Procurement Strategic Operations & Governance Leader

POSITION SUMMARY

The Procurement Strategic Operations & Governance Leader is responsible for driving the effective operation, governance, and strategic execution of the Global Procurement organisation.

The role acts as a strategic partner to Procurement leadership, ensuring that the organisation operates through a clear and effective operating model, robust governance, consistent processes, and disciplined execution of strategic priorities.

The Leader owns the Procurement leadership operating cadence and ensures that strategic decisions, actions, and commitments are translated into execution and followed through to closure. 

The successful candidate will be a highly credible Procurement professional who can operate comfortably between strategic leadership and detailed execution. They will be capable of understanding complex business issues, simplifying them for senior leadership, and creating the governance and accountability required to deliver results.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Procurement Strategic Operations:

• Partner with Procurement leadership to translate strategic priorities into executable plans
• Establish and manage the Procurement strategic operating rhythm
• Coordinate cross-functional and regional activities required to execute Procurement priorities
• Identify risks, dependencies, and execution gaps and ensure appropriate escalation

• Provide strategic support on emerging priorities and ad-hoc leadership requirements

  Executive Leadership & Procurement Cadence:

  Own the end-to-end management of Procurement's executive cadence, including:

• Procurement QBRs
• MORs and operational reviews
• Procurement Townhalls
• Board and Executive Leadership presentations
• Growth Days
• CPO and Procurement Leadership meetings

• Other strategic Procurement presentations and forums

  Responsibilities include:

• Agenda development and planning
• Content coordination across Procurement
• Executive storyline development
• Data and message alignment
• Preparation and quality control of materials
• Action tracking and follow-up
• Driving actions through to closure
• Maintaining visibility of outstanding commitments and escalations

Procurement Operating Model

Own the ongoing development and governance of the Procurement operating model.

Responsibilities include:

• Define and maintain the Procurement process and governance framework
• Establish clear ownership for Procurement policies and processes
• Identify and close gaps in the existing operating model
• Develop new policies, processes, standards, and governance mechanisms where required
• Establish formal review and refresh cycles
• Ensure processes remain aligned with organisational strategy and business requirements

• Drive standardisation across regions whilst recognising appropriate local requirements

  Policy & Process Governance

• Establish Procurement policy and process governance
• Maintain a central register of Procurement policies and processes
• Define process owners and accountability
• Monitor review cycles and completion
• Identify duplication, gaps, and opportunities for simplification

• Drive continuous improvement of the Procurement operating framework

  Procurement Transformation Governance

• Maintain visibility of the Procurement transformation portfolio
• Establish governance for strategic initiatives
• Track milestones, dependencies, risks, and actions
• Ensure transformation initiatives remain aligned to CPO priorities
• Provide leadership reporting on transformation progress

Procurement Knowledge Management

Own the governance of Procurement's digital knowledge environment, including the Procurement Hub and SharePoint.

Responsibilities include:

• Content governance.
• Structure and accessibility
• Document ownership
• Version control
• Standard templates and resources
• Ensuring critical Procurement information remains current

• Establishing clear ownership for ongoing maintenance

  Leadership Team Support & Strategic Projects

• Act as a trusted execution partner to the Procurement Leadership Team within the Corporate Strategy Function
• Support strategic organisational initiatives
• Coordinate complex cross-functional requests
• Lead special projects on behalf of Procurement leadership
• Respond to emerging and ad-hoc business requirement
• Provide structured problem solving and recommendations to leadership

Key Interfaces

• Chief Procurement Officer
• Procurement Leadership Team
• Regional Procurement Leaders
• Category and Business Unit Leaders
• Finance
• Operations
• Supply Chain
• Engineering
• IT / Digital
• HR
• Legal
• Executive Leadership
• Corporate Strategy

Key Success Measures

• Effectiveness and timeliness of Procurement leadership cadence
• Closure rate of leadership actions and commitments
• Operating model maturity
• Policy and process governance compliance
• Strategic initiative execution
• Reduction in process and governance gaps
• Stakeholder satisfaction
• Effectiveness of Procurement communications and executive reporting
• Adoption of standard Procurement processes

QUALIFICATIONS

Required Capabilities

• Industry experience: 8+ years' experience in Strategy, Programme and portfolio management, PMO management etc 
• Procurement governance and operating model design : experience designing corporate governance frameworks and scalable operating models that align with long-term strategy.
• Strategic thinking and execution: Ability to think long-term and plan for future business needs.
• Roadmap Development: Proven capability to translate high-level strategy into actionable, tactical execution plans.
• Change management: driving organizational governance and managing complex business change. Ability to manage ambiguity and rapidly changing priorities
• Executive Presentation: Exceptional skills in deck preparation and distilling complex messages into simple, high-impact visuals.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Proven ability to build relationships and manage communication across all levels of the business.
• ELT Collaboration: Experience partnering closely with the Executive Leadership Team (ELT).
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability
• High level of organisation and attention to detail
• Ability to operate effectively in a complex global organisation
• Strong commercial and Procurement understanding

ANTICIPATED BUSINESS TRAVEL: ~30%