Head of Procurement

About the role

Lead smarter procurement that delivers value, quality and sustainability.

Joining us means becoming part of a forward-looking care organisation with a strong, long-term commitment to the success of every home. Supported by substantial, planned investment, we provide the resources and stability needed to deliver high-quality, sustainable care while nurturing thriving communities. This is a full-time, office-based role based at our Support Office in Darlington, working 40 hours per week and offering the opportunity to work closely with colleagues across the organisation to support homes nationwide.

Residents, families and colleagues are at the heart of everything we do. We believe in building strong partnerships, making responsible decisions and continuously improving the way we operate to support better outcomes.

As Head of Procurement, you'll lead the development of a strategic procurement function that delivers value, strengthens supplier relationships and ensures high-quality services and products are available across a large, multi-site care organisation. Combining commercial expertise with strong governance, you'll shape procurement strategy, maximise value and ensure responsible supply chain practices.

About the role

Reporting to the senior leadership team, you'll lead the group-wide procurement function, managing a team of procurement professionals and overseeing supplier relationships, category strategies and commercial contracts across a diverse range of spend areas.

You'll develop and deliver a category-led procurement strategy, identifying opportunities to improve value, quality and consistency across key areas including care supplies, catering, facilities, technology, services and operational spend. Through effective sourcing, negotiation and supplier management, you'll ensure contracts are commercially robust and aligned with organisational priorities.

You'll maintain a strong procurement governance framework, overseeing supplier due diligence, contract management, ethical sourcing and sustainability considerations. Working collaboratively with Finance, Operations, IT and other stakeholders, you'll ensure procurement decisions support both operational needs and long-term business objectives.

As an experienced procurement leader, you'll build capability within your team, strengthen procurement processes and create a culture of continuous improvement and commercial excellence.

About you

You'll be an experienced procurement professional with a strong track record of leading procurement functions and delivering measurable commercial value within a complex, multi-site environment.

You'll combine strategic thinking with practical delivery, bringing strong negotiation skills, commercial judgement and the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels. Confident managing complex supplier relationships, you'll be comfortable balancing cost, quality, risk and sustainability considerations to achieve the best outcomes.

You'll be collaborative, ethical and solutions-focused, with the ability to develop high-performing teams and build effective partnerships across the organisation.

What you'll bring

Essential

• Significant senior procurement leadership experience within a large, complex organisation, ideally within care, healthcare, hospitality or another operationally focused sector.
• Proven experience developing and delivering category strategies that achieve measurable value and commercial improvements.
• Strong commercial negotiation skills with experience managing complex supplier relationships and contracts.
• Experience leading procurement teams and developing procurement capability.
• Strong understanding of procurement governance, supplier management and contract lifecycle processes.
• Knowledge of supply chain due diligence, ethical procurement and relevant UK procurement obligations.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication and influencing skills.

Desirable

• CIPS qualification or equivalent procurement qualification.
• Experience within the care sector or other regulated environments.
• Experience with Group Purchasing Organisations, procurement partnerships or consortium arrangements.
• Knowledge of Modern Slavery Act requirements, ethical supply chain auditing and sustainability practices.
• Experience using procurement systems or contract management platforms.

Additional information

This role is based at our Central Support Office in Darlington, with regular office attendance and occasional travel to care homes and regional offices.

An Enhanced DBS check and DVLA licence check are required for this role.

As with all colleagues, you'll be expected to comply with our policies relating to health and safety, infection prevention and control, safeguarding and all relevant regulatory requirements. From time to time, you may be asked to undertake other duties appropriate to the role, and the responsibilities outlined above may be reasonably reviewed and updated following consultation to reflect business needs.

Application closing date:  12noon, Monday 3rd August 2026