief Procurement Officer (CPO)
• Direct reports: Roughly 25-100+ individuals, including several Group Sourcing Managers and Lead Category Managers.
• Matrix relationships: VP, Procurement, Head of Strategic Sourcing, Senior Director, Global Sourcing,

Key Stakeholders

Internal:

• Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Finance leadership
• Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Engineering VPs
• Heads of Product Management
• Legal Counsel
• Business Unit VPs and Managing Directors
• Head of Risk & Compliance

External:

• Strategic suppliers and key vendor executives
• Industry analysts and consultants
• S2P software vendors
• Relevant industry bodies and associations

Organisational Impact

Scope: You'll drive multi-million-pound P&L impact through cost optimisation and value creation. You'll also shape our supply chain resilience, ensuring we can weather market shocks, and enable new product development by securing the right partners and technologies. Frankly, you're a major contributor to the company's competitive advantage.

Performance Metrics

Quantitative Metrics

1. Metric: Procurement ROI
2. Desc: The ratio of annual validated savings delivered by your team compared to the total cost of running the Procurement function under your remit.
3. Target: >8x (Annual Savings / Function Cost)
4. Freq: Annually, reviewed quarterly
5. Example: If your team's operating cost is £2M, we'd expect to see at least £16M in independently validated, bottom-line savings.
6. Metric: P&L Impact (Validated Savings)
7. Desc: The total value of cost savings and cost avoidance that directly impacts the company's profit and loss statement, independently verified by Finance.
8. Target: >£20M in validated bottom-line savings annually
9. Freq: Quarterly and Annually
10. Example: In Q2, your team delivered £5.5M in savings on IT software renewals and professional services, contributing to the annual £20M+ target.
11. Metric: % Spend Under Management
12. Desc: The proportion of total addressable third-party spend that is actively managed through strategic sourcing processes and contracts.
13. Target: >85% of total enterprise spend
14. Freq: Quarterly
15. Example: If our total addressable spend is £250M, we'd expect at least £212.5M of that to be under active strategic management by your team.
16. Metric: Supplier Risk Reduction
17. Desc: The measurable decrease in exposure to critical risks across our supply base, based on our defined risk framework and assessment scores.
18. Target: 20% reduction in critical-risk suppliers YoY
19. Freq: Annually
20. Example: Reducing the number of suppliers with 'high' or 'critical' risk ratings (e.g., financial instability, single-source dependency) from 50 to 40 in a year.
21. Metric: Innovation Contribution
22. Desc: The number of new products, services, or process improvements driven by strategic supplier partnerships, tracked from concept to implementation.
23. Target: 3-5 significant supplier-led innovations implemented annually
24. Freq: Annually
25. Example: Working with a key technology supplier to co-develop a new feature that reduces our operational costs by 15%, or launching a new customer-facing service enabled by a strategic partner.

Qualitative Metrics

1. Metric: Strategic Partner Perception
2. Desc: How key internal stakeholders (VPs, C-suite) view Procurement: are we seen as a strategic enabler or just a cost centre? It's about proactive engagement and trust.
3. Evidence: Regular invitations to strategic planning meetings (not just after decisions are made). Stakeholders proactively seeking your team's input on major investment decisions. Positive feedback in informal conversations and formal stakeholder surveys. Your team is seen as a 'first call' not a 'last resort'.
4. Metric: Team Development & Retention
5. Desc: The health and growth of your team. Are people growing, learning, and sticking around? It's about creating a culture where talent thrives.
6. Evidence: High retention rates (below industry average). Clear progression for high-performers. Positive feedback in skip-level meetings. Evidence of effective coaching and mentoring programmes. Your team members are sought after for cross-functional projects.
7. Metric: Market Intelligence & Foresight
8. Desc: The quality and timeliness of market insights provided by your team, enabling proactive decision-making rather than reactive problem-solving.
9. Evidence: Regular, insightful market briefings to executive leadership. Early identification of supply chain risks or opportunities (e.g., commodity price shifts, new technology entrants). Evidence of proactive strategies developed based on market intelligence, not just responding to events.
10. Metric: Process Standardisation & Efficiency
11. Desc: How effectively your team designs, implements, and adheres to efficient, scalable sourcing processes across the organisation.
12. Evidence: Consistent use of the 7-step sourcing process across categories. Measurable reductions in sourcing cycle times. High adoption rates for S2P and CLM tools. Clear audit trails for sourcing decisions. Reduced 'maverick spend' across the business.

Primary Traits

• Trait: Skeptical Inquisitiveness
• Manifestation: You're the kind of person who always asks 'why' – not just once, but five times, to really dig into the root cause. When a supplier tells you something is 'market rate', you're already cross-referencing three different benchmarks. You'll challenge internal stakeholders' 'must-have' specifications, gently pushing them to separate true needs from nice-to-haves, because you know that's where the real value is hidden. You don't take things at face value; you verify, you question, and you dig.
• Benefit: Honestly, this trait is the engine of value creation in sourcing. Without it, we just keep doing things the way we've always done them, and that's a fast track to mediocrity. It's what uncovers the multi-million-pound savings buried in bloated scopes of work or identifies the innovative supplier no one else has considered. It stops us from simply renewing with the incumbent and forces us to find genuinely better solutions. At this level, it's about instilling that curiosity across your entire team.
• Trait: Commercial Acumen
• Manifestation: You think like a business owner, plain and simple. You can articulate the difference between a cost saving and an actual cash flow improvement. When you look at a potential supplier, you're not just seeing their price list; you're evaluating their financial stability, their market position, and their long-term viability. You can model the P&L impact of negotiating better payment terms (Days Payable Outstanding) or the balance sheet implications of a new inventory strategy. You understand the levers that genuinely drive shareholder value.
• Benefit: This is crucial because it prevents what we call 'watermelon metrics' – things that look green and healthy on the outside, but are actually red and struggling on the inside. Reported savings are meaningless if they don't actually hit the bottom line or improve cash flow. Your commercial savvy ensures that every sourcing decision your team makes creates tangible, verifiable enterprise value, not just a nice number on a spreadsheet. You'll be defending these impacts to the CFO, so you need to know your stuff.
• Trait: Resilient Influencer
• Manifestation: You're fantastic at building a data-driven argument and then patiently, but persistently, persuading even the most resistant stakeholders. Think about winning over an engineering team that's emotionally attached to a high-cost, legacy supplier, or explaining the very real risks of a sole-source award to an executive who just wants to 'get it done'. You'll present a business case that anticipates and neutralises objections before they're even raised, and you'll do it all with a calm, composed demeanour, even when the pressure is on. You can gracefully navigate internal politics without getting bogged down.
• Benefit: Let's be real, the best sourcing strategy in the world is utterly worthless if no one adopts it. This trait is the absolute key to driving change management across a large organisation. You're moving people away from 'the way we've always done it' to a more strategic, often uncomfortable, approach. It takes serious grit, excellent communication, and a thick skin to get these initiatives over the line. At Director level, you're not just influencing, you're coaching your managers to influence effectively too.

Supporting Traits

• Trait: Process-Minded
• Desc: You genuinely enjoy bringing order to chaos, designing and implementing repeatable, scalable processes that make the team more efficient and effective. You see the value in a well-defined workflow.
• Trait: Detail-Oriented
• Desc: You're the one who catches the off-by-one error in a multi-million-pound pricing sheet or spots the subtle, but critical, change in a contract clause before it becomes a problem. You understand that the devil is often in the details, especially at this scale.
• Trait: Calm Under Pressure
• Desc: You remain objective, focused, and composed during high-stakes, deadline-driven negotiations or when dealing with an unexpected supply chain disruption. You're the steady hand in a storm.
• Trait: Ethical Backbone
• Desc: You have unwavering integrity when dealing with suppliers, internal stakeholders, and confidential information. You set the standard for ethical behaviour for your entire team.

Primary Motivators

1. Motivator: Driving Large-Scale Organisational Change
2. Daily: You'll be leading initiatives to transform how the entire company approaches external spend, from implementing new tech platforms to embedding new ways of working. This means designing new processes, getting executive buy-in, and coaching your team through significant shifts.
3. Motivator: Building and Developing High-Performing Teams
4. Daily: A big part of your day will involve coaching your managers, setting clear expectations, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, and ensuring your team has the skills and resources to excel. You'll be hiring, developing, and retaining top talent.
5. Motivator: Direct P&L Impact and Strategic Influence
6. Daily: Your work directly contributes to the company's financial success. You'll be presenting to the C-suite and the board, defending your strategies, and seeing your team's efforts translate into tangible bottom-line results. You're not just executing; you're shaping the business.

Potential Demotivators

Let's be frank, this role isn't for everyone. If you're looking for a quiet life with predictable routines, you'll probably struggle here. There's a lot of ambiguity and constant pressure.

Common Frustrations

1. Dealing with executive-level 'last-minute reviews' where a multi-million-pound deal has been verbally agreed, leaving your team with zero leverage, and you have to find a way to salvage value.
2. Fighting for strategic recognition: constantly battling the perception that Procurement is just an administrative 'PO pusher' function, rather than a critical business partner.
3. The political battles over 'buddy' suppliers: having to challenge deeply entrenched relationships or personal preferences at a senior level, even when the data clearly points to a better alternative.
4. Savings recognition purgatory: spending weeks or months arguing with Finance to get your team's hard-won savings officially recognised and booked, long after the deals are signed.
5. Being handed unrealistic, top-down savings targets that are completely disconnected from market realities, and then having to translate them into an achievable strategy (or push back effectively).
6. The 'legal black hole': watching critical deal momentum die while a high-value contract sits in the legal department's queue for weeks, despite your best efforts to expedite.
7. Constant fire-fighting: spending too much time reacting to urgent, unplanned issues (e.g., critical supplier failures, geopolitical disruptions) rather than focusing on your long-term strategic agenda.

What Role Doesn't Offer

1. A quiet, predictable 9-to-5 working pattern.
2. A role where you're solely focused on individual contribution; your success is entirely dependent on your team's performance.
3. A place where you can avoid internal politics or difficult conversations; they're part of the job.
4. Guaranteed immediate gratification; many strategic initiatives take months or years to show full impact.

ADHD Positives

1. The fast pace and constant strategic challenges can be highly engaging, allowing for hyperfocus on complex, high-impact problems.
2. Excellent energy for driving large-scale change and transformation across the organisation, often seeing connections others miss.
3. Ability to quickly pivot between different strategic priorities and manage multiple complex initiatives simultaneously.

ADHD Challenges and Accommodations

1. The administrative overhead of managing a large team and reporting upwards can be challenging; we can provide administrative support and clear, concise reporting templates.
2. Delegation is key, and we'll support you in building strong managers who can handle day-to-day operations, freeing you for strategic work.
3. We can offer flexible working arrangements to help manage energy levels and focus, and tools for task management and prioritisation.

Dyslexia Positives

1. Often brings exceptional big-picture thinking and strategic pattern recognition, which is crucial for defining enterprise-level sourcing strategies.
2. Strong verbal communication and presentation skills are highly valued, especially when influencing C-suite and board members.
3. A talent for simplifying complex information and communicating core messages effectively, which is vital for team leadership and stakeholder engagement.

Dyslexia Challenges and Accommodations

1. Extensive detailed report writing or reviewing lengthy documents can be demanding; we use tools for proofreading and summarisation, and encourage verbal briefings where appropriate.
2. Email volume can be high; we promote concise communication and offer support for managing inboxes and drafting responses.
3. We can provide access to assistive technologies (e.g., text-to-speech, dictation software) and ensure meeting materials are provided in advance in accessible formats.

Autism Positives

1. Exceptional logical decision-making and a deep, focused expertise in procurement methodologies and market dynamics, leading to robust strategies.
2. A strong commitment to fairness, process, and data integrity, which is vital for ethical sourcing and transparent decision-making.
3. Ability to identify inefficiencies and design highly optimised systems and processes, driving significant operational improvements.

Autism Challenges and Accommodations

1. Navigating complex, unspoken social dynamics and internal politics at a senior level can be taxing; we foster a direct, transparent communication culture and provide coaching on stakeholder engagement.
2. Managing a large team requires significant social interaction; we support structured communication, clear expectations, and effective delegation to managers.
3. We can offer a predictable meeting schedule, clear agendas, and quiet spaces for focused work, along with flexibility for remote work when needed.

Key Responsibilities

Experience Levels Responsibilities

1. Level: Director of Strategic Sourcing (L6)
2. Responsibilities: Drive the multi-year transformation of our strategic sourcing capability across the entire business unit. This isn't just optimising; it's about fundamentally changing how we buy and what value we get.
3. Develop and execute enterprise-wide sourcing strategies for our largest, most complex, and highest-risk spend categories (think £100M+ in IT, professional services, or raw materials). You'll own the vision for these categories.
4. Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing team of Group Sourcing Managers and Lead Category Managers (25-100+ people, including managers). This means setting the culture, developing talent, and ensuring they have the tools to succeed.
5. Own the entire Source-to-Pay (S2P) technology stack strategy, from selection and implementation to continuous optimisation. You'll make sure our tech enables efficiency and insights, not just process.
6. Manage critical senior stakeholder relationships (VP and C-suite level) across the business to ensure alignment, secure buy-in for major initiatives, and position Procurement as a strategic enabler, not a blocker.
7. Accountable for delivering significant, independently validated P&L impact, typically >£20M in annual savings and value creation. You'll defend these numbers to the CFO and the board.
8. Represent Procurement at board-level discussions on supply chain risk, resilience, strategic investments, and major contractual commitments. You'll be the voice of external spend.
9. Define and embed best practices for negotiation, Supplier Relationship Management (SRM), Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) modelling, and ethical sourcing across the entire organisation. You're setting the standard.
10. Lead M&A integration activities related to procurement, ensuring seamless supplier transitions, contract novations, and rapid value capture from newly acquired entities.
11. Supervision: You'll operate with full autonomy on day-to-day execution, reporting directly to the CPO with monthly strategic alignment meetings. You're expected to set your own agenda within the broader company strategy.
12. Decision: You have full authority for your function: budget allocation up to £5M, hiring/firing decisions for your direct reports (and influence across the team), and strategic vendor selection up to £10M. Any decisions impacting company-wide policy or requiring board-level approval will be made in alignment with the CPO and other C-suite executives.
13. Success: Consistently exceeding savings and value creation targets, achieving high (and improving) stakeholder satisfaction scores, demonstrating strong team retention and progression, and successfully implementing and optimising our procurement technology stack. You'll be judged on both the financial impact and the health of your organisation.

Decision-Making Authority

• Type: Annual Departmental Budget Allocation
• Entry: No input, follows budget.
• Mid: Provides input on project costs.
• Senior: Manages budget up to £50K, recommends larger investments.
• Type: Strategic Supplier Selection (new major partner)
• Entry: Supports data gathering.
• Mid: Participates in evaluation, recommends based on criteria.
• Senior: Leads evaluation, makes recommendations to Director.
• Type: Organisational Design & Team Structure
• Entry: No input.
• Mid: No input.
• Senior: No input.
• Type: Procurement Policy Definition
• Entry: Follows policies.
• Mid: Follows policies, identifies gaps.
• Senior: Proposes policy improvements within category.

Competency Requirements

Foundation Skills (Transferable)

At this level, we're looking for truly exceptional leadership and strategic acumen. These aren't just 'nice-to-haves'; they're the bedrock of your ability to drive the function forward and influence at the highest levels of the organisation.

• Category: Strategic Leadership & Vision
• Skills: Vision Setting: The ability to articulate a compelling, multi-year vision for the Strategic Sourcing function that aligns with broader company goals and inspires your team.
• Organisational Design: Expertise in structuring large, complex teams (25-100+ people) to optimise for efficiency, specialisation, and talent development.
• Change Management: Proven track record of successfully leading large-scale organisational change initiatives, overcoming resistance, and embedding new ways of working.
• Talent Development: A genuine commitment to coaching, mentoring, and developing your direct reports and the wider team, fostering a culture of continuous learning and high performance.
• Category: Executive Communication & Influence
• Skills: Board-Level Presentation: The ability to distil complex procurement strategies, risks, and financial impacts into clear, concise, and compelling presentations for the board and C-suite.
• Executive Negotiation: Leading and coaching on high-stakes, multi-party negotiations with strategic suppliers and internal stakeholders, often involving £multi-million contracts.
• Stakeholder Alignment: Exceptional skill in building consensus and gaining buy-in from diverse, often conflicting, senior stakeholders (e.g., CFO, CTO, Legal) on strategic sourcing initiatives.
• Crisis Communication: The ability to calmly and effectively communicate during supply chain disruptions or critical supplier issues, providing clear updates and action plans to senior leadership.
• Category: Complex Problem-Solving & Decision Making
• Skills: Enterprise-Level Strategic Thinking: Tackling ambiguous, multi-faceted problems that impact the entire organisation, often with incomplete information and long-term consequences.
• Risk Management: Defining and implementing enterprise-wide supply chain risk frameworks, identifying potential disruptions, and developing robust mitigation strategies.
• Trade-off Analysis: Making difficult decisions that balance competing priorities (e.g., cost vs. resilience, innovation vs. standardisation) with a clear understanding of the business impact.
• Analytical Acumen: The ability to critically interpret complex data (spend, market, supplier performance) and translate it into actionable strategic insights and recommendations.
• Category: Adaptability & Resilience
• Skills: Navigating Market Volatility: Adapting sourcing strategies rapidly in response to geopolitical shifts, economic downturns, or sudden changes in commodity prices.
• Organisational Agility: Leading your team through periods of significant organisational restructuring, M&A integration, or strategic pivots.
• Pressure Handling: Maintaining composure and effective decision-making during high-pressure situations, such as critical supplier failures or intense negotiations.
• Continuous Learning: A demonstrated commitment to staying abreast of global market trends, new technologies, and evolving procurement best practices.

Functional Skills (Role-Specific Technical)

You'll need deep, demonstrable expertise in strategic sourcing methodologies, combined with a strong understanding of our tech stack and the wider industry landscape. This isn't just about knowing the theory; it's about applying it to drive real business outcomes at scale.

Technical Competencies

• Skill: 7-Step Strategic Sourcing Process
• Desc: You'll be defining, optimising, and embedding the enterprise-wide 7-step process, ensuring consistency and effectiveness across all categories and teams. This means not just following it, but designing it for maximum impact.
• Level: Expert
• Skill: Category Management
• Desc: You'll define the enterprise-wide category management framework, overseeing the development and execution of multi-year strategies for all major spend categories. You'll coach your managers on how to build and deliver these strategies effectively.
• Level: Expert
• Skill: Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Modeling
• Desc: You'll oversee the development of complex TCO models, ensuring they accurately capture all direct and indirect costs. Your focus will be on interpreting the outputs to make strategic investment and sourcing decisions, not necessarily building the models yourself.
• Level: Expert
• Skill: Supplier Relationship Management (SRM)
• Desc: You'll define the corporate SRM framework, segmenting our supply base and developing tailored engagement models for our most strategic partners. You'll personally manage relationships with our top 5-10 most critical suppliers.
• Level: Expert
• Skill: Should-Cost Analysis
• Desc: You'll direct and review complex should-cost analyses, using the insights to inform high-stakes negotiations and challenge supplier pricing. You'll ensure your team is equipped to perform these analyses effectively.
• Level: Advanced
• Skill: Negotiation Strategy (BATNA/ZOPA)
• Desc: You'll lead and coach on our most complex, multi-party negotiations, often involving multi-million-pound contracts. You'll be an expert in defining BATNA, ZOPA, and advanced negotiation tactics, and you'll train your team to excel.
• Level: Expert

Digital Tools

• Tool: Source-to-Pay (S2P) Suite (e.g., SAP Ariba, Coupa, GEP SMART)
• Level: Strategic
• Usage: Leading platform selection, implementation, and defining the enterprise-wide S2P architecture. You'll own the relationship with the software vendor and drive adoption across the business.
• Tool: Spend Analytics (e.g., Sievo, Suplari, Tableau)
• Level: Strategic
• Usage: Defining the enterprise spend data strategy, integrating disparate data sources (ERP, P-Card, T&E), and ensuring we have a 'single source of truth' for spend. You'll use these insights to drive strategic decisions.
• Tool: Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) (e.g., Icertis, DocuSign CLM)
• Level: Architect
• Usage: Setting enterprise CLM policy, integrating CLM with other critical systems (e.g., ERP, CRM), and using analytics to identify contractual risk across the entire portfolio. You'll ensure our contracts are managed effectively from start to finish.
• Tool: Supplier Risk & Performance Management (e.g., EcoVadis, Dun & Bradstreet)
• Level: Strategic
• Usage: Defining the corporate supplier risk appetite and framework. You'll report on aggregate portfolio risk to the board and make strategic de-risking decisions for the organisation.
• Tool: Advanced Excel (Power Query, VBA, Solver)
• Level: Strategic
• Usage: Overseeing the development of standardised financial models for the team. Your focus is on the outputs, insights, and strategic implications of these models, rather than direct creation.
• Tool: Financial Planning & Analysis (e.g., Anaplan, Workday Adaptive Planning)
• Level: Advanced
• Usage: Collaborating closely with FP&A to build the annual procurement budget, model the P&L impact of major sourcing initiatives, and defend your team's savings forecasts to the CFO and executive team.

Industry Knowledge

• Area: Global Supply Chain Economics
• Desc: A deep understanding of macroeconomic factors, geopolitical trends, and their impact on global supply chains, commodity markets, and supplier viability.
• Area: Regulatory & Compliance Landscape
• Desc: Comprehensive knowledge of relevant procurement regulations, anti-bribery laws, modern slavery acts, and industry-specific compliance requirements across different jurisdictions.
• Area: Technology & Innovation Trends
• Desc: Staying current with emerging technologies (e.g., AI, blockchain, IoT) and their potential application in procurement, supply chain, and our core business operations.
• Area: Contract Law Principles
• Desc: A strong working knowledge of commercial contract law, key clauses, and risk allocation, enabling effective collaboration with legal counsel and robust contract negotiation.

Regulatory Compliance Regulations

• Reg: General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• Usage: Ensuring all supplier contracts and data handling practices comply with GDPR, especially for suppliers processing personal data. You'll be accountable for team compliance.
• Reg: Modern Slavery Act (UK)
• Usage: Defining and overseeing the due diligence processes to identify and mitigate modern slavery risks within our supply chain. You'll ensure our public statements are accurate and robust.
• Reg: Competition Law / Anti-Trust Regulations
• Usage: Ensuring all sourcing processes and supplier engagements comply with competition law, preventing anti-competitive practices like bid-rigging or cartels. You'll educate your team.
• Reg: Industry-Specific Regulations (e.g., Financial Services, Healthcare)
• Usage: Depending on our sector, you'll need deep knowledge of specific regulations (e.g., FCA outsourcing rules, medical device procurement) and how they impact supplier selection and contract terms. You'll be the expert here.

Essential Prerequisites

• A proven track record of at least 5-7 years in a senior leadership role, managing large, multi-functional strategic sourcing teams (25+ people), with direct accountability for their performance.
• Demonstrable experience managing £100M+ in annual spend categories, consistently delivering significant, independently validated P&L impact (e.g., >£20M in annual savings).
• Extensive experience in leading complex, high-value negotiations with strategic suppliers, often involving multi-year contracts and intricate commercial terms.
• A strong history of successfully implementing and optimising Source-to-Pay (S2P) or Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) technologies across an enterprise.
• Experience presenting strategic initiatives, risks, and financial outcomes to C-suite executives and/or board members.

Career Pathway Context

These aren't just bullet points; they're the foundational experiences we expect you to bring to the table. You'll have already demonstrated your ability to lead, influence, and deliver at a significant scale. We're looking for someone who can hit the ground running at a strategic level, not learn the ropes of managing a large function.

Qualifications & Credentials

Emerging Foundation Skills

• Skill: Ethical AI Governance in Procurement
• Why: AI is rapidly becoming embedded in every aspect of sourcing, from supplier discovery and RFP scoring to contract analysis and risk prediction. As leaders, we're accountable for ensuring these tools are used ethically, fairly, and without bias, especially when dealing with sensitive supplier data or making critical business decisions.
• Concepts: [{'concept_name': 'AI Ethics Principles', 'description': 'Understanding core principles like transparency, fairness, accountability, and privacy in the context of AI applications.'}, {'concept_name': 'Bias Detection & Mitigation', 'description': 'Learning how to identify and address algorithmic bias in AI models used for supplier selection, risk assessment, or performance evaluation.'}, {'concept_name': 'Explainable AI (XAI)', 'description': 'The ability to understand and articulate how AI models arrive at their conclusions, especially for critical decisions, to build trust and ensure compliance.'}, {'concept_name': 'Data Privacy & Security in AI', 'description': 'Ensuring that supplier and company data used by AI tools is handled securely and in compliance with all relevant privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR).'}]
• Prepare: This quarter: Review leading AI ethics frameworks (e.g., EU AI Act, NIST AI Risk Management Framework) and consider their implications for our procurement processes.
• Next 6 months: Work with our Legal and IT teams to define internal guidelines and policies for the ethical use of AI tools within your sourcing function.
• Next 12 months: Implement an audit framework to regularly review AI-driven decisions for fairness, accuracy, and compliance, making adjustments as needed.
• Ongoing: Stay informed on new regulations and best practices in AI governance, adapting our approach as the landscape evolves.
• QuickWin: Start by identifying one AI tool currently used (or planned) by your team and conducting a preliminary ethical risk assessment. Discuss findings with relevant stakeholders.

Advancing Technical Skills

• Skill: Advanced Supply Chain Digitalisation & Resilience
• Why: Global events (pandemics, geopolitical instability, climate change) are forcing a complete rethink of supply chain design. It's no longer enough to focus on cost; we need end-to-end visibility, predictive risk capabilities, and truly resilient networks. Digitalisation is the key to achieving this, and as Director, you'll be leading that charge.
• Concepts: [{'concept_name': 'Digital Twins for Supply Chains', 'description': 'Creating virtual models of our physical supply chains to simulate scenarios, predict disruptions, and optimise performance in real-time.'}, {'concept_name': 'Blockchain for Traceability & Transparency', 'description': 'Exploring and implementing blockchain solutions to enhance supply chain transparency, verify ethical sourcing, and track goods from origin to delivery.'}, {'concept_name': 'Predictive Analytics for Disruption', 'description': 'Using advanced analytics and AI to anticipate supply chain disruptions (e.g., weather events, port closures, factory outages) and enable proactive mitigation.'}, {'concept_name': 'Multi-Tier Supply Chain Mapping', 'description': 'Gaining visibility beyond immediate Tier 1 suppliers to understand and manage risks and dependencies across the entire extended supply network.'}]
• Prepare: This quarter: Research leading industry practices in supply chain digitalisation and resilience. Attend webinars or virtual conferences on the topic.
• Next 6 months: Identify a critical supply chain segment within our business and explore potential digital twin or blockchain pilot projects with relevant internal teams.
• Next 12 months: Develop a roadmap for enhancing supply chain visibility and resilience, incorporating new technologies and data sources, and present it to the CPO.
• Ongoing: Engage with technology providers and industry experts to stay ahead of the curve, ensuring our strategy remains cutting-edge.
• QuickWin: Start by mapping out our top 3-5 critical supply chains beyond Tier 1, identifying key choke points and potential single points of failure. This provides immediate insights for risk mitigation.

Education Requirements

• Level: Minimum
• Req: A Bachelor's degree (or equivalent experience) in Business, Supply Chain Management, Finance, Engineering, or a related field.
• Alts: We're open to candidates with exceptional, demonstrable experience in strategic sourcing leadership that clearly outweighs formal degree requirements. Show us what you've built.
• Level: Preferred
• Req: A Master's degree (e.g., MBA, MSc Supply Chain Management) from a reputable institution.
• Alts: A CIPS Level 7 Advanced Professional Diploma in Procurement and Supply can often be considered equivalent to a Master's for this role, given its practical focus.

Experience Requirements

You'll need roughly 16-20 years of progressive experience in Procurement or Strategic Sourcing, with at least 5-7 years specifically in a senior leadership role managing large teams and significant spend portfolios. We're looking for someone with a proven track record of driving multi-million-pound savings and delivering tangible P&L impact at an enterprise level. Experience with M&A integration from a procurement perspective is a definite plus.

Preferred Certifications

• Cert: CIPS Level 7 Advanced Professional Diploma in Procurement and Supply
• Prod: Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS)
• Usage: This demonstrates a commitment to the highest level of professional development in procurement and supply, often aligning with Master's level study. It's a strong signal of your expertise.
• Cert: Project Management Professional (PMP) or PRINCE2 Practitioner
• Prod: Project Management Institute (PMI) / AXELOS
• Usage: Given the large-scale transformation and implementation projects you'll lead (e.g., S2P rollouts, M&A integrations), formal project management qualifications are incredibly valuable.
• Cert: Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM)
• Prod: Institute for Supply Management (ISM)
• Usage: Another highly respected global certification that validates broad expertise across the supply management spectrum, including sourcing, logistics, and supplier relationship management.

Recommended Activities

• Regularly attend and speak at industry conferences (e.g., CIPS Annual Conference, Gartner Procurement Symposium) to stay abreast of trends and build your professional network.
• Actively participate in executive-level peer groups or forums focused on procurement leadership and supply chain strategy.
• Pursue ongoing learning in areas like AI, advanced analytics, and digital supply chain technologies through online courses or executive education programmes.
• Engage in mentorship, both as a mentor to rising talent and seeking mentorship from C-suite leaders outside your direct function.

Career Progression Pathways

Entry Paths to This Role

• Path: Internal Promotion (from Group Sourcing Manager / Head of Sourcing)
• Time: 3-5 years at L5
• Path: External Hire (from Director of Procurement at a smaller company)
• Time: N/A (direct entry)
• Path: Senior Consulting Role (specialising in Procurement Transformation)
• Time: N/A (direct entry)

Career Progression From This Role

• Pathway: Chief Procurement Officer (CPO)
• Time: 3-5 years
• Pathway: VP / COO of Supply Chain & Operations
• Time: 4-6 years

Long Term Vision Potential Roles

• Title: Chief Procurement Officer (CPO)
• Time: 3-5 years from Director
• Title: Chief Operating Officer (COO)
• Time: 4-6 years from Director
• Title: Management Consulting Partner (Procurement/Supply Chain)
• Time: 5-8 years from Director
• Title: Non-Executive Director (NED) / Board Member
• Time: 8-10+ years from Director

How Zavmo Delivers This Role's Development

DISCOVER Phase: Skills Gap Analysis

Zavmo maps your current competencies against all requirements in this job description through conversational assessment. We evaluate your foundation skills (communication, strategic thinking), functional skills (CRM expertise, negotiation), and readiness for career progression.

Output: Personalised skills gap heat map showing strengths and priorities, estimated time to competency, neurodiversity accommodations.

DISCUSS Phase: Personalised Learning Pathway

Based on your DISCOVER results, Zavmo creates a personalised learning plan prioritised by impact: foundation skills first, then functional skills. We adapt to your learning style, pace, and neurodiversity needs (ADHD, dyslexia, autism).

Output: Week-by-week schedule, each module linked to specific job responsibilities, checkpoints and milestones.

DELIVER Phase: Conversational Learning

Learn through conversation, not boring modules. Zavmo uses 10 conversation types (Socratic dialogue, role-play, coaching, case studies) to build competence. Practice difficult QBR presentations, negotiate tough renewals, and handle churn conversations in a safe AI environment before facing real clients.

Example: "For 'Stakeholder Mapping', Zavmo will guide you through analysing a complex enterprise account, identifying key decision-makers, and building an engagement strategy."

DEMONSTRATE Phase: Competency Assessment

Zavmo automatically builds your evidence portfolio as you learn. Every conversation, practice scenario, and application example is captured and mapped to NOS performance criteria. When ready, your portfolio supports OFQUAL qualification claims and demonstrates competence to employers.

Output: Competency matrix, evidence portfolio (downloadable), qualification readiness, career progression score.